The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) will have a new chief as of Oct. 1.
The Abbotsford Police Board announced yesterday that Mike Serr, who currently serves as deputy chief of operations, will take over from retiring Chief Const. Bob Rich, whose last day is Sept. 30 after 10 years with the APD.
Serr has been with the APD since 2015 and previously served 26 years with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD).
“During his service with the APD, Deputy Serr has shown that he is the leader we have been looking for, and the board was unanimous in selecting him to be the next chief constable,” said Mayor Henry Braun, who heads the police board.
Serr said he is “truly honoured” to have been selected for the position.
“I want to thank the Abbotsford Police Board for their confidence in me and Chief Rich for his continued support. It’s my privilege to serve and work with the dedicated women and men of the Abbotsford Police Department.”
Rich said it has been an “absolute pleasure” to work with Serr and he has “complete confidence” that he is the right person for the job.
“Mike is an energetic leader who knows how to connect with the community, and will keep the focus on making our city safer. I am pleased with the board’s decision to select Mike as the next chief and grateful for their time in assessing him for the position,” Rich said.
Serr worked in a variety of challenging and demanding positions in Vancouver, including being the officer in charge of professional standards and later the organized crime section.
Serr joined the APD in November 2015 as the deputy chief constable of administration, and transferred to the role of deputy chief constable of operations in November 2017.
Active nationally in the field of policing, Serr currently is the chair of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police drug advisory committee, and was in a leadership role with the Provincial Overdose Response Joint Task Force.
Locally, Serr is the chair of the Abbotsford Opioid Working Group.
He began his policing career with a bachelor of arts in criminology from Simon Fraser University.
He continues to pursue educational opportunities and has completed the Canadian Police College Executive Development Program, the Critical Incident Command Course, and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police Institute for Strategic International Studies program.
Serr has received several commendations and awards during his career.
He was honoured with Chief Constable Commendations from both the APD and VPD, and is a recipient of the Lieutenant Governor’s Meritorious Service Award.
Last August, he received a Chief Constable’s Citation for his work developing one of the most successful and recognized undercover programs in Canada.
Serr is also known for the strength he showed during extreme hardship last year, following the line-of-duty death of colleague Const. John Davidson on Nov. 6 and, just one week later, the death of his 19-year-old son Aiden in a car crash.