Improvements lead to faster resolution in public complaints

The Professional Standards Section (PSS) of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) made significant process improvements, leading to a 105 per cent improvement in file closure timelines since 2021. The 2023 PSS Annual Report (available below) shows that more than 70 per cent of investigations are resolved in less than one year, and that several key initiatives have improved the accessibility and transparency for complainants.

In 2023, the Calgary Police Service responded to 579,964 calls for service. These interactions with Calgarians generated 252 formal complaints. That means 0.04 per cent of all calls for service gave rise to a formal complaint to the PSS.

Citizen contacts with PSS in 2023 remained consistent with the five-year average (879), while external complaints, which are formal allegations of misconduct submitted by a member of the public or CPS employee, are down 12 per cent compared to the five-year-average.

Body-worn cameras (BWC) continue to improve investigative timelines. Fifty-eight per cent of external complaints are resolved using BWC footage. Data shows that it takes approximately six months to resolve a file with BWC, compared to nine months for files that don’t have BWC.

Throughout 2023, the PSS leaned into technology and implemented a new Public Complaints Portal to improve accessibility, communication and workflow efficiency. Both compliments and complaints can now be easily submitted with the user-friendly online interface where real-time updates on the status of files are available to submitters.

Some of the anticipated additional improvements to the PSS process throughout 2024 will include:

·         Improving readability of the final disposition letter so complainants can fully understand the outcome of their files.

·         An emphasis on incorporating demographic information of our complimentors and complainants to ensure PSS processes are as inclusive and accessible as possible.

·         Improved updates on the public website, which will include information regarding our disciplinary hearing process, the files in this process and their outcomes.

·         A supervisor dashboard called EIPro will be introduced to allow supervisors to gain better insight into what is happening with their officers and get involved earlier in the process to provide intervention and support.

The 2023 PSS Annual Report is available below.