Frank Bergen named city’s new police chief

Frank Bergen has been named chief of the Hamilton Police Service.

The former deputy chief was named by Mayor Fred Eisenberger, who is the chair of the police board, during a brief presentation in council chambers at 1 p.m. Friday.

Bergen was sworn in by Ontario Court Justice Anthony Leitch before being presented with his chief's badge.

Bergen said he was both honoured and proud" to be appointed chief.

The new appointment comes after the retirement of chief Eric Girt in February. He announced his retirement in December.

During the interim, Bergen and Deputy Chief Ryan Diodati were alternating in the role. The board looked at both internal and external candidates and consulted the community.

Bergen joined the Hamilton police as a deputy in 2018 after 36 years in Toronto, where he worked his way up to superintendent. Bergen and his wife moved to Hamilton after getting married. They have two adult daughters.

He thanked the members of the police service for welcoming him, adding that they are the biggest asset for Hamilton police.

There is no question that policing is much different than when I joined 39 years ago," Bergen said, noting broader community questions about police legitimacy and budget scrutiny.

He said those challenges present an opportunity to improve.

Our service is not one person, one event, one partnership," he said. Building trust is not an event, but a process."

Eisenberger noted that selecting the police chief is one of the most important tasks for the board.

The board asked the community what qualities it wanted to see in a chief, he said. The responses included someone willing to work in partnership with the community, someone who will take an innovative approach to policing and above all someone with the highest standards of professionalism.

More to come.

Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com