City police chief reacts to damning numbers from poll
Chaffin says another survey shows different numbers, but similar trend in waning trust
New polling numbers showing declining public trust in Calgary’s police force need to be taken seriously, says Chief Roger Chaffin.
A Postmedia-commissioned survey by Mainstreet Research revealed dismal approval numbers for the Calgary Police Service, with only 39 per cent of the 823 respondents approving of their performance. By contrast, nearly half of those polled (48 per cent) said they disapproved of the way Calgary officers are doing their jobs.
Respondents were also split on whether officers facing misconduct would be held to account; whether police required more training to deal with high-stress situations; and whether they’d be treated fairly if they were subject to a police investigation.
Chaffin said the Mainstreet survey comes just as the Calgary Police Commission prepares to release its own annual citizen satisfaction survey in the coming weeks, which he notes offers very different numbers but a similar trend when it comes to waning trust.
“You’re going to see when the numbers come out in the police commission survey a very different look at the same issues,” he said Wednesday. “To me, there’s similar messaging in both, even though the numbers are very different, is the softening of public trust, the idea that people are getting concerned.”
In previous years, the police commission survey has always seen approval numbers for the force in the 90s, including a stellar 97 per cent touted last October by the public board that governs the police force. While Chaffin said he takes the Mainstreet poll seriously, he “takes umbrage” with the suggestion the public has lost that much confidence in the 2,000-officer police department.
He said Calgary isn’t immune to growing tension toward police agencies across North America, as well as increasing crime locally spurred by a stumbling economy.
The bleak numbers also come following a stretch of high-profile incidents involving police over the past 18 months that have seen five members charged with various offences, and more facing disciplinary actions. Some high-profile officer-involved shootings and troubling videos that emerged on social media have also raised the public temperature.
Coun. Ward Sutherland sits on the city’s police commission and got an early preview Tuesday night of their annual poll, and the confidence numbers, while diminished somewhat from last year, remain lofty.
“The numbers when it comes to confidence in police went down a bit, but not significantly,” he said, noting he’s not overly concerned about the Mainstreet survey.
Sutherland said the police commissionsurvey asks numerous questions over the course of a 17- minute interview to derive their numbers, which he believes have much more rigour.
He added Chaffin has also brought a high standard of transparency and accountability to the force, which some in the public may use to form negative opinions.
“I think Roger has been extremely transparent and he’s not hiding anything,” he said. “But there’s a double edge to being transparent — in one context you’re more open to the public, in another context that can have an impact on perception.”
In a statement, police commission chair Howie Shikaze also touted the board’s own survey, noting he has full confidence in the chief and the force.
“The commission is confident that CPS members are committed to protecting our community,” he wrote. “The relationship officers in Calgary have with the community is second to none and the commission knows that Calgary police work hard to preserve the safety of our city and maintain public confidence.”
Howard Burns, president of the police union, said he’s seen a shift in the wind when it comes to public confidence in the thin blue line, but said there are factors far beyond Calgary’s city limits that affect that.
“The vast majority of police are honest and upstanding people. When you do have officers who have stepped over the line, it’s embarrassing to all of us.”
Chaffin said the poll, whether or not he agrees with the numbers, especially coupled with retreating numbers on the police commission survey, should serve as a wake-up call. The Mainstreet poll, conducted Sept. 7 with a combination of both cellphone and landline users, is considered accurate within 3.41 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.