Maple Ridge RCMP superintendent announces retirement after 25-year career
The officer in charge of the Maple Ridge RCMP detachment is stepping down after a 25-year policing career, marking the end of a long tenure that began in the community he would retire.
Supt. Adam Gander announced he was hanging up his cuffs in an open letter released on April 13, reflecting on a career that started in 2001 when he graduated from the RCMP’s training academy and began his first shift at the Ridge Meadows detachment.
“I would have never guessed then, as that new officer, that 25 years later I would be the Officer in Charge of this detachment,” Gander wrote. “It’s been an amazing experience, but all things must change.”
Gander said the decision to retire was difficult, pointing to what he described as “truly exceptional people” he worked alongside and strong ties to the community. He spent 18 years policing in Maple Ridge, including a seven-year period with the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team.
Throughout his letter, Gander emphasized the importance of partnerships between police and local governments, thanking the City of Maple Ridge, the City of Pitt Meadows and the Katzie First Nation for their ongoing support.
“Working with you on initiatives to keep our community safer could not be done without your collaboration,” he said, also acknowledging the role of community organizations and partners.
He also paid tribute to frontline officers and staff, highlighting the personal sacrifices involved in policing, from missed family events to late-night callouts.
“You picked policing as a calling, not just a career,” Gander wrote. “After 25 years you are making a difference.”
Gander’s retirement comes at a time of transition for local policing. As of April 1, the longstanding Ridge Meadows RCMP detachment officially split into two autonomous detachments serving Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows separately, following a provincial approval process that began in 2021.
The process to appoint a new officer in charge for the Maple Ridge detachment is now underway. In the interim, senior leadership will oversee day-to-day operations.
Gander, who said he plans to remain in the community, expressed confidence in his successor and the detachment’s future.
“They have to [work closely with the community] because I still live here and will be watching,” he wrote.
He closed his message by thanking residents, saying he felt “very privileged” to have served in Maple Ridge.
Read Gander’s full statement here
