Let's Talk about the Calgary Police Service

[calgaryblood]

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/cri...icer-1.3161719


On July 9, 2015, the woman was in a parking lot in northwest Calgary when she was stopped by an officer for a routine traffic offence. She was issued traffic violations and her vehicle was towed. The officer offered to drive the woman home to northeast Calgary, a trip the woman alleges took about three and a half hours, during which time she was unlawfully confined in the back of a locked marked police vehicle.


On January 15, 2016, the same woman was with her boyfriend when a police car approached them. It is alleged the same police officer from the July 2015 traffic stop exited his police car and made his way towards the couple’s vehicle. The woman exited the vehicle and went inside her house. Once at the vehicle, the officer asked the man to remain in his car and then entered the house without permission or legal authorization to do so.


The former officer will be charged with:
One count of kidnapping
One count of obstruction of justice
One count break and enter
One count breach of the peace
Two counts of fraudulently obtaining a computer service
Five counts of breach of trust



"A few bad apples". This is looking like a systematic problem.

At least these situations aren't being swept under the rug like with Hanson.

[Canehdianman]

I agree that there are deep rooted problems in all police forces, but I'm not sure there is a systemic problem of police officers kidnapping people :P

I'd like to see the police start treating all accused the same. If this was someone other than a police officer, they would be perp-walked in front of TV cameras and their full details would be released immediately. When a police officer is charged, the media is only told the bare minimums and the accused gets to sneak in through back entrances to avoid media.

(for the record, I think all accused should be treated as the police officers are)

[undercoverbrother]

Originally Posted by calgaryblood

http://calgary.ctvnews.ca/mobile/cri...icer-1.3161719


On July 9, 2015, the woman was in a parking lot in northwest Calgary when she was stopped by an officer for a routine traffic offence. She was issued traffic violations and her vehicle was towed. The officer offered to drive the woman home to northeast Calgary, a trip the woman alleges took about three and a half hours, during which time she was unlawfully confined in the back of a locked marked police vehicle.


On January 15, 2016, the same woman was with her boyfriend when a police car approached them. It is alleged the same police officer from the July 2015 traffic stop exited his police car and made his way towards the couple’s vehicle. The woman exited the vehicle and went inside her house. Once at the vehicle, the officer asked the man to remain in his car and then entered the house without permission or legal authorization to do so.


The former officer will be charged with:
One count of kidnapping
One count of obstruction of justice
One count break and enter
One count breach of the peace
Two counts of fraudulently obtaining a computer service
Five counts of breach of trust



"A few bad apples". This is looking like a systematic problem.

At least these situations aren't being swept under the rug like with Hanson.

I wonder what the percentage of poor/inappropriate interaction vs appropriate interaction is for the CPS.

Is it 1%, 13%, of 98%.

I feel for the new Chief.

edit: I can't see in the story, when/why he left the CPS. Was he let go as a result of this activity?

[calgaryblood]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I wonder what the percentage of poor/inappropriate interaction vs appropriate interaction is for the CPS.

Is it 1%, 13%, of 98%.

I feel for the new Chief.

Even .5 % is a high number. It seems police officers have zero fear of using computers for their personal advantage whether personal or business. That's what I mean by systematic problem. There was no consequences for several years and it seems officers took advantage of that.

Now it seems there is way more accountability and officers will see these recent charges and be way more cautious or hesitant to use computers for something other than their purpose.

There definetely is a systematic problem within the Calgary police and this chief is miles better than any previous chief as more and more officers are being charged and held accountable.

[calgaryblood]

A man has been shot and killed this evening by the police. This seems to be happening at an alarming rate. Not saying it always isn't justified but seems to be happening way more.

[worth]

They are reviewing the colour of the next generation of cruisers:

“We’ve been asked this before a couple times, both in the community and in council, about the colour of the black and white vehicles — does that create an adverse effect in community?” Chaffin said.

“We’ve looked at it, and we haven’t seen that effect, but after watching what the Toronto chief just went and experienced with his own board challenging him on the grey and white vehicles, it was a good opportunity for us to say look, let’s go back again and revisit the whole model.

“Let’s go back and look at it, put some business analysis to it, do some benchmarking with some other Canadian and U.S. forces.”

Toronto’s police chief recently stopped the rollout of the service’s new grey police cruisers, amid mounting criticism about the “militaristic” colour of the vehicles.

http://calgaryherald.com/news/local-...cruiser-colour

[burn_this_city]

I liked the old scheme because it was easier to spot from a distance while speeding. I assumed they went to white and blue previously as a safety decision because of visibility. One would expect the black cruisers to be more difficult to spot driving at night in poor weather, which could end up resulting in an accident or worse.

[ae118]

To me it's about what kind of image the police want to portray. To me, the older look was much more open and approachable, which is what I'm looking for in the police - public safety, trustworthy, community-oriented. The new look sends the complete opposite message in my mind.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ae118

To me it's about what kind of image the police want to portray. To me, the older look was much more open and approachable, which is what I'm looking for in the police - public safety, trustworthy, community-oriented. The new look sends the complete opposite message in my mind.

I would agree.

The new look is more...threatening.

99% of the time we dont need Robocop to blow the bad guys away.

[Northendzone]

mybe the new vehicles should have pictures of unicorns and flowers on them?

personally, I am fine with the black and white - they are cops!!!!

[Table 5]

Whether intended or not, the new look speaks to criminals, while the old look spoke to citizens. One is about intimidation, and the other is about protection. It's a small, but I think significant, distinction in terms of how we view our police and how they want to be viewed.

[Stealth22]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

mybe the new vehicles should have pictures of unicorns and flowers on them?

personally, I am fine with the black and white - they are cops!!!!

I honestly don't know why this is being debated. They are police officers, and their job does not change with the color of their vehicles.

Your experience with any given CPS constable, regardless of him/her being a "bad apple" or a "good apple" is going to be exactly the same, whether the color of the cruiser is black, white, blue, yellow, pink, or lavender.

They're the same people that are going to respond when you call 911, or pull you over for speeding. I don't see how it makes a difference.

Originally Posted by Table 5

Whether intended or not, the new look speaks to criminals, while the old look spoke to citizens. One is about intimidation, and the other is about protection. It's a small, but I think significant, distinction in terms of how we view our police and how they want to be viewed.

With all due respect, I genuinely don't understand that point of view. If you have a five year old son, he's likely going to be fascinated with the flashing red and blue lights every time he sees a police car. Whether that car is black or white bears no difference in his mind. As long as that officer isn't wrestling with a suspect, he's still going to smile and shake the kid's hand all the same.

I've brought this up in this thread before, but if there's a citizen who needs immediate help, for whatever reason, and he/she spots a passing police cruiser, they're going to flag down that officer and shout for help, no matter what the color of the vehicle is.

That being said, this has been debated for who knows how long, and no one in this thread is really going to change their point of view. Some people think the new cruisers look aggressive, and some don't. I think part of that perspective comes from how that particular vehicle (Ford Police Interceptor) looks in black, compared to the 'less sleek' look of the Crown Victoria. Compare that with the new Dodge Charger, which could be perceived as "aggressive looking", no matter what color it is.

I personally don't understand how a piece of metal with four wheels and an engine could be viewed as "menacing", but everyone's entitled to their own opinion. But how much does the color of your local police vehicles really affect your life?

The CPS has purchased the vehicles, and changed the livery...so what? A cop car is a cop car. And they're not going to change the design just because some people on an online forum think they should.

I guess what I'm trying to say is...does it really matter?

[Fuzz]

Anecdotal, but I think some of it is psychological. I rented a car, and it turned out to be a black Dodge Charger. I felt like I had to drive that thing like an a-hole, just because. People darted out of my way on the highway, even though I was driving normally.

So put a cop who is kinda full of himself in a big mean looking car, he may become a little more inflated. The person being confronted by the officer may be a little more fearful. I don't think cops should be in the business of looking intimidating. What I am suggesting is pink cruisers with flowers and unicorns. A happy car makes for a happy cop.

[AcGold]

Yes it matters as it reinforces the military aspect in the minds of the officers. Anything that pushes the CPS towards transparency, community and citizenship is going to be good for the city. Anything that reinforces the divide between citizen and cop, enforces the thug mentality and the superiority complex some police have should be avoided.

Instead of pointing out with bright colors here's a public servant it engrains in the officers (if even minutely) the power and authority they have. With all the recent information surfacing the mindset of the CPS clearly needs an adjustment.

You ever been in a police station? I recently went to get a background check for a job and nearly got bullied out the door by the thugs patrolling the place. A significant portion looked like roided out bullies and anything to change that would be nice. Their mindset is becoming obviously an heir of authority and superiority. Leaning over me in a group of 4 clearly just for fun trying to get me to leave, and I'm a white guy, imagine the treatment minorites get.

I'd like the public servants to look like public servants and not a private army of thugs as it reinforces in their mind their position in society.

[Erick Estrada]

IMO the issues are as much the millennial generation's general outrage about anything and everything as anything the authorities are doing wrong. Seems like some of you simply resent people in a position of authority.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO the issues are as much the millennial generation's general outrage about anything and everything as anything the authorities are doing wrong. Seems like some of you simply resent people in a position of authority.

So disregard all the recent information about CPS corruption and flip that to an ad hominem false equivalence non sequitur generalization, ok.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO the issues are as much the millennial generation's general outrage about anything and everything as anything the authorities are doing wrong. Seems like some of you simply resent people in a position of authority.

Effective Trolling; Brushing Off Peoples Opinions. A how-to guide with your host Erick Estrada.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO the issues are as much the millennial generation's general outrage about anything and everything as anything the authorities are doing wrong. Seems like some of you simply resent people in a position of authority.

So all the recent allegations and findings have nothing to do with it?

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

IMO the issues are as much the millennial generation's general outrage about anything and everything as anything the authorities are doing wrong. Seems like some of you simply resent people in a position of authority.

really dude. this is your take?

[metallicat]

Any updates on the police shooting? I know the paint scheme conversation is riviting, but there was a shooting last night...