'One of the biggest honours of my life': Regina's police chief bids farewell following 28-year career

Regina’s Chief of Police Evan Bray will hand in his badge at the end of the day on Friday after 28 years with the force.

Bray, who served the last seven years as Chief of Police, began his career with the Regina Police Service (RPS) as a patrol constable. In many ways, the 17 years he spent patrolling the streets shaped his career.

“It’s why I became a police officer—frontline policing,” he said.

“I wanted to be able to do emergency response in the community, to be able to interact with people, problem solve and handle unpredictable situations. That’s really what patrol is all about.”

Bray responded to his first call on New Year’s Eve in 1995. A woman’s car had been stolen outside Little Flower Parish on College Avenue.

“My heart felt like it was going to pound out of my chest,” he told CTV while revisiting the site ahead of his retirement.

“That’s a pretty routine call to take, a theft of auto. I’ve taken thousands of them in my career I’m sure, and yet that first one is big.”

There are few areas in the city where Bray can drive around without remembering something about his time on patrol.

Ten months after Bray’s first call and just blocks over on College Avenue, he said he responded to a “career-altering” scene. A person who claimed to be a witness led Bray and his partner to the body of 14-year-old Darrelle Exner.

Bray took the witness in to give a formal statement. Months later, the witness was charged with Exner’s murder.

“It changed so much for me how I took notes in my notebook, how I testified in court and how I investigated,” Bray said.

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“This was my first major investigation and I think it also changed the way I trusted people.”

Bray said he was naïve during his first year on patrol and again when he entered his first year as chief.

“I thought I knew what this job was going to be about, but I had my eyes opened very quickly,” he said.

Bray responded to his first call on New Year's Eve in 1995. (GarethDillistone/CTVNews)

Bray was appointed Chief of Police in 2016, after working his way up as patrol supervisor, detective corporal with serious habitual offenders, crisis negotiation team member, watch commander and inspector for the city’s North District.

Two years into his role, he reached another pivotal moment—the 2018 Justice For Our Stolen Children protest camp in Wascana Park. The camp lasted 200 days, ending with eviction notices and arrests.

“I’ll always be the first to admit when you look back there are probably things that we could have or should have done differently,” Bray said.

“But ultimately getting the province to go to the courts to get an actual legal court injunction was the right way to go.”

According to Bray, RPS created a playbook of sorts that helped handle future community conflicts, including the Co-op and Unifor strike and the Freedom Rally convoy.

He said the protest camp also helped build stronger relationships with the provincial government and the Wascana Centre Authority.

As Bray reflected on the career he’s wanted since he was five years old, he said he is proud of all the relationships he has made along the way.

“That is policing 101—to be able to get out in the community and build relationships and enhance trust in the police service. So I hope that’s a part of my legacy,” he said.

“I feel very lucky and privileged to have done it. It’s been my honour, it’s been one of the biggest honours of my life, to be a police officer in this city and it only happens if the community respects you.”

Bray has no immediate plans once he enters retirement, but he is looking forward to some downtime with family this summer.

Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies will serve as acting chief for the month of July. Deputy Chief Dean Ray will take over those interim duties in August until the Board of Police Commissioners hires a permanent replacement.