Edmonton Police Chief Dale McFee announces retirement

Edmonton’s police chief, Dale McFee, has announced that he will be retiring from the Edmonton Police Service on February 21, 2025.

The Edmonton Police Commission made the announcement Wednesday after McFee informed them of his decision.

McFee has been serving as chief since Feb. 1, 2019, and is the 23rd individual to hold the title for the service.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Edmonton Police Commission and to the people of Edmonton who have allowed me to lead one of the best organizations in North America,” said McFee in a statement.

“Thank you to the Commission who set the vision we have delivered on and fought with us through some tumultuous times. Together we have been impatient for progress, but steadfast in a shared belief about the EPS and the community we serve. This support was essential in allowing us to do our critical work. I know that everyone at the EPS will continue forward with this good work.”

In his time as police chief, McFee was a part of many changes including:

• The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Framework;
• Young People Strategy;
• Divisional Boundary Review;
• High-Risk Encampment Teams;
• Virtual Opioid Dependency Program;
• Family Support Worker for Homicide Victims;
• Human-Centred Engagement and Liaison Partnership;
• Integrated Call Evaluation and Dispatch;
• Guns and Gangs Strategy;
• Recruitment and Training Programs;
• Animal Cruelty Investigation Unit;
• 10-Sqaud Model;
• and the Healthy Streets Operations Centre.

McFee was also a leader in creating new ways of community-based policing, which saw the creation of various initiatives, as well as providing a formal apology to the LGBTQ2S+ community in 2019 for past treatment by the police service.

He spoke with the Nîsohkamâkewin Council to addresses the inequities and barriers Indigenous peoples face, and implemented the policing recommendations from national reports, such as the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

“The Commission thanks Chief Dale McFee for his dedication, commitment, and many contributions to the EPS and policing in Edmonton. Dale transformed our city’s police service into an organization focused on innovation and delivering policing as an outcome-based public service driven by community safety and well-being. As a result, the EPS is now internationally recognized as one of the most innovative police organizations in North America,” said John McDougall, Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission.