S/Sgt. Gandolfi takes post in St. Paul

Staff Sergeant Luis Gandolfi has been transferred to St. Paul. Formerly the head of the Bonnyville RCMP Detachment, S/Sgt. Gandolfi will head west to St. Paul for a new position.

“It’s like an area manager,” S/Sgt. Gandolfi explains he will maintain his same rank and oversee the area. “The role will be to help the commanders out and be an information conduint between them and senior management. Be a little more coaching than on the front lines.”

S/Sgt. Gandolfi served the Bonnyville Detachment for eight years, “i never expected that we would stay here for that long.” Prior to moving to Bonnyville the Gandolfis moved five times in twelve years. “We were a very mobile family. Then all of a sudden we found ourselves putting down roots here.”

“Having said that, we’re not moving. We like it here and I can commute to St. Paul,” S/Sgt. Gandolfi added, “the town is top knotch, the Councils have been great and very pro police. The media is outstanding. Overall, it’s been a great experience for us. The kids are in a great school, everything’s going as it should be.”

The process for a new S/Sgt. is to have a look country-wide. “Everyone’s going to have a personal set of baggage to deal with; whether that’s selling a house or a kid finishing school,” S/Sgt. Gandolfi said he cannot give a date as to when his replacement will be found.

“At the end of the day, Bonnyville is in good hands,” while S/Sgt. Gandolfi was away on a different matter, Sergeant Sarah Parke had been overseeing the day-to-day, “she enjoys my fill confidence and things are going to continue to run smoothly here.”

As for Cop Corner, a regular feature on Lakeland Connect, written by S/Sgt. Gandolfi, he said he hopes to see it continue with his replacement, “I certainly enjoyed writing it. For me, Cop Corner was about showing [the public] the lighter side of what we do; that we’re just people. We have our strengths and weaknesses, like everyone else. We just have a very difficult job and I’m not scared to admit that sometimes we mess up. That’s what Cop Corner was about, connecting with the people.”