yyctimes

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

    What's Hot

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023
    • Home
    • Contact Us
    Facebook Twitter
    yyctimes
    yyctimes
    Home » Chief says police will “follow the law” amid any political squabbles
    yyctimes

    Chief says police will “follow the law” amid any political squabbles

    yyctimesBy yyctimesDecember 17, 2022No Comments6 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Telegram Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Email
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    Breadcrumb Trail Links

    1. Local news
    Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld speaks to the media during a press conference at Calgary Police Headquarters on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022.
    Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld speaks to the media during a press conference at Calgary Police Headquarters on Tuesday, Oct. 11, 2022. Azin Ghaffari/Postmedia

    Article content

    Calgary’s top cop says his department will always follow the law if they are ever caught in the crosshairs of any provincial-federal political feud.

    Advertisement 2

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld said regardless of whether a law is created by the province or the federal government, CPS will follow and enforce it.

    Calgary Herald Headline News Banner

    Sign up to receive daily news from the Calgary Herald, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

    By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails or any newsletter. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

    Thanks for subscribing!

    A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, please check your junk folder.

    The next issue of Calgary Herald Headline News will be in your inbox soon.

    We encountered a problem signing you in. Please try again

    Article content

    “If the law is that (police) will do a specific thing, we will do that thing. If there are challenges to the law, any law that is proposed, or if there is a delay in implementation, we will wait and see,” Neufeld said during a year-end interview with Postmedia.

    The chief spoke about Alberta sovereignty within a unified Canada Act passed by the province during the latest session of the legislature. The bill gives the province the authority to fight back against federal initiatives deemed unconstitutional or harmful to Alberta. By law, the province can direct provincial entities, including local police forces, to disregard those federal initiatives.

    Advertisement 3

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    Neufeld said he could see political maneuvering taking place that pits his department between two opposing views, such as on gun ownership laws, but that he doesn’t expect there to be a lot of disruption. He said from a public safety lens, Alberta police advocated for consistency across the board, regardless of where directives come from.

    “We looked at this out of my different hat, as president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, we want to have a unified position on issues like this, whether it’s gun control or whatever it might be, because it’s just confusing for Albertans when we have a situation where, you know, you have certain laws in Calgary that don’t apply in Airdrie, or you have such a patchwork,” Neufeld said.

    Advertisement 4

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    He said if the provincial government did want to interfere with policing, it would be easier to do so through another bill tabled in the legislature, Bill 6.

    The province introduced the bill aimed at reforming the Police Act, including allowing the province to parachute members onto local police commissions. That aspect of the bill has come under fire from opposition and critics who say it could be used to politicize policing. However, Neufeld said there has already been a politicization of law enforcement in the past year by various groups.

    CPS recently saw a fight over the Thin Blue Line patch after the local police commission banned its use by frontline officers. One commission member said the patch was a known hate symbol before the Calgary Police Association said its members would continue to wear the patch.

    Advertisement 5

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    “You saw different interest groups sort of leveraging public safety and policing issues with different people on different sides of the political spectrum. It’s all played out because everybody has a Twitter account, or a social media account,” Neufeld said.

    Neufeld said if Bill 6 is used in bad faith, politicians could see it as an opportunity to put their influence on law enforcement, but he noted the province does fund policing across Alberta. He also noted that other provinces have similar legislation and to his knowledge no such authority has been used.

    Advertisement 6

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Article content

    “The devil is always in the details,” Neufeld said. “I’m hopeful that there’s an understanding among elected officials, regardless of which side you’re on, to actually try to mitigate some of that politicization of policing, because it’s not helping.”

    The chief said other parts of Bill 6 are items his department supports, including independent oversight of the police and the modernization of policy around discipline for both officers and civilians. He said he believed the review of the police law would help speed up complaint processes related to law enforcement.

    “We heard loud and clear from people that they felt uncomfortable with the police investigating the police,” Neufeld said. “We do support that independence piece of it. The principles on which this particular bill is based, I think are positive, I think it will help to modernize things.”

    dshort@postmedia.com

    Share this article in your social network

    Advertisement 1

    This ad has not yet loaded, but your article continues below.

    Commentary

    Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their opinions on our articles. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. We ask that you keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications—you’ll now receive an email when you receive a reply to your comment, there’s an update to a comment thread you follow, or when a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.

    Source link

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    yyctimes
    • Website

    Related Posts

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Braid: The Leader’s Dinner brings wads of cash to the UCP

    March 23, 2023

    Symend, one of Calgary’s top tech firms, cuts workforce by 25%

    March 23, 2023

    Smith addresses Calgary UCP supporters at Leader’s Dinner

    March 23, 2023

    Varcoe: Alberta trying to get energy companies to resolve unpaid taxes

    March 23, 2023

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    Don't Miss
    yyctimes

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    By yyctimesMarch 23, 2023

    Article content material Alberta had the best web interprovincial migration of any Canadian province on…

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak

    March 23, 2023
    Our Picks

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023

    Privacy commissioner investigating Alberta Energy Regulator over Kearl oilsands site leak

    March 23, 2023

    Subscribe to Updates

    Get the latest creative news from SmartMag about art & design.

    Our Picks

    With economy on the rise, Alberta leads in interprovincial migration

    March 23, 2023

    Spruce Grove fundraising hockey game honours fallen Edmonton police officers

    March 23, 2023

    Calgary Transit set to receive up to $32M for revenue shortfall

    March 23, 2023
    New Comments

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.