Community has high expectations of police, Hat’s chief says
By ALEX McCUAIG Special to the News on April 22, 2021.
From the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement as a reaction to police shootings in the States, to scrutiny in this country of how law enforcement deals with racialized communities, to actions of the Lethbridge police closer to home, there is a far greater spotlight being shined on cops. Medicine Hat police chief Mike Worden says the brightness of that light is being felt by rank-and-file members. “Lots of scrutiny, lots of criticism,” said Worden of the present state of affairs. “I’d be lying to say it doesn’t take its toll on an officer.” But the Medicine Hat native with a quarter-century of experience with the Calgary police prior to joining the MHPS in January says this community has been supportive of its police service and added that is primarily due to its engagement. And if issues arise with officers, his expectation is that there is accountability. “If things go wrong you stand up, you apologize and you make a commitment to make things better and fix whatever mistake you made, and people are held accountable for those mistakes,” said Worden. He says the expectations of police from the community are high, “and they should be.” One of the technological advances that Worden says has helped maintain accountability in policing is the use of body-worn cameras – something most officers support. But that comes with a financial price. One which can be difficult to meet in times of fiscal belt-tightening. Another challenge is the expectations of police from the public, says Worden, highlighting that many of the calls officers respond to aren’t law-enforcement related. And that includes issues related to mental health. “You’re a family counsellor, you’re a marriage counsellor, you’re a youth counsellor, you are all these different things to all these different people,” said Worden. “There is some work being done to see what does society want policing to do and where do they want them in this world … There are people that are better trained and more appropriate to attend those calls.” While the calls for defunding the police can be distressing for some of the public and officers, drilling down to what that actually means is something which requires more than a literal interpretation. “That language is quite upsetting when you are a police officer,” said Worden. “But it’s like, should all the money go towards policing or are there other people who can do the work police are doing right now and maybe take some of the money and fund them.” That could lead to mental health crisis response teams being established which would allow officers to carry out more on the law-enforcement side of policing, said Worden. When it comes to dealing with disciplinary issues with police, Worden says he is looking forward to a revamped Alberta Police Act, which is now being developed. 17-16
