Alberta setting up police complaint panel
RCMP haven’t bought in yet
The Alberta government is proposing an independent commission to oversee complaints against police officers from across the province.
The RCMP has not yet agreed to be subjected to the proposed commission, according to government officials. The complaints process would still include the Edmonton Police Service, Calgary Police Service and the Lethbridge Police Service, for example — and instead of complaints against officers being dealt with in-house by such services, the province is aiming to have independent oversight of the process under one entity.
The independent review commission is about 18 months away from becoming a reality and is part of a package of amendments being brought forward under the United Conservative Party government’s Police Amendment Act. It was introduced Thursday.
“In our many discussions with Albertans, one thing that came up consistently was the need to change how complaints against the police are investigated — to end the system of police investigating police,” Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis told a news conference.
The new commission would receive, investigate and rule on complaints; the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which has investigated serious incidents such as deaths in custody for years, would be brought under the oversight of this commission.
Ellis said negotiations are ongoing over whether Alberta RCMP officers would be subject to the commission.
“It still falls technically under the RCMP in Ottawa,” he said. “So, although the K Division has been very supportive of these changes that we’re making here today, you know, we’re still in negotiations with Public Safety Canada.”
Meanwhile, the commission itself needs to be more fully fleshed out. Officials could not provide a figure for how much it would cost, but the government is seeking a cost-sharing agreement between the province and Alberta’s police services.
Ellis also didn’t rule out having former police officers as part of the review commission.
“We’re looking at significant numbers of people that are to be hired for this,” he said.
“These are very complex cases but, you know, we can’t discount somebody that has 25, 30 years of investigative experience as being a possible option as an employee.”
The changes also would expand ASIRT’s ability to investigate peace officers (such as sheriffs and transit officers) when serious incidents occur.
However, a new investigative team, to be established alongside the review commission, will look into other misconduct complaints against police officers employed by municipality and First Nations services. If a disciplinary hearing is required, a team would be assembled from within the commission’s ranks to oversee it.
Ellis dismissed questions from reporters about the changes being related to setting up a provincial police service.
The bill goes beyond just establishing the Police Review Commission. It also says police should be required to develop community safety plans and ensure they’re hiring people from diverse backgrounds.
A provincewide governance body will also be struck to make recommendations about policing in Alberta. That board would have one seat reserved for a First Nations representative and one for a Métis member.