What brings Stellarton’s new police chief to town? It is simple, he insists.
With more than three decades of police service and a wide variety of experience, Chief Mark Hobeck took over the 10-member department at the end of September. Since then, two main theories have since emerged over the coffee cups or perhaps from the tea leaves. One contends he was hired to work toward a greater degree of police service consolidation within Pictou County. The other argues he is here to make sure that never happens in Stellarton.
Meeting upstairs in the town hall, where his new office is being renovated, Hobeck good-naturedly shakes his head to both scenarios.
“I have never been given any direction, either way, on that issue, so it is not something I am focused on. Why I am here is not complicated – Stellarton needed a police chief, I missed policing, I liked the area and I was aware of this opportunity,” he said.
Hobeck retired from Halifax Regional Police in 2017 with 31 years of service. Raised mainly in Dartmouth, he was partway through a degree at St. Mary’s University when he saw a newspaper ad for openings on the Halifax force.
“I thought I wanted to do something helping people and policing seemed like a good way to go. I had the exam, the interview and the polygraph. Then I was off to the Atlantic Police Academy.”
He allows he may have been a little naive.
“For those old enough to remember, it was the mid-80s, back in the days of (popular television crime drama) Miami Vice. It was easy to picture myself in a linen suit and no socks, driving a Ferrari and fighting big crime.”
The reality of walking a beat in Halifax did not quite measure up.
“I got wool pants and polyester ties and valued my socks. If I got to drive at all, it was an old Plymouth. Most of the time I’d be walking my beat, hearing the far-off sirens, wishing I was wherever the action was.”
Looking back, though, he sees that time as invaluable to his development as an officer.
“Despite being in uniform, I was still a very shy kid and that beat forced me to talk to people. I got to know the business owners, the people who worked there, some of the people who lived in the area. It was community policing and was extremely beneficial to my career going forward.”
Hobeck went on to work as a community response officer, a school resource officer, an investigator and a media relations officer. He eventually transferred to the criminal investigation division where he supervised the integrated drug unit and sexual assault investigative team. His last police duties were in the department’s internal oversight and risk management sections.
It was actually his two years following retirement, when he worked as a policing consultant with the department of justice that led him to Stellarton.
“Working for the department of justice, I got to know all the police departments across Nova Scotia. The situation in Pictou County is unique in terms of policing so that certainly caught my attention.”
When the Halifax region was in the process of amalgamation, Hobeck was a Dartmouth resident and a Halifax police officer.
“I certainly heard people’s concerns. I knew police officers in Bedford, for example, who had concerns and questions, so I know it is a tough issue with a lot of angles.”
In his consultancy work, Hobeck worked closely with former Westville-Stellarton Police Chief Don Hussher.
“I knew he was retiring so I knew there was an opportunity. I started working for the province thinking I was done with policing, but over my two years, I realized I missed it and what I missed, in particular, was the community policing aspect.”
He also had respect for the job Hussher had done.
“I knew if I got the job I wasn’t coming into a tear-down situation of any sort. I knew he was leaving a solid organization and a good base to work from.”
While the chief of police job attracted him personally, he did not know how his family would respond.
“It was a major family decision. It had to be. We’d be leaving a home and life where we were fairly comfortable for something a bit different.”
Commuting from Dartmouth was never a consideration.
“I don’t think that’s what the town wanted, and I don’t think it would have been a good arrangement. I wouldn’t want it, personally, so I live 10 minutes from the station.”
Part of Hobeck’s work with the province involved auditing cases of domestic violence and sexual assault. The audits not only determined whether procedures were followed but also whether the officers had the resources and support needed.
“I’d met many of the Stellarton officers previously and I’d like to think that has made the transition easier than it might have been if the new chief was a stranger.”
Hobeck has spent the past few months getting to know the workings of the town and the department, always with a view to enhancing the role of community policing. Over the Christmas season, he and members of the force joined other volunteers working shifts at Sobeys to collect for the Salvation Army.
“We were there in uniform, but our time was volunteered. We were doing our part to help provide a much-needed service and remind people the police force is part of our community.”
A sports enthusiast, Hoebeck has an extensive background in coaching from the middle school level up to university.
“I really hope this job gives me the chance to get back to coaching because I love it. In my mind, coaching and policing go together really well. Seeing an officer in school and on the field helps to bridge a gap for young people.”
A former football player in his youth, he has coached football but more often he has been behind the soccer bench offering encouragement and direction.
“I’ve coached a lot of great kids and a few of them have even gone on to policing.”
So far he is finding it relatively quiet on the crime front, but as he points out, that can change any time.
“In policing, you are often dealing with people who are not having their best day but I’m meeting lots of people and they are generally very welcoming.”
Rosalie MacEachern is a Stellarton resident and freelance writer. She seeks out people who work behind the scenes on hobbies or jobs that they love the most. If you know someone you think she should profile in an upcoming article, she can be reached at [email protected]
