Niagara Parks Police Chief Mark McMullen has been fired by Niagara Parks Commission, which has hired a “third-party contractor” to investigate his conduct, The Standard has learned.

Parks police Insp. Paul Forcier has been named acting chief.

The commission won’t say why McMullen had to turn in his badge, nor will it identify the contractor looking into a summer incident involving the former chief.

“The public doesn’t need to know that right now,” said David Adames, acting parks commission chief executive officer. “What they need to know is that any complaint we receive is taken very seriously.”

Adames said the issue is a “private matter for now.”

He would not disclose how the contractor was hired nor how much the contractor is being paid.

“This is an HR matter under the purview of the CEO,” he said Tuesday, the day after McMullen was fired. “The contractor was hired according to the commission’s procurement policy, that I can assure you.”

McMullen, a decorated former Niagara Regional Police senior officer with more than 30 years’ policing experience, was appointed chief of the parks police in June 2017. He held the rank of superintendent when he left the NRP and has been awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for outstanding commitment to public and community service and the Police Exemplary Medal.

As parks police chief, McMullen earned $129,253 annually, according to the 2018 Sunshine List, and was responsible for a small police service of around 50 full and part-time officers and civilian staff.

Sources familiar with McMullen’s firing say he was terminated without cause Monday. Details of his severance package have not been disclosed.

Parks commission chair and St. Catharines regional Coun. Sandie Bellows declined to be interviewed for this story.

Adames confirmed that McMullen’s employment was ended Monday. He said it was part of a “general restructuring,” although it appears that McMullen was the only person fired.

The Standard has learned a motorist named Zaboor Feizi was stopped by McMullen in July in Niagara Falls. That incident and McMullen’s conduct is the subject of the investigation by the parks commissioner contractor.

Adames said McMullen’s termination is not related to the incident, and no disciplinary hearing has been held. He did confirm that a complaint regarding the incident was the reason the contractor was hired.

“When the investigation is complete and the findings presented to the board, we will release what details we can,” Adames said.

Adames said any other details about McMullen could not be discussed because it’s a human resources matter.

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“I will, in the future, begin a search for a new chief. Not right away, but in the future,” Adames said. “The important thing is that there is a lot of great work being done by the members of the Niagara Parks Police and that Paul Forcier is our new chief.”

Correction — March 13, 2019: This article was edited from a previous version that misstated the number of officers and civilian staff employed by the Niagara Parks Police.