Police chief says U.S. unrest opening his eyes
By RYAN MCCRACKEN on June 3, 2020.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken Medicine Hat Police Service chief Andy McGrogan says he has taken the time to question his “own lens” due to ongoing protests taking place in the United States following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. McGrogan pointed to former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick as a precursor to the flaring tensions between black Americans and the officers who police their cities and neighbourhoods, suggesting the world should have been more open-minded when Kaepernick first put one knee to the turf during the national anthem in 2016. “I didn’t understand the whole Kaepernick thing … but now I think I kind of get it,” said McGrogan. “I’m kind of going, he was onto something. He had a point we should have all been listening to. I guess when you take the time to question your own lens, you’ll say, ‘Hey you know what? I should have been listening to what Colin Kaepernick had to say.'” McGrogan – who has spent 40 years with MHPS – penned a letter to the community Monday in response to the situation south of the border. In the letter he asserted his belief that police officers are simply citizens entrusted to protect their fellow citizens. “The purpose of that message was just to let the community know that we are alive to it, that we’re watching it very closely, that we’re concerned and that we care. We’re here to serve our community, they’re not here to serve us,” he said. “We are civilians who are being paid by the community to give our attention to policing, keeping people safe here. I think when you police with that mindset, it changes how you view your role versus some position of authority over citizens, that’s not what we are or who we are.” McGrogan says he has seen “a few ‘bad apples'” through his time with MHPS, but added he believes recruitment efforts like psychological evaluations have made it far more difficult for those apples to find a way into the system here in Medicine Hat. “There are a number of steps, and there have been for a very long time, around psychological testing. We actually do a polygraph test on our people,” he said. “We’re not perfect and we don’t hire perfect people, but that’s where that whole good training, good accountability system is in place, good supervision, that’s where all that comes in. I think a lot of places, when they don’t have proper accountability and supervision, that’s when things start to go south. I like to think that we have both of those things here.” McGrogan says ensuring proper recruitment, training and accountability is all the more important considering “bad apples” do have the potential to spoil the bunch. “They totally do. I’ve seen it here,” he said. “We’ve had a few people who, really, they used excessive force. I’m talking years ago, but they were bullies. They didn’t have the same kind of thought process and integrity and respect for people that I see now.” While issues of race aren’t as prevalent or abundant in Medicine Hat, or Canada, as they are in the American cities currently overwhelmed by protestors, McGrogan admits racism is still an ongoing concern right here at home, and one that needs to be addressed. “I know that we have a new member of our service, he’s of Asian descent, and he’s experienced some racism here since he’s joined us. It’s real, it happens at different levels,” said McGrogan. “Every time we come across a situation like that, we have to question our own thinking.” A peaceful protest is scheduled to take place Friday outside city hall at 4 p.m. “I don’t expect it to be anything other than lawful and peaceful,” said McGrogan. “Our role would just be there to support that whole peaceful, lawful activity.” 16-15
