Calgary Police Service

Calgary Police Service
Motto Onward
Agency overview
Formed 1885
Legal jurisdiction Municipal
Headquarters 5111 47th Street NE
Calgary, Alberta

Sworn members 2200
Unsworn members 1000
Elected officer responsible
Agency executive
Facilities
Stations 8
Website
www.calgarypolice.ca

Calgary Police Service (CPS), formed in 1885, is the municipal police force for the City of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Organization

Members of the Mounted Unit of the Calgary Police Service on duty at Olympic Plaza

The force was founded on February 7, 1885.[1] The first chief was Jack Ingram, who supervised two constables.[2] Past chiefs include Christine Silverberg, the first female police chief in Canada. The current head of the CPS is Chief Roger Chaffin.

CPS is divided into sections:

  • Administration
  • Chief Crowfoot Learning Center
  • Community and Youth Services
  • Community Liaison
  • Criminal Operations
  • Finance
  • Fleet and Facilities
  • Human Resources
  • Information Communication Technology Section
  • Investigation Support
  • Major Crimes
  • Operations Audit
  • Organized Crime Control
  • Professional Standards
  • Real Time Operations Center (RTOC)
  • Support
  • Traffic Services

In 1993, as a direct result of the hit and run death of Constable Rick Sonnenberg, the Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety (HAWCS unit) was created, and the Calgary Police Service became the first law enforcement agency in Canada to incorporate the use of air support into its routine operations. In 2006, the unit was expanded when a second helicopter was purchased.[3]

A regional shortage of police recruits had previously led the Calgary Police Service to recruit officers from other international forces, especially the UK. To facilitate this, Canadian citizenship or Permanent Resident status wasn't a pre-requisite to apply, though a successful application was hinged on previous police experience.[4]

For a recruit application today, the Calgary Police Service has reinstated the requirement to have Canadian citizenship, landed immigrant status or permanent resident status.[5]

Rank structure

Rank Chief Deputy Chief Superintendent Inspector Regimental Sergeant Major Staff Sergeant Sergeant Senior Constable Level 2 Senior Constable Level 1 Constable (Classes 1 to 5) Auxiliary (non-sworn)
Insignia
No insignia No insignia
Slip-on Slip-on Slip-on Slip-on Arm patch Arm patch Arm patch Arm patch Arm patch
Calgary police on patrol

The Service also employs Community Peace Officers. They are not police officers, but have limited provincial statute authority. Some are uniformed and operate the photo radar and CPS internal tow service. Others are not uniformed and work in administrative duties involving limited investigations.

Fatalities in the line of duty

Since its creation the CPS has lost eleven officers in the line of duty.[6]

  • 1917 – Constable Arthur Duncan (gunfire)
  • 1933 – Inspector Joe Carruthers (gunfire)
  • 1941 – Constable Wilf Cox (motorcycle collision)
  • 1957 – Constable Ken Delmage (motorcycle collision)
  • 1974 – Detective Boyd Davidson (gunfire)
  • 1976 – Staff Sgt. Keith Harrison (gunfire)
  • 1977 – Constable Bill Shelever (gunfire)
  • 1992 – Constable Rob Vanderwiel (gunfire)
  • 1993 – Constable Rick Sonnenberg (hit while attempting to stop stolen vehicle)
  • 2000 – Constable John Petropoulos (injuries sustained in fall)
  • 2001 – Constable Darren Beatty (injuries sustained during training exercise)

Fleet

Patrol

Unmarked units typically use black painted steel wheels with centre caps, except the unmarked Dodge Grand Caravan and 2012 Dodge Charger which have factory alloy wheels. Unmarked Ford F-150 units typically have silver coloured 'headache racks'. Unmarked Ford Explorer is black with tinted windows. Unmarked Dodge Ram 1500 has a tool box in the truck bed. Unmarked vehicles never have any dealer decals of any type, and have a black fleet license plate sticker.

Tactical and special use

Aircraft, motorcycles, and other vehicles

2013 flood

In June 2013, Alberta experienced heavy rainfall that triggered catastrophic flooding throughout much of the southern half of the province along the Bow, Elbow, Highwood, Oldman, and Red Deer rivers and tributaries. 24 municipalities declared local states of emergency as water levels rose and numerous communities were placed under evacuation orders.[9] The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated four people might have drowned near High River.[10] Over 100,000 people were displaced throughout the region.[11]

Calgary Police's Twitter account was locked when it reached its daily limit.[12]

Crime

The Calgary census metropolitan area (CMA) had a crime severity index of 60.4 in 2013, which is lower than the national average of 68.7.[13] A slight majority of the other CMAs in Canada had crime severity indexes greater than Calgary's 60.4.[13] Calgary had the sixth-most homicides in 2013 at 24.[13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ward, Tom (1975). Cowtown : an album of early Calgary. Calgary: City of Calgary Electric System, McClelland and Stewart West. p. 274. ISBN 0-7712-1012-4.
  2. ↑ Shiels, Bob (1974). Calgary : a not too solemn look at Calgary's first 100 years. Calgary: The Calgary Herald. p. 119.
  3. ↑ "HAWCS: Calgary's Eye in the Sky".
  4. ↑ Service, Calgary Police (24 January 2013). "Welcome". www.calgarypolice.ca.
  5. ↑ http://www.calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Working-for-Calgary-Police/Police-officer-careers/Requirements.aspx
  6. ↑ Service, Calgary Police (24 January 2013). "Welcome". www.calgarypolice.ca.
  7. ↑ Service, Calgary Police (24 January 2013). "Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety HAWCS". www.calgary.ca.
  8. ↑ "2015 Harley-Davidson® FLHTP Electra Glide® Police" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016.
  9. ↑ Wood, James (2013-06-22). "Harper, Redford promise to help". Calgary Herald. p. A5.
  10. ↑ Frisk, Adam; Tucker, Ericka; Stone, Laura (June 21, 2013). "RCMP: 4 possibly dead in Alberta floods as Calgary continues evacuation". Global News. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  11. ↑ "4 feared dead from Alberta floods". CBC News. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  12. ↑ Shaw, ,Gillian. "Lessons to be learned in Vancouver from Calgary police’s time in Twitter jail".
  13. 1 2 3 Jillian Boyce; Adam Cotter & Samuel Perreault (July 23, 2014). "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2013" (PDF). Statistics Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. pp. 13 & 30. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
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