Calgary police can keep wearing thin blue line patch while discussions continue
CBC
The Calgary Police Service said Thursday that officers are allowed to continue wearing thin blue line patches without being reprimanded while discussions continue about a recent decision from the commission to have them removed.
The Calgary Police Commission (CPC) had previously directed officers to remove the patches starting March 31.
This decision was met with pushback from the Calgary Police Association, which represents more than 2,000 officers, and the Senior Officer Association, which encouraged its members to continue wearing the patch.
Following this, the police service delayed the requirement for officers to remove the patch by two weeks. However, this deadline has now been extended indefinitely.
"While it is acknowledged that CPC has provided lawful direction to the service, further discussion by all stakeholders must take place to address the immediacy of the direction, as well as additional issues raised by the Calgary Police Association (CPA) and Senior Officer Association (SOA)," said Chief Mark Neufeld in a statement.
"From individual meetings held throughout this week, it is clear that all parties are interested in finding a respectful path forward."
The Calgary Police Commission said in a statement they are also "supportive of not moving moving forward with enforcement of its direction that thin blue line patches be replaced or removed from on-duty officers, to allow further conversations with Calgary's two police associations."
However, the commission said its stance on having the patch removed has not changed and they hope to get voluntary compliance from officers before considering enforcement.
Neufeld said earlier this month that there has been a breakdown of trust between CPS and the commission.
The patch has drawn mixed reactions from community members and officers.
For some members of the police service, the patch with the thin blue line represents a way to honour officers who have died in the line of duty.
In a statement, Calgary police said that many members have an "immense personal connection to the patch", especially after the death of Sgt. Andrew Harnett in 2020.
"As a group, our commission has recognized from the outset that officers wear the thin blue line patch to honour the fallen, support each other and recognize the special role police have in society," said commission chair Shawn Cornett in a statement.
"While a personal view previously expressed by one commissioner unfortunately sent a different message, the commission as a whole has never doubted that officers wear the symbol to express positive things."
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