Bill Reid retiring as Saint John police chief

Bill Reid is retiring as Saint Johns police chief after seven years, and at a time when the department is under mounting financial pressure.

Reid choked up a bit as he spoke with reporters on Tuesday about his decision to step downafter 37 years in policing.

Reid's term as the citys police chief has been marked by budgetary stress with rising labour costs and at times a testy relationship with city council.

Reid said he expects that willcontinue under the new chief.

"Those will be definitely be challenges and it will be challenges not only for the existing management team but the next chief of police. He or she will have those type of challenges as well, Reid said.

Police wages and overtime costs have been subjects ofa recent battle between city councillors and the department.

In May, Reid told council that his department would need a $1.5-million budget increase to cover salary increases included in a new collective agreement.

A few months later, the police chief said the force was on track to be over budget by roughly $500,000 in the current budget year because of the new collective agreement.

At a December council meeting, city politicians were shown a graph pointing out how the consumer price index had increased 20 per cent since 2004 while police and fire wages had increased more than 50 per cent.

In November, Saint John Mayor Mel Norton and Jonathan Franklin, the chair of the citys police commission, clashed over overtime costs.

While financial issues have been a constant battle for Reid during his tenure, he told reporters that he was proud of some of his other accomplishments as police chief.

Reid said he looks back with pride on the force's success building new partnerships in many neighbourhoods and bringing down levels of violent crime.

"How we reduced those numbers significantly, how we worked towards changing behaviours in terms of methadone, he said.

Reid will remain as the citys police chief until the end of April.

The search for the Saint Johns next police chief will be led by Nicole Paquet.

She took over on Tuesday night as chair of the city's police commission from Franklin.

Meanwhile, Insp. Glen McCloskey will be officially promoted to deputy chief during a ceremony on Friday.

He is replacing Bruce Connell, who also recently retired.