Edmonton Police Service

Edmonton Police Service
Motto Integrity • Courage • Community
Agency overview
Formed 1892
Legal jurisdiction Municipal
Headquarters 9620 103A Avenue,
Edmonton, Alberta

Sworn members 1947
Unsworn members 700
Elected officer responsible
Agency executive
Facilities
Stations 15
Website
www.edmontonpolice.ca

Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is the municipal police force for the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The current head of the EPS is Roderick Knecht.

The service has three deputy chiefs – two sworn members and a civilian member. Brian Roberts is responsible for Corporate Services Bureau, Brian Simpson runs the Investigative Support Bureau, and Tony Harder heads up the Community Policing Bureau.[1]

Operations

EPS is divided into three bureaus:

Patrol

The city is divided into divisions for general patrol purposes:

  • Northeast
  • Northwest
  • Downtown
  • West
  • Southwest
  • Southeast

Each division is separated into four smaller districts to allow for better deployment of resources. The majority of police officers of the Edmonton Police Service serve within the Community Policing Bureau as patrol constables, sergeants, detectives, or staff sergeants. Officers of the Edmonton Police Service have the highest 1st year constable salaries in Canada at a minimum of $61,134.00 per annum (or about $29.27 an hour), followed by the Calgary Police Service at $59,404.00 per annum.[2] EPS officers who work a shift where half or more of that shift falls between the hours of 4 p.m. and midnight receive an extra $1.10 an hour. EPS officers who work a shift where half or more of that shift falls between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m. receive an extra $1.20 an hour, increasing the minimum hourly rate for 1st year constables to $30.47 or about $63,621.00 per annum. Special event policing pays $93.89 an hour. Sergeants/Detectives are paid a minimum $109,494.00 per annum, or about $52.43 an hour, and Staff Sergeants are paid a minimum $120,443.00 per annum.[3]

Criminal investigations

Within the Specialized Community Support Bureau – Criminal Investigations Division, the Major Crimes Branch is divided into Economic Crimes, Homicide and Robbery. These areas are primarily made up of detectives and staff sergeants. The Serious Crimes area deals with Sexual Assault, Child Protection, and Vice. These areas are also made up of detectives and staff sergeants. Edmonton Police Service is also a member of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams.

Equipment and vehicle fleet

Road vehicles

The Edmonton Police Service uses the D&R RDS 16 siren in the majority of their fleet that is also equipped with the howler brand. Each marked vehicle has the Whelen Legacy lightbar, (excluding the Crown Victorias and Ford Taurus' that are equipped with LED X light bars and some CODE 3 sirens.

Aircraft

Rank Insignia

RANKS Chief of Police Deputy Chief Superintendent Inspector Corps Sergeant Major Staff Sergeant Sergeant Senior Constable Constable
INSIGNIA
No Insignia Available At This Time
No Insignia

History

Edmonton Police Car

Edmonton's police dates back to 1892, well before the founding of the province.

On July 27, 1892, P.D. Campbell was the first police officer hired by the town of Edmonton. Aside from dealing with law enforcement issues, Campbell was also Edmonton's health and licence inspector.[7]

In 1911, Alex Decoteau was hired by the Edmonton Police Department, becoming the first full-blooded aboriginal to be hired by a police department in Canada.[8]

On October 1, 1912, Annie May Jackson was hired on as Edmonton's first female police officer, winning out over a field of 47 applicants.[9]

An airplane was used to pursue a criminal in 1919, which was the first time a Canadian police service used this tactic.

Policing changes

During the sixth decade of policing, from 1942 to 1952, the department continued to grow.

In 1943, the good Neighbourhood Police Force was seen policing Edmonton's streets. An Edmonton police officer was paired up with an American Military police officer to patrol because there were many Americans in Edmonton at the time. After 18 months, it was discontinued when there was no longer a need for it.[8]

Recruit training

In 1947, formal recruit training was introduced. Prior to the formal training, officers were sent to the streets with minimal instruction. After six months of training in 1949, 15 officers graduated.[8]

In 1951, the Department recruited in Scotland and Ireland after struggling to meet recruit demands.[7]

In 1955, Basic Training Class number one graduated, with 28 members completing the course.[7]

Edmonton Police's Pipe Band, which had formed in 1914, halted because of the war. It re-emerged in 1959 and became a visible public relations tool still performing today.

Edmonton's growth

In the 1960s, the town of Beverly and Edmonton joined and the Jasper Place Police Department joined forces with the Edmonton Police Department, adding the population of Jasper Place to Edmonton.[7]

Sarge, a dog, officially joined the Department in 1963. The Dog Squad grew, and a kennel and training ground was opened by the municipal airport in 1974. The location is the same, and is named after Sarge's owner, Val Vallevand.[8]

Awards

Each year the Edmonton Police Service honours individuals for their service through a number of awards or medals including:

Police misconduct

On June 18, 2006, an Edmonton police officer was alleged to have struck an unarmed and handcuffed woman in the head, resulting in her falling to the ground, leaving her bloodied and injured. During the 2006 Stanley Cup playoffs, many Edmontonians watched the games in Old Strathcona bars, becoming drunk and belligerent. A journalist witnessed the incident and said the woman was being taken to a bus with other people under arrest when she uttered something to the officer who then approached her, handcuffed her and struck the woman on the side of the head. An internal police investigation was ordered but no charges were laid.[10][11]

On July 8, 2008, two high-ranking members of the Edmonton Police were found guilty of assaulting a homeowner and entering his home without a search warrant. Staff Sgt. Jamie Ewatski and Patrol Sgt. Giovanni Fiorilli were convicted of the assault, while a third officer was found not guilty. The judge deemed the officers had assaulted Mr. Dubois at least 3 different times during the ordeal.[12] This conviction, however, was overturned by a higher court on appeal. The higher level appeal court judge found that the lower level judge had made a "palpable and overriding error".[13]

On October 8, 2016, Const. Lexy Kerr was off-duty and driving her own vehicle when she approached a checkstop at Fox Drive and Keillor Rd. She failed a roadside sobriety test and twice asked the police officer if they could "give her a break". On November 15, 2016, Const. Kerr pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding .08. On June 7, 2017, Const. Kerr was given a suspension of 70 hours without pay, representing a total financial penalty of $3,300.[14]

On August 2, 2017, Const. David Ahlstrom was charged with three counts of theft under $5,000.00 and three counts of breach of trust by a public officer. The charges relate to incidents that took place on October 4, 2016, May 10, 2017, and August 2, 2017. Each of the three incidents occurred while Const. Ahlstrom was on-duty. After the charges were laid, Const. Ahlstrom was suspended without pay pending the conclusion of the criminal proceedings.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "EPS Leadership". www.edmontonpolice.ca.
  2. ↑ http://www.calgary.ca/cps/Pages/Working-for-Calgary-Police/Police-officer-careers/Calgary-Police-Service-salary-and-benefits.aspx
  3. ↑ "Salary". www.joineps.ca.
  4. ↑ Wakefield, Jonny (2017-05-29). "Edmonton police fleet almost all SUVs as last Crown Victorias age out". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  5. ↑ "The Helicopter". Retrieved 2018-02-23.
  6. ↑ "New Edmonton police helicopter can fly faster, longer than its predecessor". Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Montgomery, Kenneth (1982). Pride in the Past, 1894 – 1982.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Mair, A.J. (1992). EPS The First 100 Years, A History of the Edmonton Police Service. Friesen Printers.
  9. ↑ Donaghey, Sam. (1972). A History of the City of Edmonton Police Department. Blue, Red, and Gold.
  10. ↑ "Police won't change post-game crowd control: chief". Edmonton Journal. 2006-06-19. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  11. ↑ "Constable cleared in Whyte fracas". Edmonton Journal. 2008-04-23. Archived from the original on 2012-11-09. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
  12. ↑ "2 Edmonton police officers convicted of assaulting homeowner". CBC News. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2018-06-13.
  13. ↑ https://edmontonjournal.com/news/Officers+cleared+2004+assault+charges/1480592/story.html. Retrieved August 31, 2010. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Edmonton police officer's pay docked for drunk driving - CBC News".
  15. ↑ "Edmonton police constable charged with 3 counts of theft".
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