Cobourg Police Board appoints hiring committee for new Chief

By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM News, Local Journalism Initiative.

The Cobourg Police Services Board has appointed an internal committee to lead the recruitment of a new police chief. Paul VandeGraaf, last week announced he will be leaving the position as of June, after serving as Chief since 2019.

Yet during the regular police board meeting today, appointing the three-member committee of Chair Adam Bureau, Vice-Chair Sean Graham and Nicole Beatty, former Police Board Chair Ronald Kerr, requested that he too be included on the committee. There are no rules on how many people can be on the hiring committee. The fifth board member, Dean Pepper, was absent from today’s meeting. According to Kerr, he and Pepper have experience in hiring a police Chief and questioned why this committee would not include experience in such a major decision affecting policing and Cobourg.

“There are two members of the current board that have experience in hiring. Member Pepper and myself. This is a huge task we are undertaking. I do not understand why you would not utilize that experience,” Kerr questioned.

Beatty remarked that if the committee allowed Kerr, why not add the entire board to the hiring committee. Graham informed the former Board Chair Kerr that the committee would be making candidate recommendations to the board for their consideration.

Kerr’s request to be put on the hiring committee was denied. Graham also informed the Board that he is recommending that it suspend its strategic plan until September, as to allow for the hiring and onboarding of a new police chief. Chief VandeGraaf did not present his monthly Chief’s report, stating a new report will come at the end of January. The Mayor’s proposed budget, which was released late Monday, indicating a 6.31 percent increase was not addressed today. VandeGraaf has been vocal about the police force needing a 20.5 percent increase.