Kelowna’s top cop Supt. Kara Triance is featured in this undated photo.
Photo credit: SUBMITTED / RCMP
November 03, 2020 – 4:09 pm
Kelowna’s RCMP division had a slew of bad news over the past year, from overt acts of brutality to allegations of sexual assault, dubious records of investigating rape complaints, and a high ranking in Maclean’s latest crime report.
Some of these incidents even resulted in rallies in support of alleged victims.
Meanwhile, Kelowna’s top cop seemed prudent, but there was a change in the department this week.
Supt. Kara Triance – the first top female police officer in town – was only five days after her new appearance when she made the unusual gesture of meeting with reporters from across town for a day of one-on-one interviews.
Armed with notes on important topics of conversation, she was clearly ready to be questioned about the seemingly troubled detachment, stating repeatedly that it wasn’t until five days that she’s not an expert on what makes the Kelowna detachment tick. She also signaled that it was only the first of many conversations that would come.
It is indicative of police philosophies that she hopes will move the department forward.
These past few months, she said, have weighed heavily on RCMP officials in what she called “hardworking, really great people.”
“These police officers are all people who care deeply about the police services for their community. And when our police officers face the challenges they have faced over the past six months, we face public scrutiny over policing and international operations how we as cops show up to do our job – those things weigh on them deeply, “she said.
Going forward, Triance said its goal is to ensure that local RCMP officials feel supported by the leadership and work they are doing, and this includes training. While she takes the helm, she will “let the local officers know exactly where the goalposts are, that they know what the expectations are”.
“(They will) know where we are going and how to get there. And that we can do this together,” she said. “It is really important to me that our cops know that they have a police chief who will not just get off with them before this storm. But go through this so that we can move forward in a meaningful way.”
Tuesday’s interviews are also a signal to the wider community about the relationship it wants to have with them.
“How I show myself for these conversations, for conversations within our community, for partnerships and for the way I do my job, will give the public confidence in who I am as a police officer,” she said.
Triance is preparing to act as a strong voice on issues this community faces, and it is likely that the voice will be different from the one that went before it, also because it addresses a woman in a leadership position an institution known for its sexism.
She hates speaking on behalf of all the women on the RCMP, she said, adding that every experience is unique.
“I’ve worked with some amazing men who support women in the RCMP and women in police work,” she said. “And while there were significant challenges from the heart that were really real, there are also many great people who work hard to make us as the police force diverse and inclusive.”
All of this and her experience in leadership positions provide information about how she does her job.
“My experience, my femininity, my priorities – all of these factors shape how we turn out to be police officers here, but also how this department works, and I was chosen for those reasons,” she said. “I will bring to the job the passion and enthusiasm as well as the integrity and accountability and the firm, fair way I run a police station.”
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