| Chief Constable & Executive Staff |
Chief Constable Peter Lepine
Raised in the province of Quebec, Chief Constable Lepine joined the West Vancouver Police Department in September of 2009, after a 30 year career as a member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. During the first 10 years of his policing career, he served at Surrey Detachment, working in a number of roles including Patrol, School Liaison, Special Projects and the Economic Crime Unit. After returning to the RCMP Training Academy, where he served for three years within the firearms training unit, Chief Lepine returned to British Columbia; serving as a Road Supervisor in Port Alberni, Parksville and again, in Surrey.
In 2000, Chief Lepine was commissioned to the rank of Inspector and transferred to Nova Scotia where he led the Operational Support Division for the Atlantic Region Informatics Program and, for three years, led the Operations Division of Halifax Detachment. In 2005, Chief Lepine once again returned to BC to command the RCMP’s Coquitlam Detachment where he served until taking up his duties as Chief Constable of the WVPD.
Chief Constable Lepine holds a Certificate in Law & Security Administration and a Certificate in Business Administration. He was awarded a Distinguished Long Service Medal and Bronze Clasp by the RCMP, and the Queen’s Jubilee Medal in recognition for his dedication toward domestic violence intervention and his work within a community policing environment. He is married to Lori, who serves as a member of the RCMP in Vancouver. He has a daughter who has recently commenced a career within the field of Criminal Justice.
With the exception of five years, Chief Lepine has spent his entire career within the municipal policing environment, which for him is his passion. Chief Lepine is very excited about the challenges and opportunities that come with leading 103 of the finest employees who have also chosen the West Vancouver Police Department their work family.
When not engaged in his policing duties, Chief Lepine enjoys photography and taking his dog Ruger out for a walk. He does not play hockey, nor does he golf, blaming his poor performance in these sports on the fact that he is left-eye dominant, complicated by being right-handed.
Deputy Chief Constable Jim Almas
Deputy Chief Constable Jim Almas has 30 years of experience in law enforcement, 28 of which have been as a member of the West Vancouver Police Department (WVPD). Over his extensive career, Deputy Chief Almas has worked his way up through the ranks, giving him a unique and balanced perspective in leading the Department.
He began as a Constable on patrol and served as a dog handler for eight years. He then moved on to become a Detective in the Criminal Investigations section, specializing in sexual assault investigations and serving as a Hostage Negotiator.
Deputy Chief Almas then rose to the rank of Sergeant, initially in charge of Community Policing and also serving as the coordinator to schools in teaching substance abuse education. He subsequently became Staff Sergeant in charge of Support Division where he was responsible for recruitment and training, before taking on the role of Staff Sergeant in charge of the Patrol Division. In 2008, he was selected to serve as Inspector in charge of the Support Division, responsible for First Nations initiatives and serving as the 2010 Olympic Liaison for Urban Domain issues. Deputy Chief Almas served as Interim Chief Constable from February to September 2009 and on May 31, 2010, he was promoted to the newly created rank of Deputy Chief Constable.
Deputy Chief Almas is a familiar face within the community due to his duties as one of the Department’s chief external liaisons. He has built comfortable relationships with local residents, businesses and community leaders through his active representation at town halls, public forums, and community group presentations.
For the past six years, Deputy Chief Almas has planned and prepared all special events that occur in West Vancouver. From Community Days to the Celebration of Lights, he is well-known as the point person in ensuring the Department’s presence to maintain the safety and security of all residents and participants. His years of experience as a hostage negotiator have also given Deputy Chief Almas the skills and knowledge to prevent delicate and tense situations from becoming major incidents, including acts of civil disobedience and public protests.
One of his most important previous roles in the community was as a key member of the West Vancouver and North Shore Emergency Planning committees. Deputy Chief Almas was engaged in conducting research and emergency planning for the WVPD in the event of a man-made or natural disaster. Cooperation with a number of provincial and federal government agencies is vital in the preparation of an emergency infrastructure, and his work has ensured that the WVPD remains in a leadership role within a coordinated response.
Deputy Chief Almas is invigorated by the new direction provided by the recently developed three-year strategic plan and determined to continue the positive transformation of the West Vancouver Police Department. He is also passionate about reaching out locally to cooperate, collaborate and communicate with residents and businesses towards making West Vancouver the safest community in Canada.
Inspector Barry Nickerson
Inspector Barry Nickerson joined the West Vancouver Police Department in 1983 after serving with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in a variety of postings both in British Columbia and Ontario. During this time, Inspector Nickerson was involved in Federal, Provincial and Municipal duties, bringing this range of experience with him to West Vancouver. Inspector Nickerson is a graduate of advanced programs at Dalhousie University – College of Continuing Education, the Canadian Police College, the Canadian Forces College, the Justice Institute of BC, and the RCMP.
During his service with West Vancouver, Inspector Nickerson has worked in all ranks of the Department and in each Divisional area including Patrol, Police Service Dog Handler, Community Policing, Media Relations, Criminal Investigation Division and Support Services. During 2007, Inspector Nickerson was appointed the Acting Chief Constable of the Department for a period of seven months pending the selection of the current Chief.
Since joining West Vancouver, Inspector Nickerson has been responsible for a number of key Department initiatives including;
While serving with the West Vancouver Police Department, Inspector Nickerson’s varied experience, proven record of leadership, strong organizational skills and success in relationship and team building have been drawn on by other organizations who have seconded him for duties such as:
From September of 2007 to May of 2010, Inspector Nickerson was seconded to the RCMP V2010 - Integrated Security Unit where he was the Officer in Charge of Transportation Planning for the 2010 Winter Games on issues surrounding safety & security for airspace, marine and surface modes of transportation and the second in charge of the Operations – Tactical Division of the ISU organization. Upon the conclusion of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, Insp. Nickerson returned to the West Vancouver Police Department where he is currently the Officer in Charge of Planning and Research.
Inspector Mike Rattray
Inspector Mike Rattray began his police career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in January 1978. He was involved in rural and resort community general policing duties in a number of Alberta communities. On December 28, 1982, Insp. Rattray was engaged by the West Vancouver Police and assigned to patrol duties. He has operational policing, supervisory and management experience in the Patrol and Criminal Investigation Sections as well as the Support Division. This included positions in the ranks of Constable, Corporal/ Detective, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant and Inspector. His assignments have included the Patrol, Traffic, Criminal Investigations, Target Team, Drug Enforcement, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Investigations, Recruiting & Training, and Planning & Research functions.
Insp. Rattray was a member of the executive of the West Vancouver Police Association for numerous years completing his term in the position of President. He has been assigned to the Justice Institute of British Columbia – Police Academy as an operational training instructor and managed the implementation of the BC PRIME police records management and dispatch systems for the Department.
Insp. Rattray is enrolled in the Human Resource Management program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology and has been responsible for recruiting and training for the Department.
In June 2006, Insp. Rattray was assigned to the Vancouver 2010 – Integrated Security Unit responsible for security planning for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. He was involved in initial security planning for the athlete transportation system and traffic management functions. In December 2006, Insp. Rattray was reassigned as the lead planner for aviation, marine and surface transportation modes, working closely with Federal, Provincial and industry partners.
In September 2007, Insp. Rattray returned to the West Vancouver Police Department as the Officer in Charge of Operations and Support Divisions. From June 2008 to May 2010, Insp. Rattray was again seconded to the V2010 – Integrated Security Unit as the Officer in Charge of the Road Based Transportation Unit. In May 2010, upon conclusion of the Olympics, Insp. Rattray returned to the West Vancouver Police Department where he is currently the Officer in Charge of the Support Division.
Insp. Rattray is married, has two teenage children and is a long time resident of the Sea to Sky corridor. Inspector Wayne Giesbrecht
Brian Travis, Services Director
Brian Travis was born in Sydney, Nova Scotia. He joined the Canadian Forces as an Artillery Officer under the Officer Candidate Training Program in 1975. After completing his basic officer training in Chilliwack, British Columbia and Gagetown, New Brunswick he was posted to 5e Regiment d’Artillerie Légere du Canada (5 RALC) in Valcartier, Quebec where he served for four years in various leadership roles. In 1980 he was posted to First Regiment, Royal Canadian Horse Artillery (1RCHA), in Lahr, Germany where he served in a number of command positions before being attached to 4 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group HQ as the LO1 Administration. In 1983 he returned to 1RCHA as the Regimental Operations Officer and in July 1984 he was posted to the Field Artillery School (FAS) in Gagetown to attend the year long Instructor-in-Gunnery course. During his tour with the school Brian was employed as the Training Officer and the Senior Instructor in Gunnery. In January 1987 Brian was promoted to Major and selected by the Secretary of State, Royal Visit Office to be the Canadian Equerry to HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. After accompanying their Royal Highnesses on a cross Canada tour, Brian was vested by HRH Queen Elizabeth II as a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) for his work with their visit to Canada.
In November 1988 Brian was chosen to command a British artillery battery in First Regiment, Royal Horse Artillery stationed in Hohne, West Germany. During his tour he served as the Senior British Artillery Liaison Officer to 7 (US) Corps during the 1991 Gulf War. He was awarded the United States Bronze Star Medal by the Commander of the US Army Central Command for his service to 7 Corps during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
In July 1991 he returned to the Field Artillery School as the Chief Instructor-in-Gunnery and in 1993 he attended the University of New Brunswick to complete an honours degree in History. He attended the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College in 1995 and was subsequently employed in the Combat Training Centre Headquarters in a variety of leadership positions until his promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel in February 1999 when he was posted as the Chief of Staff of 39 Canadian Brigade Group located at Jericho Beach, Vancouver. After completing his MBA from Simon Fraser University, Brian retired from the Canadian Forces in 2003 to take up employment with the West Vancouver Police Department (WVPD) in 2005 as their Business Manager. Mr. Travis currently serves as the Director of Services for the WVPD and he resides in West Vancouver. |
Inspector Giesbrecht began his career with the West Vancouver Police in September 1987. After graduating from the JIBC where he received the Oliver Thompson Memorial award for fitness, he worked his way through the ranks serving in various sections including Patrol, Target Team, Traffic, Training-Recruiting, and Criminal Investigation. In September 2006, he continued his commitment to law enforcement with the Victoria Police Department until September 2008 when he returned to the West Vancouver Police in the rank of Inspector and given command of the Operations Division.