Sarnia’s deputy police chief Julie Craddock is leaving her post for a new opportunity with the Anishinabek Police Service, officials announced Tuesday.
“The Sarnia Police Service would like to congratulate Deputy Chief Julie Craddock on her appointment as the new Deputy Chief of the Anishinabek Police Service (APS),” the SPS stated in a news release. “As Sarnia’s first female Indigenous Deputy, she has made a lasting positive contribution to our community and to our police organization.”
Craddock, who was officially sworn in, in March 2023, said this was an “unexpected opportunity to serve within a First Nations Police Service and to fulfill a lifelong personal connection to Indigenous policing,” adding the move was one of the most difficult of her career.
“Although my time with the SPS was not as long as I had planned,” she added, “I believe much has been accomplished over the last 2 years under the visionary leadership of Chief Davis.”
Inspector Mike Van Sickle has been appointed acting deputy chief, effective August 13, 2024, as the SPS board determines next steps for the vacancy, officials added.
“Deputy Chief Julie Craddock has proven to be an exceptional and influential police leader at local, provincial, and international levels,” said chief Derek Davis. “Her contributions to our community and to the Sarnia Police Service were substantial, and she will be missed.
“I congratulate her on her new role, and know that she will be an asset to Chief Jeff Skye, APS, and First Nation’s policing in Ontario.”