Calgary police chief Mark Neufeld says officers don’t trust the commission enough to obey their ‘thin blue line’ ban and will halt its removal.
At least two weeks are needed before they can even consider if they’ll follow the directive, Neufeld stated.
“The quantity of anti-police content that’s being posted, shared or liked is really causing concern to the members,” he said. “The feeling of the membership is that there are individual agendas that are being pursued that are maybe overshadowing the larger governance role.”
“Any time you feel like something like this is thrust upon you, a defensive reaction is not a surprising reaction, especially around topics that go right to the level of your values and right to the heart of your identity,” he continued.
“… To the members of the Calgary Police Service, the ‘thin blue line’ symbolizes honour for the fallen, service to our community and support for one another.”
These were Neufeld’s first comments on the issue since last week when the commission first announced that police officers would have to remove the patch from their uniforms and replace it with something else. Chief Neufeld initially responded with resistance, as did Calgary Police Association President John Orr.
Several critics of the patch claim that it’s rooted in racism and colonialism.
Shawn Cornett, Calgary’s Police Commission chair, says he understands officers don’t wear it for this reason but is standing firm in his position to see the patch removed from the uniforms of on-duty officers after receiving public pressure.
“We know Calgary’s police officers wear this symbol to express positive things, but we stand by our decision aimed at making sure no Calgarian is faced with approaching a police officer that is displaying a symbol connected with other very divisive and racist movements today and in the past,” he said.
Neufeld states that he believes that after two weeks, further discussions between the sides will result in officers voluntarily removing the patch.
However, he claims the commission’s approach has left officers “incensed” and says union representatives’ reactions were “extraordinary.”
“Removing patches from the uniforms is one thing, but completely vilifying the symbol and its meaning to our people, which has been communicated, is very much another. I believe we saw reference as the ‘thin blue line’ being referred to as a known hate symbol with a history of hateful hearts and hateful deeds. Those comments were incendiary.”
Neufeld further claims that police morale is currently exceedingly low in Calgary.
Indeed, morale appears to be low among all branches of law enforcement, with a recent report showing that applications to join the RCMP are down by 50 per cent.
