As guardians of the public trust, the Edmonton Police Commission believes everyone should feel protected and engaged by our police service. Our role is to provide effective civilian oversight of policing. This includes community engagement, funding, establishing policies, directing the Chief of Police, ensuring effective services, and monitoring public complaints/serious incidents. There are 11 me
mbers of the Commission appointed by City Council. Two are Councillors appointed by City Council, and the other nine are public citizens who represent the wide views of Edmontonians. Today’s Commission has a range of individuals from different cultural backgrounds and life experiences. Commissioners have been appointed as knowledgeable and respected members of their community. By working with the Chief of Police and the Edmonton Police Service, we create a balance between public accountability and police independence. The Commission also connects with the community through meetings and public forums. This helps us respond to civilian concerns and expectations, and take steps to build a safer community for everyone. We recognize that Edmonton is changing, and this affects how our city is policed. We believe that crime rates and calls for service to the police can be reduced by investments in social services, mental health services, education, and health. This is part of our mission to constructively support racialized and marginalized communities. To that end, the Commission hired Chief Dale McFee in 2019 to bring a new vision to the EPS. The Commission looks to the EPS to work on building stronger relationships with marginalized communities and partnering with social service agencies to provide better approaches in managing drug use and mental health calls for service. We look to new and upcoming initiatives under a front-line service reorganization project called Vision 2020 to build bridges, improve trust, and strengthen a culture of anti-racism, professionalism, and accountability. We also believe that real change happens when listening to, and working with, community groups – particularly minority and marginalized groups. Notwithstanding our support for change, the Commission also believes that policing remains an essential part of providing safety and security to all Edmontonians. The Commission believes there is a way to balance community safety and provide social interventions for health, mental health, housing, addiction treatment, and poverty. Our end goal is to reduce the demand for policing services by moving people away from interactions with the justice system. For more information visit: https://edmontonpolicecommission.com/about-epc/
