Congratulations to Chief Andy McGrogan as he retires after serving the community of Medicine Hat for more than 40 years!
Chief McGrogan was hired by Medicine Hat Police Service in November of 1980, and throughout his successful and progressive career he worked in a wide variety of positions including; general Patrol Duties, Communications, Canine, Tactical Team Member and Commander, Criminal Investigations and Professional Standards and Development. After serving as an Inspector of both Support and Operational Services, he was appointed to Deputy Chief of Police in September of 2007 until his appointment to Chief in November 2008.
In addition to his work with the MHPS, Chief McGrogan was very active in the community and a long-time supporter of many community organizations. He was a Board Member and Chair of the Medicine Hat Woman’s Shelter Society for six years and a strong advocate in the community on issues that relate to violence against women and children. He served as the Alberta representative for the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and has participated on a number of other boards such as Canadian Intelligence Services Canada, and the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, a not for profit organization that provides online training solutions for police and law enforcement in Canada. In May of 2016 he was elected as President of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police.
Chief McGrogan is passionate about and committed to life-long learning. In 2006 he received his Masters of Arts in Leadership and Training and in 2019 completed a graduate certificate in Executive Coaching, both through Royal Roads University. As a leader he shared his passion for education with others and was instrumental in the development of a collaborative cadet training partnership between the Medicine Hat Police Service (MHPS), the Blood Tribe Police Service (BTPS), Taber Police Service (TPS) and Lethbridge College which results in police cadets receiving academic accreditation through Lethbridge College (LC) for the knowledge and skills they acquired through a competency-based educational program.
In 2014, Chief McGrogan received the Order of Merit of the Police Forces. The Officer of the Order of Merit recognizes outstanding meritorious service in duties of responsibility over an extended period, at the regional and provincial level.
“I feel so much gratitude to this community and to the members and staff of the Police Service both past and present for allowing me to serve at all levels of the organization since 1980 -who ever gets this privilege?” says Chief McGrogan.
Thank you for your hard work and dedication to our community Chief! You will be missed but we wish you the very best on your well deserved retirement.