Fredericton’s Female Police Chief A 1st For Atlantic Canada

“Another milestone for women in policing has been achieved.” – Jane Hall.

Atlantic Canada’s first female police chief says conditions are improving for women police officers.

But Leanne Fitch, who was named chief of the Fredericton Police Force this week, admits there’s still room for improvement, particularly in the higher ranks.

“We still have a long way in terms of equal representation of women in policing in general, but really, in the executive level, right across the country, the numbers are still rather small,” she said.

Fitch was the fifth woman hired on the Fredericton force 28 years ago.

“Thinking back on some of my early calls and some of the challenges I faced within the community and the organization —whether it was what type of call you’re going to be dispatched on, to whether or not the complainant was going to take you seriously when you arrived on scene. So I’m really happy to say that over the course of my career, that has changed significantly,” she said. Read more