The Abbotsford Police Department (APD) has promoted Insp. Dave Schmirler to the rank of deputy chief constable.
Schmirler began his policing career in 1986 as a member of the New Westminster Police Department and joined the APD in 1995.
He has worked in patrol, as a detective in major crime and as an instructor at the Justice Institute, and he has extensive experience as a member of the emergency response team.
As an inspector, Schmirler has been in charge of the criminal investigation branch and most recently the operations support branch.
He will now take command of the APD’s operations division.
Schmirler is a member of the boards of the Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association and the BC Search and Rescue Association.
He has been awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the provincial government.
He is an Abbotsford resident who has been married to his wife Marilee for 26 years, and they have three adult children.
The APD has two deputy chiefs – the other is Rick Lucy – and one of those positions opened up in early August, when Len Goerke left the APD after 27 years to take on the role of chief of the West Vancouver Police Department.