SPS hiring of Wayne Rideout to help with police transition catches mayor off guard

The Surrey Police Service (SPS) has hired longtime police officer and public safety expert Wayne Rideout to help with the city’s transition from the RCMP to a municipal force.

It will be Rideout’s second time involved in the controversial transition. He previously worked for the Ministry of Public Safety as the assistant deputy minister and director of Police Services, overseeing Surrey’s move to the SPS until he retired in late 2022.

Wayne Rideout has been hired by the Surrey Police Service to oversee the city’s police transition. (LinkedIn)

Ian MacDonald, a spokesperson for the SPS, says the hiring was made official earlier this week.

“Wayne brings a lot of skill and, obviously, knowledge and police experience to the table,” he told CityNews Thursday.

“So when you have the opportunity to get someone who is familiar with the transition, has previously worked in police services, has a long, 35-year career in policing with the RCMP, I think you’ve found yourself somebody who will assist.”

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MacDonald says Rideout will start on a three-month contract with the SPS to help advance the police transition. He could not share how much Rideout’s services will cost but says he will be paid hourly.

In July, B.C. Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth made the final decision that Surrey must continue with its transition to the SPS.

This came after Mayor Brenda Locke and council voted in November 2022 to keep the RCMP in Surrey, as part of an election promise.

According to media reports at the time, Rideout retired just weeks after Locke’s election win.

MacDonald says the SPS had heard that Rideout was open to working again, which began the process of bringing him into the fold.

“He seemed to think it would be a good fit for him,” MacDonald said.

“He’s extremely familiar with the intricacies of the transition, and since now it is definitive that the transition is going to move forward, I think it’s an excellent decision.”

Locke unaware of Rideout’s hiring, criticizes SPS communication

Locke says she learned of Rideout’s hiring through CityNews, after we requested an interview with her on Thursday.

Locke explains she’s discouraged that the Surrey Police Board did not notify the city of Rideout’s hiring.

“They’re just running on their own and they have little regard for the city, for the taxpayers. For us, this is just going to be another cost of running two police services,” she said.

“We get no communication from them. I have no plan from the SPS. I don’t have a document that shows me what kind of policing model they’re going to present to the city.”

Brenda Locke, Mayor of Surrey on Tuesday May 30th, 2023. (CityNews Image)

She says the SPS is required to provide its budget to the city by November of this year.

“I don’t know what they’re going to be presenting to us and I don’t know how they’re going to develop their budget when they don’t have a plan,” she told CityNews.

“The SPS is already completely top-heavy with staff that … they can’t or won’t deploy because they are too high of a rank. So I don’t know how bringing in another person at high rank is going to make a difference.”

MacDonald says that since the SPS officially formed in 2020, there have been 31 officers who have left the force, saying he’s unsure how that stacks up to industry standards.