`Unbelievably inappropriate' coin banned by Calgary police
Disks depicting skull with bullet hole were approved more than 10 years ago
The Calgary Police Service has shelved a coin bearing an “obviously offensive” design that circulated within the organization for more than a decade.
The unit challenge coin depicts a bullet hole through a skull, surrounded by three guns and the phrase, “saving lives,” on one side.
“Calgary Police Service” is written at the top, with “firearms training team” at the bottom. The other side of the coin features the Calgary police emblem.
It gained attention on Thursday after a photo of the coin was posted on Twitter.
Coun. Evan Woolley said he then raised the issue with the police service, calling it “unacceptable” that the coin was still in circulation.
“When I first saw it, I thought there's no way this could be real. It looks like a pirate logo and is unbelievably inappropriate,” Woolley said.
“This obviously is concerning when you have offensive and inappropriate things like this circulating within a team at the Calgary Police Service. I think tying city logos on one side to images like that on another is not the type of city that we are. That does not make our citizens feel safe.”
In a statement, Calgary police said it conducted “an immediate review” when it became aware of the coin Thursday. A spokesperson said the coin's design was approved more than a decade ago.
“The design is obviously offensive and further use or distribution has been prohibited,” the police service stated.
“Needless to say, a design such as this would not be approved today.”
Unit challenge coins, like the one in question, are typically designed and bought by CPS members with their own money as a fundraising method for their social funds, according to Calgary police.
They serve as a way of team-building, as funds raised from the coins' sales are often used to help pay for workplace social events like holiday parties.
Calgary police commission chair Bonita Croft said the civilian oversight body agreed that “the coin is inappropriate.”
“We … are disappointed that this design was ever approved in the first place, even if it was a long time ago,” she said in a statement.
“The coin first came to our attention (Thursday) and we support the Chief's decision to prohibit further distribution of this design.”
Woolley said the coin's existence underscores the need for Calgary police to build trust in communities, especially after many racialized Calgarians voiced concerns about police brutality and systemic racism within the force during council's anti-racism hearings in July.
“The irony is that when I see an image like that, that doesn't make me feel safe,” Woolley said.
“I think it absolutely ties into the shifts in culture and the community policing model that hasn't served so many Calgarians, particularly Indigenous and Black communities and other persons of colour.”
He said the incident shows
there's still much “heavy lifting that we have to do to ensure that our Calgary Police Service is committed to that model of community safety and not militarism that we see that kind of bleeds into many police forces.”
“I find it concerning, but I'm hap
py that it's been dealt with quickly,” Woolley said.
“Obviously, we need to reflect on the type of police service that we want, that really supports our citizens.”
This obviously is concerning when you have offensive and inappropriate things like this circulating within a team.