Edmonton police update training on LGBTQ issues
Moves include new approach to detention, lessons for recruits on historic trauma
Edmonton city police are updating their Lgbtq-inclusivity training for incoming officers and changing the detaining process to be more inclusive.
New recruits will learn about LGBTQ historic trauma, aiming to help officers understand marginalized communities and their experiences. People detained at a police station will now be able to identify as nonbinary or transgender, and can choose to be seen by a male or female police officer and paramedic through the process.
The changes, announced Thursday, come after a months-long consultation with LGBTQ groups following an apology by Chief Dale Mcfee last year about historic abuse by officers, and after the Pride parade was cancelled. Mcfee says the force has developed other long-term strategies that will roll out over the next year.
“This is more about creating the path. There’s a lot of work yet to be done. We totally recognize that (in) the long term, we need to focus on community participation, community engagement, professional development, with the necessary accountability and leadership,” he said Friday.
“We’re going to make some mistakes along the way, but I can assure you, as the chief of police, this will remain a priority.”
A report coming out of the consultation process and survey last year found members of the LGBTQ community felt their relationships with police were more negative when accounting for race, youth, poverty and gender identities such as transgender.
A police culture that is seen as hyper-masculine and hierarchical was another common complaint, and better training for new and existing recruits was recommended. Others said there needs to be more diversity on the force.
Mcfee said one thing he took away from the consultation report is that a lot of young people are angry.
“I don’t know if it’s necessarily for these reasons, and we’re seeing some of this with the protest groups and whether the youth are disconnected, I think that’s something we have to pay attention to.”
He said he doesn’t agree with complaints about police culture, saying that EPS has been looking at the way it promotes members and there has been more diversity in hiring.
Estefania Cortes-vargas, the leader of the Edmonton Pride Society — who uses they and them pronouns — said more training for new officers is a good first step, but more needs to be done. They said they would like to see a clear action plan and have police respond specifically to each of the complaints and recommendations in the 40page consultation report.
“I just don’t think it’s enough to say these are the top priorities and not speak to some of the other things that are covered in there, because in there are the elements of the nuances within communities as a whole,” they said.
Having an independent body review complaints about ANTI-LGBTQ bias, like a dedicated ombudsperson, is one recommendation out of the report the Edmonton Pride Society would like to see put in place. Mcfee, however, has said there’s already a process in place to handle complaints.
Victoria Guzman, engagement coordinator with Shades of Colour — who uses they and them pronouns — said they aren’t optimistic the consultations will lead to meaningful change.
“I don’t think that there’s anything particularly revolutionary about the police (saying) ... this person is nonbinary while we detain them,” they said. “I feel like this is just something that should have existed anyways.”
They said there’s a lot of distrust among young people in particular.
“There’s been a lot of protesting lately, and there’s a lot of queer people, a lot of disabled youth ... that have been going into the streets a lot to protest, and their interactions with police have been less than friendly.”
Guzman said police need to take their calls for help more seriously and pointed to the harassment campaign targeting Edmonton’s first LGBTQ gym, Queerflex, which has now closed.
We’re going to make some mistakes along the way, but I can assure you, as the chief of police, this will remain a priority.