top cop search moving along: new windsor police chief expected by october
the hunt for a new windsor police chief is expected to ...
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windsor police service board chairwoman jo-anne gignac speaks with the media following a board meeting thursday, may 22, 2025 at windsor police headquarters. julie kotsis/windsor star
julie kotsis
/
windsor star
the hunt for a new windsor police chief is expected to produce a replacement by october.
members of the windsor police service board discussed the proposed timeline for finding a replacement for retiring chief jason bellaire, who announced in february he would leave in november.
consultants with odgers berndtson, the firm hired by the board to find suitable candidates, outlined the search process during thursday’s board meeting at police headquarters.
the formal search should begin in june, once the board strikes the committee that will interview potential candidates.
“(we’ll) want to outline all of the attributes that we feel are important for the person that will take the place of chief bellaire and then they will post it,” said board chairwoman jo-anne gignac, speaking with the media following the meeting.
gignac said the city will reach out to various organizations and municipalities that have police forces of similar size to find people who are looking to make a change.
“and we know that these head-hunting companies have always got people on the radar in terms of a variety of skill sets.”
gignac said the consultants will bring recommendations to the committee “in terms of what applications they’ve received and what they perceive as a good fit.”
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“they will bring the short list to us,” she said. “we will review those with odgers and of course, have an opportunity to look at all of the applications.
“and then they will begin to bring applicants to the committee for the interviews.”
gignac suggested to the board that she, vice-chairwoman sophia chisholm and mayor drew dilkens should make up the committee but board member robert de verteuil objected.
it was agreed all the board members would be polled via electronic means, as neither dilkens nor coun. jim morrison was able to attend thursday’s board meeting.
bellaire took over from chief pam mizuno, who vacated the position on march 31, 2022, halfway through a five-year contract. he served as interim chief for eight months before the board officially named him the force’s new top cop.
like his predecessor, bellaire also announced his retirement before his contract was up. he signed a five-year contract that began december 2022.
bellaire is a 29-year veteran of the department who previously worked as a deputy chief overseeing operational strategies. before that, he served as an inspector of patrol response and was the first point of contact for groups in windsor and amherstburg.
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