THUNDER BAY -- A new era has officially begun for the city’s police service, as the first-ever female deputy chief has been sworn in.
Thunder Bay Police Service deputy chief Sylvie Hauth was sworn in Tuesday morning during the Thunder Bay Police Board meeting.
“Quite an exciting adventure,” Hauth said following the ceremony.
“I’m very honoured to be chosen and I’m looking forward to embarking in this new journey with our service.”
Hauth has only had three weeks to prepare for the new position, but she is ready to hit the ground running.
In preparation, she has spent some time discussing current issues with the previous deputy chief Andy Hay.
“Right now, I’m really focusing with the chief on looking at what our next steps are going to be,” she said.
She added there’s a few items on their plate in terms of the OIPRD review, inquest recommendations and they are looking at some changes within the service with respect to human rights.
Hauth’s years of experience on the job and in the community will allow her to easily adjust to the new position.
“I have a really good background in terms of frontline criminal investigation work,” she said.
“My last few years have been in community services, so I have a very good understanding of all the issues and different committee work and partnerships we have in the community.”
She has a lot of information and experience to draw from, so it will give her the confidence to get things done from the start.
Thunder Bay Police Chief J.P. Levesque believes Hauth will do a wonderful job.
“She’s a very intelligent woman and has a wealth of experience in policing,” Levesque said.
“She’s strong in both the criminal investigation side, the operational side and in the community side of things.”
Levesque added she does a lot of community work and she will continue to do a lot of great work for the Thunder Bay Police Service as well.
