Red Deer’s new top cop aims to change city’s perception

Grobmeier feels claims the city is unsafe are untrue.

“The reality is you can walk on pretty much any street in this city at any time during the day or night and you will not be assaulted,” says Grobmeier. “The frequency of stranger to stranger personal crimes is very low in this city but there’s a perception that that’s not the case. People feel uncomfortable around certain people and I certainly understand that but the person to person crime is very low in those matters and it’s those perceptions that we need to work on.”

Over the next year, Grobmeier says Red Deer RCMP will continue looking at ways to streamline their processes so more officers can be on the streets as opposed to behind desks.

“Without actually hiring more people,” he notes, “it may seem like we have more because we’re streamlining those internal processes to get people back on the road quicker.

“We are a leader in this province for crime reduction and we should be very proud of that. We’re also one of the leaders for working collaboratively with the 17 other groups that the organization sits on.”

Grobmeier says innovation is another area Red Deer Mounties will continue to lead in.

“We introduced Ard-E the robot, which no other police agency in North America has, and I’d venture to say in the world,” cites Grobmeier. “We will be rolling out a bike registry here soon, and that’s in conjunction with mayor and council. We have something else that’s coming out in May that we’re very excited about and we’ll be the first RCMP detachment to do so in Canada. And again it’s pushing the technology and pushing our innovation and that’s where I see us going.”

In addition to reporting all crimes and any suspicious activity, Grobmeier says residents can also take ownership in crime reduction by not leaving valuables in plain sight in vehicles, for example.

“In February, we will likely see a spike in theft of motor vehicles and I can guarantee a high majority of those were vehicles running with the keys in them,” he laments. “We do the Lock it or Lose it campaign and generally it’s about a 30-40 per cent pass rate. There’s far more that we as citizens can do to help reduce crime, so we’re asking people to do their part as well.”

Grobmeier admits Red Deer has some challenges, but adds it’s not unlike many other communities struggling with issues like the opioid crisis.

“We have a high opioid death rate here in Red Deer, highest in Alberta,” he admiuts. “But it’s not just simply a policing matter, we will do our job with the dealers but the people who are addicted, they need help and that’s beyond what a policing matter can do for them. We are a part of that solution, but we can only be a part of it, we can’t be the solution.”

In the meantime, Grobmeier says Red Deer Mounties will also be focusing on things like property crime and theft of motor vehicles.

“The Crime Severity Index that we’ve seen in the past few years has been driven by our property crime, not person’s crime,” he explains. “Our person’s crime is actually low, it’s been driven by theft of motor vehicles, that’s why we brought into play Pinpoint back in 2016, which was at that time our crime reduction strategy. But now, Pinpoint is a portion of the strategy that’s evolved over the years.”

Grobmeier takes over as Officer in Charge for Red Deer RCMP from Ken Foster, who left the detachment for another assignment on February 4.

“I’m very excited and honored to be the next officer in charge here in Red Deer,” he exclaims. “When I came here it was something that I had hoped I had an opportunity for. We’ve already made Red Deer our home for our family. I like working here, the police work that can be done here is exceptional and we’ve come a long way in three years from where we were. I’m really looking forward to building on that.”

Growing up in Regina, Grobmeier says he was always fascinated with the RCMP, as its training depot is in the Queen City.

“From a very young age I was always enamoured with the Red Surge,” he recalls. “I told my mom when I was in kindergarten that I was going to be a Mountie and that’s exactly what I did. So in 1993 I joined the RCMP and my first posting was in Prince George, BC which is a similar type of detachment as here.”

Following his posting in Prince George, Grobmeier spent time in Stewart, B.C., Tumbler Ridge, B.C., Fraser Lake, B.C., Germany and finally Halifax before coming to Red Deer in 2015.

“Every place I went, I learned so much about living with different cultures,” he explains. “Every area is different and I’ve also learned so much about policing which has given me my base to where I am today and lead me to eventually being the officer in charge here in Red Deer.”

Outside of policing, Grobmeier reveals he and his family are big sports fans and very involved in the community.

“I coach soccer at the College, so sports is something that is very important to us as a family. But it is also something that has tied us to the community more too,” he explains. “I’ve always felt that it’s important to be a part of the community, not just police it. I’ve always lived in the communities I police, I have never commuted and I’ve volunteered in most of the communities I’ve been in.”

by Sheldon Spackman and Troy Gillard

Red Deer’s new top cop aims to change city’s perception

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