As an outsider coming to an organization undergoing extensive change, Julie Craddock recalled feeling nervous as she became Sarnia’s new deputy police chief.
As an outsider coming to an organization undergoing extensive change, Julie Craddock recalled feeling nervous as she became Sarnia’s new deputy police chief.
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Craddock, an inspector with Halton Regional police, was hired in late 2022 by the Sarnia police board, just months after a new chief, also from Halton, was sworn in.
But that feeling changed after a meeting with senior police officials, when Mike Van Sickle told her he was glad she was there and hers was the voice they were missing.
“That is the leader that Mike is,” an emotional Craddock said. “He puts aside his own challenges, his own priorities, stressors in his work day, disappointments, to ensure that the people around him, that his teams know that they are valued.”
Craddock was among the speakers during Friday’s swearing-in ceremony for Van Sickle, named deputy chief by the Sarnia police service board earlier this month. The former inspector had been acting deputy chief since Craddock left the post in August to join Anishinabek police.
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Board chairperson Paul Wiersma told the crowd of police, firefighters and Van Sickle’s family and friends gathered Friday in the Great Lakes secondary school auditorium they had several ways they could have approached filling the vacancy.
“But I think as a board we knew that, yeah, we had the guy we wanted,” Wiersma said before turning to Van Sickle. “We were very, very pleased to appoint you to the position.”
He recalled first meeting Van Sickle, then a staff sergeant, and heard him speak at a series of community town hall meetings about policing issues in the fall of 2022.
“Your enthusiasm was quite infectious,” Wiersma said. “In many ways, we thought you were kind of like a rising star.”
Chief Derek Davis said Van Sickle emerged as a leader shortly after he arrived in 2022.
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“(He) represents the vanguard of the new, emerging leaders within our organization,” Davis said. “His dedication to our organization, our people and our city is evident.”
Van Sickle started his speech with a joke about a fact missing from his biography read by Karen Kinart, vice-president of the Sarnia Police Association.
“It must be said here in this room: I am not from Halton,” he said, drawing a big laugh.
The Sarnia native graduated from St. Patrick’s secondary school and Lambton College before joining the city’s police force in January 2004. He went on to serve in criminal investigations, on the emergency response team and its training branch over 20 years.
Van Sickle turned serious as he thanked everyone for being at the ceremony.
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“I am truly honored to be standing in this position right now,” he said.
He also recalled Const. Shawn Osborne, Sarnia police’s chief training instructor, telling him shortly after he finished his rookie training that one day he was going to lead the organization.
“Those were extremely powerful words coming from that man on that day,” Van Sickle said.
Kinart first met Van Sickle when he was hired in 2004 and remembered him as an eager young officer with a giant smile.
“Mike, you are a natural leader,” she said.
Van Sickle was sworn in by Justice Mark Hornblower at Friday’s event, which was hosted by Sarnia police Sgt. Aaron Johnston, a close friend of Van Sickle’s, and featured speeches by Sarnia Coun. Brian White, Sarnia-Lambton MP Marilyn Gladu, and Sarnia-Lambton MPP Bob Bailey.
Sarnia police previously said Van Sickle, one of two deputy chiefs, will maintain command of its operations and community support division. Ron Hansen, a former Halton Regional police inspector, became the Sarnia force’s second deputy chief in August.
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