The police chief in Surrey, B.C., has left the service in an exit that also triggered the resignation of the police board chair, who said the decision was made at meeting his colleagues knew he couldn’t attend, and that “political tentacles” had reached into the oversight body. The board said in a statement on Tuesday that Chief Const. Norm Lipinski had been replaced by Deputy Chief Const. Todd Matsumoto, who was appointed to the top post on an interim basis. The board also said it would begin looking for a permanent chief, with updates in the next few weeks. Lipinski oversaw Surrey’s transition from the RCMP to its own municipal police force, a process that was contentious as Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke tried unsuccessfully to reverse the move and hand…
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