Calgary police chief announces 2-week pause on implementing 'thin blue line' patch removal

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld announced Tuesday a two-week pause on implementing an order from the Calgary Police Commission for his officers to stop wearing 'thin blue line' patches on uniforms while on duty.

Neufeld said members were "incensed" by the order, which called for the patches to be removed by April 1 as they need to be replaced with a symbol that "better reflects the values of Calgarians."

"Any time you feel like something like this is thrust upon you, a defensive reaction is not a surprising reaction, especially around topics that go right to the level of your values and right to the heart of your identity," Neufeld told reporters on Tuesday afternoon.

The Commission had earlier said the decision to prohibit the symbol was made for several reasons, including its contentious history in "division, colonialism and racism," while acknowledging some officers wear the patch to "honour the fallen."

Officers and family members wear the patch "to honour the fallen" and express support for those who serve, "however, the thin blue line also has a contentious history with roots in division, colonialism and racism, most recently being prominently displayed at counter protests against the Black Lives Matter movement," the commission said while announcing the order last week.

Neufeld was away from the city on business when the order was announced March 30.

"So to an extent, I was relegated to monitoring and managing the announcement of a very important issue at a distance," he said, adding he spoke to "all the key stakeholders" on the weekend after returning to Calgary.

"This is a very complicated situation, like most things, way more complex than it would appear at the surface," he said. "And I don't have to tell anybody that complex things have become even more complicated during the pandemic."

Neufeld admitted morale at CPS is "at an all-time low" due to low staffing levels and increased workloads.

"Removing patches from the uniforms is one thing, but completely vilifying the symbol and its meaning to our people, which has been communicated, is very much another. I believe we saw reference as the 'thin blue line' being referred to a known hate symbol, with a history of hateful hearts and hateful deeds. Those comments were incendiary."

The commission issued a statement following Neufeld's availability on Tuesday.

"We know Calgary's police officers wear this symbol to express positive things, but we stand by our decision aimed at making sure no Calgarian is faced with approaching a police officer that is displaying a symbol connected with other very divisive and racist movements today and in the past," said commission chair Shawn Cornett.

"This has never been a question of whether police officers are wearing the symbol with good intentions, it was a decision taken because the symbol’s meaning is mixed and lands differently on a significant number of people in our city."

Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld, centre, speaks to reporters along with Deputy Chief Raj Gill, left, and Deputy Chief Chad Tawfik.

The timeline for implementing the decision also "wasn't a realistic one given the size and nature of our service," said Neufeld, noting the number of irregular hours and shift patterns worked by CPS officers and employees.

The commission's order also didn't take into account what the reaction would be from the associations representing officers and other employees, said Neufeld.

"I'm sure you'd agree that this has significantly complicated any plans for implementation of this particular policy decision," he said.

"In terms of the response that we saw from our unions, I would characterize this as extraordinary. The leaders of our unions and their executive boards are not anti-management and they are not disruptor types, predisposed to this sort of action, in fact I would say they are anything but that."

Calgary Police Association president John Orr earlier said a "substantial" number of officers currently wear the patch, and it was unclear what the repercussions would be if they continue to do so.

Thin blue line has been around for a "long, long, time in police culture," said Neufeld.

"Not just here in Calgary, but globally," he said.

"To the members of the Calgary Police Service, the 'thin blue line' symbolizes honour for the fallen, service to our community and support for one another."

Since 1917, 12 Calgary police officers have been killed in the line of duty.

Neufeld also mentioned death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett on New Year's Eve in 2021.

"So you can get some sense of how important we take the honour the fallen aspect of the 'thin blue line' symbol," he said.

The issue has also highlighted a lack of trust between CPS members and the CPC, said Neufeld.

Talking to stakeholders, said Neufeld, showed him there is "a strong desire to come to the table and get together to discuss issues that have been raised."

"And if we can do that, I believe the patches will come off uniforms voluntarily," he said.

"What you're seeing is an existing conflict that has been unresolved and it has boiled over."

The direction hasn't changed, but the commission said it understands the timeline would have been difficult to stick to.

"This issue is important, but it is far from the only important policing issue in our city. We knew implementing this decision would be difficult and we are committed to doing so, but we support the chief giving Calgary Police Service members time to work through it," said Cornett.

"However, citizen oversight of the police is a fundamental principle in modern democracies, and we will need to address the fact that senior officers and police associations are encouraging officers to disregard a lawful direction from their oversight body if this continues."

Cornett also addressed the tension between rank and file police officers and the commission overseeing the service.

"Police have a crucial role in our community and the members of the Calgary Police Service do an outstanding job of keeping Calgarians safe," he said. 

"The working relationship between the commission and members of the service needs to be strong if we are going to maintain the high level of policing we have enjoyed in our community and improve it even further. We are absolutely going to address the concerns raised by officers during the recent 'thin blue line' discussions."

The Calgary Police Commission is made up of 10 members from the community and two city councillors, providing oversight for CPS.