City’s top cop leaving the force

JOE FRIES Wednesday, December 31, 2008 Penticton Herald:

Penticton RCMP Insp. Dan Fudge won’t have to plead his case for more cops before city council any more. The 56-year-old head of the local police detachment is retiring from his duties next month and taking up a posting as a regional superintendent with B.C. Sheriff Services. "It wasn’t an easy decision," Fudge said in a telephone interview Tuesday from Los Angeles, where he is vacationing. "I thought maybe it was time to do something different." Since taking over as Penticton’s top cop nearly nine years ago, Fudge has continually pressed the city to budget for more officers, and, for the most part, he was successful. The detachment grew from 38 members in 2003 to 45 members in 2007. But his requests were never rubber-stamped and he fought hard for those new officers.

"Like any public organization, there’s always the issue of resources and finances. It’s about what you need, what you want and what you can afford. And there’s always that balance," Fudge said. "We’re probably going to be entering some difficult times now, and perhaps it’s time for me to look at other options." Since joining the RCMP 36 years ago, Fudge has been stationed in six different provinces or territories. In Penticton, he battled a fluctuating crime rate that was still above the provincial average in 2007. Fudge, however, attributed part of that statistic to a population increase during tourist season that is not reflected in the data. He also maintains that the top issue facing crime-fighters is drugs. And Fudge believes more needs to be done to win the battle besides locking up bad guys. "Don’t get me wrong -- I think enforcement is important. But I think in the long-term, the issue of drugs needs to be solved through education and counselling services and those kinds of things."

Fudge said there will likely be a gap between when he leaves at a yet-to-be-determined date in January and when his successor is hired. He indicated the RCMP would work with city hall to come up with some candidates to take over as inspector. The outgoing chief was also very active with the Cops For Kids charity, work he hopes to keep up in some capacity. Mayor Dan Ashton could not be reached for comment Tuesday.