Is there systemic racism in Calgary police? “I'm not so sure,” says the executive

Alberta RCMP say there is none. Justin Trudeau and Chrystia Freeland say there is. Now Calgary's top police officer is investigating systemic racism in Canada's police force.

And as for the Calgary Police Service, he's not sure.

“I would have said no a few weeks ago, and I'm telling you today, I'm not so sure and I'm excited to learn more about it,” Chief Mark Neufeld told reporters at a hastily called press conference on Wednesday. close the list of problems facing the police.

This contrasts with the response of an RCMP commander in Alberta who is “unconvinced.” denied it altogether earlier this week.

“I don't believe racism is systemic through Canadian police. I don't believe it's systemic through Alberta policing,” Deputy Commissioner Curtis Zablocki said Monday at a news conference in Edmonton.

Neufeld quickly distinguished himself.

“Talking about whether there is systemic racism in institutions, including the Calgary Police Service, and talking about people being systematically racist are two different things, because I don't believe in that kind of thing at all,” he said.

The leader recognizes that others see things differently.

“There are a lot of people in the community who have had very different experiences than I have,” he said.

However, Neufeld withdrew his full support controversial practice it was called racism: carding.

Carding occurs when an officer stops and asks an individual for personal information when there is no clear evidence of a crime.

“I think they're an important part of police work,” Neufeld said.

“Before, we were able to learn from the community's experience. I think there were some disparities in the numbers, but there are strong reasons why we did it.''

He says Calgary's “program” is strong and delivering results.

“I've heard numbers where 50 percent of what we call informational posts or street checks or cards (are) related to calls for service from the community. I understand that our program is very robust and yes, I support the program.”

Neufeld's predecessor In 2017, Calgary denied that such a program existedWhen other cities in Alberta faced documented accusations against people of color.