Walcott quits Calgary Police Commission
Courtney Walcott was elected as councillor for Ward 8 in Calgary's 2021 municipal election.
Councillor Courtney Walcott is stepping down from the Calgary Police Commission.
Walcott was appointed to the commission in 2021, after being elected Ward 8 councillor.
He announced his resignation Tuesday on Twitter and in a letter posted on his website.
In the letter, Walcott said he joined the commission to bring about change in the Calgary Police Service and said he had "intended to find out why, given all we know about the complexities of need, community safety, and well-being, policing remained (the) number one resource for community safety."
He did not specify why he was leaving the position, but said that he would continue to "pursue this vision of a system of care that is more responsive to the needs of our citizenry" as a member of city council.
He also called on more resources to be allocated to addressing the root causes of crime, like inadequate housing, poverty and lack of educational and employment opportunities.
"We rely on policing, the justice system, and carceral state as a costly first and last resort to problems that should and could be addressed much earlier with much more favourable outcomes," Walcott said in the letter.
Walcott will officially leave the position Oct. 31.
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