RCMP Superintendent Jim McNamara poses with Mayor Akbal Mund and other members of council Monday after confirming he will retire March 2.
Vernon’s ‘top cop’ has said his goodbyes to city council.
Jim McNamara will be retiring as superintendent of the Vernon-North Okanagan detachment this Friday, ending a 33 year policing career.
His last official day is May 3, but due to holiday time and other matters, he will call it a career March 2.
The 57 year old was thanked by council members Monday for his efforts over eight years in Vernon, including showing compassion when dealing with Vernon’s social issues.
“There is a lot more to what we do than going out and arresting people and putting them in jail. We have a lot of people who need help in this community that they often look to the police to help, and we don’t have all the answers,” McNamara told CJIB News and other media.
McNamara says once he leaves, Inspector Gord Stewart will become the interim detachment commander until a permanent replacement is hired.
McNamara says he leaves the detachment in good shape, after earlier convincing the city to hire 6 more officers.
“It’s kind of a nice legacy to leave with six new bodies coming in here, so we needed the resources. Council has demonstrated their commitment to public safety by increasing our establishment by those six.”
The veteran cop — who has held the top post since the fall of 2015 — says he plans to get back into shape, play some golf, and ride his motorcycle.
“It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but the timing is great. So I’ve had a great 33 year career, and I’m looking forward to retirement.”
