Nearly half of Calgarians say police can do a better job

Nearly half of survey respondents disapprove of how city force operates

Video of violent arrests and investigations into allegations of officer corruption and misconduct may be at the root of troubling new poll numbers showing nearly half of Calgarians disapprove of how the Calgary police force is operating.

The Postmedia-commissioned survey by Mainstreet Research found 48 per cent of the 823 respondents lacked confidence in the Calgary Police Service, compared to 39 per cent who approved of the performance of the 2,000-officer force.

Quito Maggi, president of Mainstreet, said the dismal numbers should serve as a wake-up call to police brass, who’ve endured a difficult 18 months marked by criticism over officer-involved shootings, arrests and suspensions for several officers, and social media backlash after videos of police takedowns emerged.

“These approval numbers are just awful,” said Maggi, noting it’s the lowest approval he’s seen in several similar surveys that looked at police forces in other Canadian cities. “The Calgary Police Service has a bit of a perception problem, a bit of a PR problem.

“It could be temporary, but it could also take a very long time to climb out of it.”

Maggi noted perception is often influenced by media coverage, and in the case of Calgary police, with several high-profile incidents prompting public criticism, the numbers aren’t necessarily surprising.

Recent polls conducted by Mainstreet in Toronto and Saskatoon found approval levels for police in those cities at 69 per cent and 55 per cent, respectively.

Had Calgarians been asked a year ago, their opinions may have been even lower. The poll found 39 per cent of respondents say their opinions of the force improved over the last year, compared with 25 per cent that saw it diminish.

Another 23 per cent said their opinion hadn’t changed.

While the approval numbers are a red flag for Maggi, respondents showed more confidence in the force when it came to the belief they’d be treated fairly if they were part of a police investigation, with 58 per cent suggesting they felt secure in how they would be treated. However, a full one-third expressed concerns they wouldn’t be treated fairly.

Just over half (51 per cent) felt police officers facing misconduct would be held accountable for their actions, with 29 per cent expressing doubt they would face repercussions and another 20 per cent unsure.

That number becomes particularly salient given the number of high-profile incidents that seemingly erupted a month after former chief Rick Hanson left his post last February. Since then, five officers have been charged for various offences — from corruption and breach of trust allegations to implications of stealing drugs bound for an evidence locker — and others have faced disciplinary action.

Current chief, Roger Chaffin, was promoted to the role last October. According to Maggi, the onus now falls on police to re-establish public trust, noting as more incidents arise it can cause lasting damage.

“Certainly, these types of things are often media driven,” he said.

“Whenever there are a lot of stories like these, the public’s perception changes — and it can have a lasting effect.”

Most recently, four officers came under the microscope in August, after police brass announced it had called in the province’s law enforcement watchdog, ASIRT, to probe an arrest caught on a police cruiser’s dash cam that left a suspect with serious injuries.

Two of the officers involved have been relieved of duty pending the investigation and the other two have been assigned to desk duty.

Earlier this month, ASIRT was called out to investigate two officer-involved shootings.

One saw a wounded officer open fire and hit a machete-wielding suspect at Marlborough Mall.

About an hour before that, an officer opened fire on a fleeing vehicle after spotting a rifle inside, resulting in it crashing into a gas meter and causing a gas leak.

One tool that could help police are body-worn cameras, something poll respondents were eager to see.

Some 72 per cent of those surveyed approved of the personal surveillance gear, with only 14 per cent disapproving.

A majority of those polled also support better training for police to deal with high-stress situations.

The survey found 49 per cent in favour of augmented training, with only 11 per cent opposed to the idea. Some 42 per cent said they were uncertain.

The bleak numbers in the Mainstreet poll are in stark contrast to those reported by the Calgary Police Commission’s annual citizen survey, with confidence in the local force typically in the high 90s.

In 2015, the civilian-run commission found 97 per cent said they were confident in the Calgary Police Service. That poll surveyed 1,002 residents and was considered accurate within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

The Sept. 7 Mainstreet poll, a combination of both cellphone and land-line users, is considered accurate within 3.41 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.