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Downtown

policyenthusiast said:
The police chief at a BOMA luncheon mentioned that a lot of the newer cops (especially COVID hires) have to be specifically instructed to leave their cars while walking a beat. Instead of going into local businesses, talking to shop owners, and otherwise doing the things that we want them to do, they park in front of a building with bathrooms and food, and wait for dispatch calls.

Public reporting of crime data isn't going to move the needle, because accountability needs to begin with the individual officers.
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Another important note from last night is that over 400 officers are eligible for retirement in 3 years. That's a lot of turnover and hard on institutional memory. Many in the service now only started during or after COVID and have no idea what 'community policing' is. They have to be tought.

On Transit, only half of the promised peace officers have been deployed (15). The other 15 are in training and will be ready to go in the summer. There is still more coordination required between peace officers (City run) and EPS, this was mentioned a few times by the Chief.

The province was there and are promising a place to talk folks incapable of taking care of themselves by the summer. I'm curious what this is. The treatment beds are years away from being ready (Alberta Hospital new treatment beds are 3-4 years away).

I hope this discussion sparks some momentum. The new Chief said it's unacceptable to walk past someone in crisis and do nothing. I agree, both for the individual and for public good.
 
Nice to see so many groups committed to the April 24th Downtown cleanup and sweep.

Downtown Cleanup Map.png
 
MacLac said:
Oddly enough, my EPS neighbour has claimed many times, that “the new Police Chief is not a bleeding heart liberal and plans on cracking skulls,” as compared to the “career politician that McPhee” was/is.
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Really a lot of irony in this statement, given how beloved McPhee was by the UCP.
 
It’s so confusing, as someone who is not at all ACAB aligned, to understand the issues for policing in our downtown. I NEVER see cops around. We pay them better than almost anywhere in Canada, they use up one of the highest proportions of our budget of any city in canada, there is hugely obvious need and public desire for solutions… and yet it really doesn’t feel like they’re trying.

Are they just that overwhelmed? Or bad at their jobs? Or lazy? Or what’s the issue?? How many cops are supposed to be in our downtown each day and where the F are they?
 
thommyjo said:
It’s so confusing, as someone who is not at all ACAB aligned, to understand the issues for policing in our downtown. I NEVER see cops around. We pay them better than almost anywhere in Canada, they use up one of the highest proportions of our budget of any city in canada, there is hugely obvious need and public desire for solutions… and yet it really doesn’t feel like they’re trying.

Are they just that overwhelmed? Or bad at their jobs? Or lazy? Or what’s the issue?? How many cops are supposed to be in our downtown each day and where the F are they?
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Interestingly, I saw about 4 or 5 cops (not together) milling or standing around inside City Centre Mall during the lunch hour yesterday. Was notable to me only in the sense that they really stood out in a surprising way. I almost never see them walking a beat on the street, though.
 
thommyjo said:
It’s so confusing, as someone who is not at all ACAB aligned, to understand the issues for policing in our downtown. I NEVER see cops around. We pay them better than almost anywhere in Canada, they use up one of the highest proportions of our budget of any city in canada, there is hugely obvious need and public desire for solutions… and yet it really doesn’t feel like they’re trying.

Are they just that overwhelmed? Or bad at their jobs? Or lazy? Or what’s the issue?? How many cops are supposed to be in our downtown each day and where the F are they?
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I have been told this many times but it's constantly changing. Like one month there's a beat map area and the next month it's something different. But generally in the Downtown BIA area there would be Jasper East, Jasper West and Healthy Cities, which is kinda 97 st to 105 st. This is all within Downtown Division. Confused? Each beat team has 3 teams of 2 on 12 hours shifts. They don't work holidays or weekends, so there was nothing during christmas/new years for example. Then on top they have to staff special events (Oilers playoffs, protests etc). Downtown beats and non-beat areas also now have Community Liaisons people within the City as points of contact.

If, for example, you're a beat cop and you have to arrest someone, that alone can take 3-4 hours of your shift. I don't know why it's done this way but that takes an officer off the beat patrols. Which is why response times can be lengthy. One beat cop apologiezed to me once for being 1/2 hour late to a somewhat serious call cause he was running down a street trying to retrieve the 'mad hatter's' hat that had blown away. If you know who I'm talking about you'll know the situation.
 
thommyjo said:
It’s so confusing, as someone who is not at all ACAB aligned, to understand the issues for policing in our downtown. I NEVER see cops around. We pay them better than almost anywhere in Canada, they use up one of the highest proportions of our budget of any city in canada, there is hugely obvious need and public desire for solutions… and yet it really doesn’t feel like they’re trying.

Are they just that overwhelmed? Or bad at their jobs? Or lazy? Or what’s the issue?? How many cops are supposed to be in our downtown each day and where the F are they?
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In their SUVs. I see plenty of vehicles and very few actual cops in and around downtown.

The other day on my walk I came across two community policing vehicles (I can't recall what they were called, but it had the look of a police-based outreach) but the two SUVs were parked next to one another (illegally) and talking through their windows. This was roughly a block north of MacEwan station, which is quite literally littered with troubled individuals. They stayed in the car as I walked one way, and were still there when I walked back about half an hour later. I'm sure they had very, very important things to talk about, but they weren't exactly doing what I presume their job is. But what do I know?
 
Also note that beat teams are deployed during 'high frequency times', meaning afternoon/evening/overnight. You might not see beat cops walking around on say 10am Tuesday morning. They generally operate Wednesday through Saturday.
 
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Greenspace said:
Also note that beat teams are deployed during 'high frequency times', meaning afternoon/evening/overnight. You might not see beat cops walking around on say 10am Tuesday morning. They generally operate Wednesday through Saturday.
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How about 6pm when Symphony in the Square has 15,000 people, and thousands of kids, entering our downtown? Cause that’s when the LRT had 7 fent zombies and their trash all over the valley line station.

Just insane.

Thankfully I give the police $3000+ a year and I still have to fear for my wife’s and toddlers’ lives while we go to a freakin Disney show.

Piss poor leadership imo. The challenges are large, but if you can’t even get it right on the easiest days to “try”, then what are you doing…
 
It would be nice if more Downtown businesses were aware of the EPS "Agent Status Program". You've probably seen the stickers around, it pre-authorizes police officers to enter a property to remove trespassers without the officers needing to call the owner, get them to drive to the property, and get let in.

https://www.edmontonpolice.ca/CrimePrevention/CommunitySafety/AgentStatus

It's often the same properties that have trouble with break-ins over and over, and the property owner is nowhere to be found. So the cops are functionally unable to do anything about it. The new chief was speaking quite highly of it.
 
positive1 said:
To be fair it looks like a nice networking event for hobnobbing, nibbles, free booze and virtue signalling 🤣
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I wondered myself who picked up the tab for this. I hope it was funded privately by EDBA members and not through City grant money. It would be a bit rich for us to foot the bill while they hobnob; virtue signalling and complaining about the very organization paying for their nibbles and free booze.
 

“It's almost as though city administration is creating their own police force, but one with very limited capability and responsibility,” she said.

“What we're asking the city to do is transfer those employees to actually be within the realm and responsibility of Edmonton Police Service.”
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So the City is trying to do something differently after years of inaction by EPS, and are still being criticized for it? Cheryll Watson is showing her true colours once again.
 
johnnyboy said:
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"Alberta mental health and addictions minister Rick Wilson told reporters he already had some of Edmonton’s core needs on his mind.

“We need to do a focused approach with Edmonton, and I’m looking forward to working with the mayor. He’s a great guy,” Wilson said at the legislature Wednesday."

That's what I love to hear. It sounds like Knack's collaborative approach has been working so far. I hope this translates into real collaborative work between the city and the province; there's things in here that each of them can and should do.
 
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