Members of the Calgary Police Commission are pushing the Chief for details on how the force is dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment.
The commission heard on Tuesday that work is underway to combat the problem including a census of members to get a better picture of the demographics of the force, and the creation of a whistleblower line.
But members of the commission were impatient to know what the timeline is for when a third-party advocate would be appointed. That person would hear complaints by CPS members in a confidential or anonymous manner.
“The chief understands that it's a number one priority for the commission, it’s number one on our list of the seven-point plan, we've been working with the service on it, as you can see from the session today the commission will continue to ask on that issue when we will have an independent review,” said Brian Thiessen, Calgary Police Commission Chair.
The Chief said he wants a defined process before making the appointment, which will take time.
"We're trying to change behaviors, we’re trying to remediate, we’re trying to make sure people understand that in order for our culture to change there has to be acceptance of responsibility and willingness to change behavior, and those are things on both ends of the spectrum that need to happen, but we want everyone to work together on this,” said Chief Roger Chaffin.
The chief says the whistleblower line will be in place very soon as part of the city whistleblower framework that is already in place.
Constable Jen Magnus was in the gallery on Tuesday, listening to the update. At the last commission meeting, she stood up and tearfully explained how she had enough of bullying and harassment on the job and was resigning. She is currently still an officer, but on leave.
-with files from Shaun Frenette
