Calgary Police To Delay Removal Of Thin Blue Line Patches Citing Internal Discord

As a result, Calgary police delayed the police requirement to remove the patches by two weeks. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mark Mark Neufeld referred to the directive as a critical point, saying it had raised other unresolved, underlying issues. “Our members were genuinely outraged by this [commission’s] decision, “Neufeld said. “Whenever you feel compelled to do so, a defensive reaction is not surprising, especially around issues that go exactly to the level of your values ​​and the heart of your identity.” For some Calgary police, the patch, which shows a thin blue line running through a Canadian flag, is seen as a way to remember fallen officers. But the symbol has also been linked to the predominance of white, an interpretation that led to a review of its use by the Commission initially. The committee told officers they would no longer be able to wear thin blue lines on their uniforms from March 31. In response, the Calgary Police Association, which represents more than 2,000 Calgary police officers, told its members to defy the commission’s mandate and continue to wear the patch. Neufeld said enforcing the removal of the symbol would be delayed by two weeks from Tuesday, with further discussions with members of the force and the committee, which is the independent political body that provides police oversight. He added that the morale of the police force was “always low” and that the narratives around the meaning behind the thin blue line had been unfairly simplified. “Removing patches from uniforms is one thing, but completely discrediting the symbol and its significance for our people … is so much more.”

The Police Committee starts an investigation

Last year, the police commission launched a review of the use of the patch by officers. The review included conversations with several groups, including the city’s two police associations, the police leadership, Beyond the Blue, an organization that supports local police families, the Police Anti-Racism Committee, and community police advisory committees. service. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the committee said its decision on the patch was based on “different interpretations of what the symbol represents to members of our community”. “It was never a question of whether the police wore the symbol with good intentions, it was a decision made because the significance of the symbol is mixed and it lands differently on a significant number of people in our city,” said committee chairman Shawn Cornett. Jon Cornish, president of the Calgary Black Chambers, said in the near future that it would be important to understand the arguments on both sides of the issue. “I think it’s one of those cases where the community, you know, is quite consistent in its opinion of what that symbolizes,” Cornish said. “[They] I really want this one thing to go away. “ “But then you have the police where there are positives they see, maybe some of their former members and the people they have lost are thinking.” Cornish added that he believes there is an opportunity to further explore what the Thin Blue Line patch really means. The community is very firm in its opinion on what this symbolizes.- Jon Cornish, President of Calgary Black Chambers
Kelly Sunderland, an associate professor in economics, law and political studies at Mount Royal University, said that while the Thin Blue Line symbol was used in the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, she could not find similar uses in Canada. “THE [police commission’s] “Decisions must be made in a well-documented, well-researched and well-worded way, not in the loose implication that the symbol is used in an American context and then suggests that it is a symbol of hatred,” Sunderland said. He is also concerned that focusing too much on the Thin Blue Line patch could reduce other discussions about police reform. “We need to talk about how the police can select officers so that we have more diversity in policing,” Sunderland said. “Let’s get to the root causes of the problems.”

The leader hopes the police will comply

Neufeld said he hopes voluntary compliance will be achieved by removing the patch in the coming weeks. He added that while creating a new symbol is a possibility, “trust relationships do not currently exist to follow this path”. The committee acknowledged that compliance within the force would take time and that effort would be needed to improve its engagement with officers to redress any lost trust. Although the city of Calgary provides funding for the police, the commission is the body responsible for overseeing the service. And although the head is in charge of day-to-day operations, the committee issues instructions to the service through the head, who is appointed by the committee. The Calgary Police Department did not respond to a request for comment from CBC.

title: “Calgary Police To Delay Removal Of Thin Blue Line Patches Citing Internal Discord " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-07” author: “Marion Stapleton”

As a result, Calgary police delayed the police requirement to remove the patches by two weeks. At a news conference on Tuesday, Mark Mark Neufeld referred to the directive as a critical point, saying it had raised other unresolved, underlying issues. “Our members were genuinely outraged by this [commission’s] decision, “Neufeld said. “Whenever you feel compelled to do so, a defensive reaction is not surprising, especially around issues that go exactly to the level of your values ​​and the heart of your identity.” For some Calgary police, the patch, which shows a thin blue line running through a Canadian flag, is seen as a way to remember fallen officers. But the symbol has also been linked to the predominance of white, an interpretation that led to a review of its use by the Commission initially. The committee told officers they would no longer be able to wear thin blue lines on their uniforms from March 31. In response, the Calgary Police Association, which represents more than 2,000 Calgary police officers, told its members to defy the commission’s mandate and continue to wear the patch. Neufeld said enforcing the removal of the symbol would be delayed by two weeks from Tuesday, with further discussions with members of the force and the committee, which is the independent political body that provides police oversight. He added that the morale of the police force was “always low” and that the narratives around the meaning behind the thin blue line had been unfairly simplified. “Removing patches from uniforms is one thing, but completely discrediting the symbol and its significance for our people … is so much more.”

The Police Committee starts an investigation

Last year, the police commission launched a review of the use of the patch by officers. The review included conversations with several groups, including the city’s two police associations, the police leadership, Beyond the Blue, an organization that supports local police families, the Police Anti-Racism Committee, and community police advisory committees. service. In a statement issued on Tuesday, the committee said its decision on the patch was based on “different interpretations of what the symbol represents to members of our community”. “It was never a question of whether the police wore the symbol with good intentions, it was a decision made because the significance of the symbol is mixed and it lands differently on a significant number of people in our city,” said committee chairman Shawn Cornett. Jon Cornish, president of the Calgary Black Chambers, said in the near future that it would be important to understand the arguments on both sides of the issue. “I think it’s one of those cases where the community, you know, is quite consistent in its opinion of what that symbolizes,” Cornish said. “[They] I really want this one thing to go away. “ “But then you have the police where there are positives they see, maybe some of their former members and the people they have lost are thinking.” Cornish added that he believes there is an opportunity to further explore what the Thin Blue Line patch really means. The community is very firm in its opinion on what this symbolizes.- Jon Cornish, President of Calgary Black Chambers
Kelly Sunderland, an associate professor in economics, law and political studies at Mount Royal University, said that while the Thin Blue Line symbol was used in the Black Lives Matter protests in the United States, she could not find similar uses in Canada. “THE [police commission’s] “Decisions must be made in a well-documented, well-researched and well-worded way, not in the loose implication that the symbol is used in an American context and then suggests that it is a symbol of hatred,” Sunderland said. He is also concerned that focusing too much on the Thin Blue Line patch could reduce other discussions about police reform. “We need to talk about how the police can select officers so that we have more diversity in policing,” Sunderland said. “Let’s get to the root causes of the problems.”

The leader hopes the police will comply

Neufeld said he hopes voluntary compliance will be achieved by removing the patch in the coming weeks. He added that while creating a new symbol is a possibility, “trust relationships do not currently exist to follow this path”. The committee acknowledged that compliance within the force would take time and that effort would be needed to improve its engagement with officers to redress any lost trust. Although the city of Calgary provides funding for the police, the commission is the body responsible for overseeing the service. And although the head is in charge of day-to-day operations, the committee issues instructions to the service through the head, who is appointed by the committee. The Calgary Police Department did not respond to a request for comment from CBC.