Calgary Police Service

Race Data Analysis

Calgary Police Service Race Data Analysis

In 2020, the Calgary Police Service (CPS) made a commitment to collect and report on race-based data. Driven by community consultation, and the belief that true transparency and equity are the foundations of trust, and we are fulfilling our commitment to Calgarians with the public release of the 2023 Race Data Analysis and the 2023 Race Data Analysis of Use-of-Force Subjects.

Report Insights

Missing Persons

On average, the CPS receives approximately 5,000 missing persons reports per year.

  • Youth aged 12-17 are heavily overrepresented in missing person reports, comprising seven per cent of Calgary’s population but more than 50 per cent of such reports.
  • Female Indigenous youth with chronic histories are the most overrepresented group.
  • Despite the disproportionality, more than 99 per cent of all missing persons are located, regardless of race.

 


Officer contacts

The CPS uses a tool referred to as an officer contact to record information of potential intelligence value following a lawful interaction with a member of the public. Not all officer contacts involve aspects of criminality; in fact, officer contacts may result in offering supports and resources.

  • The proportion of officer contacts involving Indigenous individuals doubled from eight per cent in 2018 to 16 per cent in 2023.This increase appears to be correlated to the increased deployment of resources focused on safe public spaces.
  • Overrepresentation of Indigenous subjects in public call-for-service contacts declined from 3.8 times in 2018 to 2.7 times in 2023
  • Indigenous females are significantly overrepresented in officer contacts, with a disparity increasing from five times in 2018 to 13.7 times in 2023 compared to White females.

Victims of violent crime

Violent crime involves harming or threatening to harm an individual. These crimes include offences such as assault, sexual assault, robbery and threats.

  • Indigenous individuals are 2.5 times overrepresented as victims of violent crime.
  • Indigenous female victims of assault, robbery, and sex offences are disproportionately higher than their population proportion.

Offenders of violent and property crime

Property crime involves unlawfully obtaining, attempting, or damaging another person’s property. These crimes include offences such as break and enter, vehicle theft, fraud, and property damage.

  • Approximately 30 per cent of offenders are repeat offenders.
  • Indigenous individuals are six times, and Black individuals are two times overrepresented among offenders.
  • Males account for 75 per cent of offenders, with almost half being White.

Use of force

The use-of-force categories illustrates both over and underrepresentation. The racial composition of those arrested is relatively proportionate to use-of-force subjects.

  • Indigenous females and males are overrepresented, 6.8 and 4.5 times, respectively.
  • Black males were 2.39 times overrepresented.
  • Racialized males and females were underrepresented.

 

The reports provide a comprehensive overview of demographic data collected during various interactions between CPS officers and the public. The 2023 Race Data Analysis compares the 2023 findings with data from 2018 to 2022, highlighting trends and applying the concepts of disproportionality and disparity. The 2023 Race Data Analysis of Use-of-Force Subjects compares the 2023 findings to the 2022 data.

2023 CPS Race Data Analysis Report

2023 CPS Race Data Analysis of Use-of-Force Subjects Report

Frequently Asked Questions


What is race-based data collection?

Race-based data collection involves gathering information on individuals’ race based on officer perception during police interactions, such as officer contacts, missing person reports, use of force, and victim and offender data. 

Why do police agencies collect race-based data?

Collecting race data is important across sectors, including health, education, and law enforcement, to identify disparities and inform policy, practices, and change. Ontario policing agencies are mandated to collect race data on use-of-force incidents. Statistics Canada and the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) are working together to establish a national framework for race data collection for victims and offenders of crime. The Calgary Police Service is not mandated to collect race data; however, the Service recognizes the importance of this data to identify and address racial disparities in policing practices. This data helps in understanding whether certain racial or ethnic groups are disproportionately affected by law enforcement actions.

What is and isn’t included in the race data reports?

The two reports include the collected data and subsequent analysis into five different categories: missing persons, officer contacts, victims of violent crime, offenders of violent and property crime and use of force. While we recognize the interest in race data in relation to traffic stops, this information is not available as the data-entry systems used provincially do not currently have the capability to capture race data.

Why has the CPS not reported this information earlier?

How did the CPS collect race-based data?

Officers are not mandated to enter race information into reports; however, many have inputted that information based on their perception. In 2019, the CPS moved to direct data entry (DDE) by officers, and this resulted in a substantial increase in offender and victim race-data collection. Over the past five years, there has been no change in the completeness of data being collected. To address the missing data, particularly with Officer Contacts, a data-mining solution was developed. Many individuals have repeated interactions with the CPS over a period of time, and this solution leverages that additional information.

What are the data field categories officers use?

CPS officers are required to use many different systems in the course of their work, and unfortunately, none of these are aligned in their race category fields. The CPS does not have the ability to alter these race category fields as they are controlled by national systems. The CPS acknowledges that that the race categories are dated in language and are not comprehensive; this presents additional limitations to the analysis.

Why does the CPS use national systems?

The CPS uses different systems to manage calls for service: Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) and the Records Management System (RMS). Both systems involve vendors who provide systems to police services in Canada, so the CPS has limited ability to change picklists/data labels. In addition, Statistics Canada manages the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) where every police agency must consistently report on crime reports and demographics. Statistics Canada, along with the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP), are currently developing data standards for the collection and reporting of race data related to victims and offenders. 

What race categories has the CPS used in this analysis?

CPS analysts have mapped the system race categories to five categories: Indigenous, Black, White, Racialized (includes Middle East, South Asian, and East Asian) and Racially Ambiguous (includes data where the data provides differing descriptions of an individual e.g., White in one record, but Indigenous in another).

Can you provide data on the offender and victim relationship?

Yes, we can, but it will take time. As noted, this is a preliminary analysis, and we know there are other questions we want to explore further in the data.

Are there any challenges in collecting race-based data?

Currently, there is no standardized training or process for collecting race data. The existing race categories differ across national systems, and the labels are neither reflective of inclusive language nor are they comprehensive. This analysis is based on officer perception; we know that perceptions differ across individuals and that they may not align with self-identification. 

Are there any limitations with your reports?

We acknowledge there are limitations to our analysis, including the use of officers’ perception data, not self-identification, and the 2021 Census data does not reflect the significant increases in Calgary’s population and diversity. As well, situations documented in our records management system only account for approximately one-quarter of police events. As such, this analysis is based upon a subset of all interactions. We also understand that underreporting can have impacts on overall results and findings.

What are the legal requirements for race-based data collection?

The Government of Alberta legislates race-based data collection in relation to Street Checks under Bill 63. Street checks are voluntary and not random and are conducted when an officer has reason to believe that a citizen may have information about a crime or suspicious activity. Street checks occur only when officers have no other duty, authority or responsibility.

What is the difference between a street check and an officer contact?

Through intelligence-led policing, we collect different types of information that may be of value to police and public safety in Calgary. This can include information collected during officer contacts, street checks, or directed patrols. We do not, and have never, allowed our officers to randomly stop people and ask them for identification (a practice commonly referred to as “carding”). Click here for more information.

What measures are in place to ensure officers are properly reporting all use of force incidents?

The CPS De-escalation and Use of Force policy requires officers to report use of force incidents by completing a Subject Behaviour/Officer Response (SBOR) report by the end of their shift.

Officer integrity in reporting instances of use of force is reinforced by several mechanisms, including policy, supervisor oversight, the use of body-worn cameras, the force review process, and the professional standards complaint process.

Do your reports include intersectionality, and does your analysis include aspects of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in your gender analysis?

Yes, we recognize that intersectionality and people’s experiences differ across many demographic characteristics. However, this analysis aligns with the City of Calgary’s 2021 Census data. The Census data includes male/female, so we aligned with that categorization. The CPS RMS does collect gender—male/female/X—which shows that in 2023, ‘X’ represents 0.13% of victim data. The dataset is too small to analyze confidently.

Hate Crimes motivated by sexual orientation are captured in police reports and reported annually by Statistics Canada and the CPS.

Do the findings in this report align with other police agencies?

No other police agencies have released reports on missing persons, officer contacts, victims and offenders. Only use of force information has been reported on publicly and those reports were not conducted by the police agency. Police agencies across Ontario are working together to create a reporting framework, and the CPS is involved in those meetings for awareness. These agencies have also shared their training material with the CPS.

Other reports across Canada employ census data from their own jurisdiction, so direct comparisons cannot be made. That said, there is alignment in the over-representation of some communities.

How is the collected data used?

The collected data is analyzed to identify trends and patterns in policing practices as well as societal trends. It can be used to develop training programs, inform policy changes, and improve community policing efforts. The data may also be shared with the public to enhance transparency and encourage ongoing dialogue to work together toward positive outcomes.

How does this data help the community?

Collecting race-based data helps promote transparency and accountability in policing. It allows agencies to identify and address potential biases, improve community relations, and develop policies that ensure fair and equitable treatment for all individuals. It also provides one more data set to assess race-based data in conjunction with other sector-based data in order to identify systemic issues and address root causes.

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