Commitment to Anti-Racism
Calgary Police Service Commitment to Anti-Racism
The Black Lives Matter movement that followed Minneapolis police killing George Floyd in May 2020 demonstrated that more focus is needed on the issues of racism and inequities within our city.
While we know that our officers and civilian employees strive everyday to treat people according to our values, we acknowledge that structural racism still exists in our Service.
Our Commitment
In September of 2020, we committed to the Calgary Police Commission, City Council and the public that we would:
Dedicate resources to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion work
Develop a strategy to address racism and discrimination in our Service
Begin to collect and report more disaggregated race-based data
Evaluate the Body Worn Camera Program
Commission an independent review of the School Resource Officer Program
Further review use of force policies, practices and culture
Collect and sharing race-based information on street checks and ensuring random stops do not occur
Apply an anti-racism lens to our organization
Continue reconciliation work with the Indigenous Peoples of southern Alberta
Continue improvements to the complaints process, including increased civilian oversight
Work with The City to shift responsibility from law enforcement to social agencies to respond to people in crisis when appropriate
Our outlines each of these commitments in more detail and explain how they will help.
Calgary Police Service Anti-Racism Engagement Report 2023 -2026
- Anti-Racism Engagement Strategy Summary Version* (PDF)
*Report in full will be posted soon
Current Commitments
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Anti-Racism Action Committee And Strategy
Representatives from the community serve on the Calgary Police Service Anti-Racism Action Committee to advise on the implementation of our Anti-Racism Strategy.
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Reallocation Of Funding
The CPS confirmed that we would allocate funds to improve call response with the goal of better outcomes for citizens in crisis.
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Race-Based Data Collection
We are changing our data collection to capture and report more race-based data.
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Body-Worn Camera Review
We were the first in Canada to adopt body-worn cameras and have committed to reviewing their effectiveness.
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School Resource Officer Program Review
An independent review of our School Resource Officer program has been done to ensure it is having a positive impact on all students.
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Use Of Force Review
We are implementing the recommendations from an independent review to reduce the amount and level of force used by our officers.
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InfoPost (Street Checks)
We have a rigorous process in place to ensure no one is randomly stopped and identified, and to monitor for any potential biases impacting how officers conduct InfoPosts.
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Equity, Diversity And Inclusion Within The Service
We are working to increase diversity and inclusion in the Service.
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Truth And Reconciliation
Reconciliation has been a key focus for us in recent years and we are continuing to implement the recommendations of the TRC and MMIWG inquiry.
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Accountability Forms
Our work to improve police accountability and investigations into potential misconduct continues and significant progress has been made.
What Calgarians Are Telling Us
Through The City of Calgary’s public consultation and our own discussions with our advisory boards and circles we have heard the following themes so far:
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Role of Police
What the police does and how, needs to be addressed:
Police are not the appropriate first response for all calls relating to mental health and addictions
Police resources should be reallocated to focus on community safety, social services, and violence interruption
Defund the police and reallocate funding to community agencies to allow police to focus on police work
Explore new models of policing that address the changing needs of society
Remove police officers from schools and replace them with mental health and social supports.
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Increase Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion cannot be an afterthought:
Calgary’s police service needs to look like the community it serves
Diverse communities must be engaged in discussions about policing as a career
Data must be collected and shared about diversity in the workforce
Culturally appropriate supports must be available for BIMPOC/gender diverse employees
The voices of diverse employees need to be encouraged and listened to
Diversity and inclusion must be a part of day-to-day practices at CPS
Diversity Advisory Boards should be asked to assist with recruiting efforts
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Improve Community Engagement
Engaging with the community will ensure they are better served:
Citizen feedback needs to be encouraged and reflected in the actions that CPS takes
The role of Diversity Advisory Boards needs to be strengthened to utilize their expertise
Youth Advisory Councils should be established
CPS employees need to take part in community events to have better understanding and build relationships with those they serve
The community needs to know what diversity, equity and inclusion efforts CPS is taking
Educational opportunities should be offered for new Canadians to learn about the role of police
Citizens should be offered more opportunities to observe officers interacting with the community, e.g. ride-along program
The community should have more opportunity to have dialogue with CPS to build awareness, trust and confidence, as well as providing a safe opportunity to discuss concerns
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Increase Workforce Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and inclusion cannot be an afterthought:
Calgary’s police service needs to look like the community it serves
Diverse communities must be engaged in discussions about policing as a career
Data must be collected and shared about diversity in the workforce
Culturally appropriate supports must be available for BIMPOC/gender diverse employees
The voices of diverse employees need to be encouraged and listened to
Diversity and inclusion must be a part of day-to-day practices at CPS
Diversity Advisory Boards should be asked to assist with recruiting efforts
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Improving Accountability & Transparency
In 2020 we made a commitment to ensure fair and equitable outcomes for all Calgarians. Police behaviors and actions towards Racialized communities must be open to public scrutiny. Here are some of the commitments we made to improve our accountability and transparency:
Work with The City to shift responsibility from law enforcement to social agencies to respond to people in crisis when appropriate
Continue improvements to the complaints process, including increased civilian oversight
Continue reconciliation work with the Indigenous Peoples of southern Alberta
Apply an anti-racism lens to our organization
Collect and sharing race-based information on street checks and ensuring random stops do not occur
Further review use of force policies, practices and culture
Commission an independent review of the School Resource Officer Program
Dedicate resources to anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion work
• Develop a strategy to address racism and discrimination in our Service
Begin to collect and report more disaggregated race-based data
• Evaluate the Body Worn Camera Program
Learn more about our commitments and to see yearly reports.