Richard H. (Rick) Hanson, a long-time Calgary police officer and most recently, a superintendent of the RCMP’s Alberta division, was sworn in October 1, 2007, as the new chief of the Calgary Police Service.

He succeeded Chief Jack Beaton, who’d held the top post for seven years.

Chief Hanson served 30 years with the Calgary Police, latterly as a deputy chief, before retiring in 2005. He became a chief superintendent with the RCMP, the senior officer in charge of integration and intelligence, including major crimes, drug offences, and national security investigations.

Mayor Bronconnier said Chief Hanson would be putting strong emphasis on eliminating gang and violent crime, cleaning up the downtown and inner city communities, and recruiting and retaining police officers.