Calgary police showing integrity in the face of scrutiny: criminologist

Recent policing decisions have raised a few eyebrows, but is the Calgary Police Service (CPS) maintaining integrity while admitting wrongdoing?

The actions of Calgary police have been under the microscope over the past few days, with various instances of charges being dropped, an apology from the police chief for making the wrong arrest, and an internal review that has constable Alex Dunn without a job.

“This particular decision shows that there is integrity in the service and that no one’s above the law,” said Ritesh Narayan, a criminologist at Mount Royal University.

The incident happened in December 2017 and it wasn’t until three years later in 2020 when Dunn was found guilty of assault causing bodily harm. He was handed a 30-day conditional sentence.

Calgary police confirmed to CityNews that their internal disciplinary proceeding has wrapped up and he was fired.

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“This police officer conducted himself in a way that has earned himself a dismissal, but it’s also a generic deterrence to other police officers, ‘Watch what has happened here and it’s very important that you are following all the rules,'” Narayan said.

Calgary police hosted a rare apology press conference earlier in the week, after first-degree murder charges they laid against a 14-year-old were dropped.

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“The public apology that we have seen the Calgary police do, that is quite unique, but I think that also goes to show that the Calgary police are serious when they’re talking about maintaining a good relationship with communities.”

“The culture of police agencies change over time and I think the Calgary Police Service’s culture has changed.”

In a statement, Calgary police say “trust is the bedrock for policing.”

“We take seriously our responsibility to protect the community, especially in the wake of serious violence and public shootings such as the one that led to these charges,” the statement reads.

“At the same time, we also have a responsibility to ensure that nobody is placed into the criminal justice system improperly. So, when we don’t get things right, the right thing to do is to apologize.”

CPS adds an independent review will be conducted in the future to see what lessons can be learned.