The Calgary Police Association criticizes management for "chronic understaffing"

The Calgary Police Association criticizes management for "chronic understaffing" following a $28 million deficit.
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Citing previous instances, Calgary's police group claims that budget cuts jeopardize officer and public safety. As the department grapples with a $28-million income gap in 2025, the Calgary Police Association is voicing "severe concerns" about plans to further cut what it describes as an already inadequate number of officers on the front lines. CPA president John Orr mentioned management protocol problems that have resulted in "alarming consequences" in a memo distributed to members earlier this week. He cites instances where no units were available and cutbacks in the 60% minimum staffing requirement for police working specific night shifts to react. This resulted in a 30-minute response delay since it compelled a unit from all around the city to respond. According to the document, "the victim in this case had to barricade themselves in a room to avoid further harm until help arrived." Orr added that there have been instances where a single officer has been required to respond to hazardous circumstances involving criminals or people in danger. "For several years now, we've had chronic understaffing, particularly in our patrol area and on the front lines of the Calgary Police Service," Orr said. "Management has taken steps to further reduce minimum staffing to what we believe is a dangerous level due to recent budget implications." According to Orr, the City of Calgary has to take In the long run, the police commission should examine improved hiring procedures and what other jurisdictions have done "to decouple fine revenue from the budget" in order to address financial concerns. The Calgary Police Service's budget includes fine money, and the new restrictions on photo radar imposed by the Alberta government have caused a shortage. The Calgary Police Service (CPS) told  News in a statement that any complaints made by the CPA are handled in accordance with the relevant collective agreement and that, out of respect for that procedure, no further comments are permitted. "In general, the Calgary Police Service is presently undergoing a thorough evaluation of its service delivery model with the goal of  The statement read, "ensuring adequate, efficient, and effective policing for Calgarians into the future." "This includes enhanced safeguards to guarantee that overtime is only used when necessary to meet service requirements." CPS continued by saying that while member and public safety continue to be its top priorities, it is making sure to first explore alternative possibilities, such as relocating or reallocating resources. "The decision to limit automated traffic enforcement has resulted in an estimated $28-million shortfall, which has further accelerated the CPS's service delivery modernization efforts, which have been ongoing for some time. One of the things that inevitably affects how we provide services to Calgary residents is financial difficulties. Calgary mayor calls out province Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has gone as far as accusing the province of defunding Calgary's police, adding that fine revenue accounted for six per cent of the CPS budget. "We have consistently increased our funding to Calgary Police Service based on growth in population, based on their needs, and based on increasing the number of recruitment classes that are needed," she said. "I think the other important thing to recognize is this question of photo radar. It has taken sort of a strange turn. There are people calling it a cash cow. There are others that are saying it shouldn't be a budget line item. Let's be clear about photo radar: it is to protect people on the roadways, to save lives and to prevent collisions." Gondek added that "if someone is breaking the law, it makes sense that they should face a penalty." "Traditionally that penalty has been a fine, and the revenues generated from those fines in part are shared with the municipality. That money is then dedicated to the police service, so the fundamental issue here is: do we want to keep people safe on our roadways? I think we can all agree that 'yes,' that should be a primary concern," the mayor said. However, Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis does not agree with Gondek. "Nobody's public safety should be dependent on the amount of tickets that are written to the public, and no police officer's job should be dependent on the amount of tickets that he or she has to write a member of the public or somebody who's doing photo radar," he said. We have photo radar in the city; it's never been meant to be a revenue generator. So, if the city of Calgary and the Calgary Police Service can demonstrate this as something that is public safety-oriented, we're happy to entertain that, and we are expediting to try and figure out what those regulations are going to be." Ellis mentioned his commitment for the province to fund 50 police officers in both Calgary and Edmonton is something that he says will make a lasting difference. Meanwhile, Doug King, a professor of Justice Studies at Mount Royal University, says even the slightest cut to a police budget can have a "trickle-down" impact on the future of frontline public safety services provided to citizens. "The thing that strikes me in terms of this whole thing is that the Alberta minister of transport (Devin Dreeshen) can influence public safety by cutting $28 million out of the police budget without the Minister of Public Safety saying a thing," he said. King notes that Calgary's population has grown at one of the fastest rates in the entire country, so naturally more officers will be needed to respond to calls. King stated, "The provincial government must realize that if you begin to reduce the number of people employed by a police department, it will eventually affect public safety." Saying things like "cash cows" and such won't get you beyond it. You can't make an infomercial promising to cut the photo radar, you know. That's where we are at the moment, even though it doesn't make sense.

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