If you’ve ever wondered why women are reluctant to bring forward allegations of sexual harassment, look no further than the furor unleashed when 15 female police officers contacted city councillor and police commissioner Diane Colley-Urquhart to discuss sexual harassment and the culture of intimidation and retaliation they’d experienced at the Calgary Police Service.
Ms Colley-Urquhart took the matter to police chief Roger Chaffin. Nothing happened until the story hit the press.
Then Chief Chaffin posted a statement on Facebook saying his door is always open to anyone whose been mistreated, implying that people (Ms Colley-Urquhart perhaps?) were politicising the matter and former police officers who confirmed the women’s allegations were spreading inaccurate information.
Ward Sutherland, a fellow city councillor and police commissioner, weighed in saying if this was a real problem Colley-Urquhart should have acted sooner, she should have brought the matter to the Police Commission and she was wrong on the facts.
Whoa, what’s going on here?
The facts
In 2009 a workplace audit warned that a culture of bullying and retaliation existed in the Calgary Police Service. Then-police chief Rick Hansen implemented a program called Respect Matters to “foster and maintain a culture of respect.”
The audit report and Respect Matters were of such little significance that they didn’t rate a mention in the 2009 Police Commission Annual Report (the Police Commission, like the board of directors of a corporation, provides governance and oversight to the Calgary Police Service).
In 2013 Chief Hanson commissioned a second workplace investigation, this one focusing on the human resources department. The investigation revealed that while the Respect Matters program was good in principle it wasn’t being used properly to investigate, track and manage complaints. The investigator offered recommendations to strengthen the HR department to address discrimination, harassment and bullying and to redress a lack of accountability where “bad” actors with the right connections are rewarded by preferred placements and promotions.
Once again investigation’s findings failed to make it into the 2013 Police Commission Annual Report.
I repeat: the Police Commission is like a board of directors. It receives monthly, quarterly and annual reports from the Calgary Police Service and meets with the chief of police on a regular basis and yet it was unaware of the 2009 and 2013 reports which painted a frightening picture of a toxic workplace culture at the Calgary Police Service.
But wait, maybe we’re overreacting.
Chief Chaffin’s response
Chief Chaffin says notwithstanding what some may think the human resources practices at the Calgary Police Service “…are as modern and evolved as any professional and progressive organization.”
This is not correct.
Calgary Police Chief Roger Chaffin
The HR departments in private sector companies understand that sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying happen in every workplace. They develop policies that clearly state that employees (and contractors) who engage in harassment, discrimination and bullying will be disciplined. They set up an independent complaints investigation process. They track the number of complaints to ensure their policies are effective and they report to their boards of directors annually on the number of complaints and how they were resolved.
By doing so these HR departments protect corporations from legal liability and improve their ability to attract top talent.
What does Chief Chaffin suggest?
He asks anyone who feels they’ve been mistreated to reach out to him (this is the equivalent of reaching out to the CEO of a 3000 person organization) or use the “resources in our service” (the police officers serving a stint in HR until their next assignment comes along and who were roundly criticized in the 2013 report).
Chief Chaffin says the HR department has gotten better at doing its job. He says “the recommendations from the 2013 workplace review have been implemented to a great extent”.
If this is the case workplace morale in general should have improved since 2013, right?
The 2012-2014 Business Plan and Budget says “promoting a respectful workplace” is a strategic objective. The person responsible for achieving this objective is the HR Operations Inspector. The HR Operations Inspector needs to meet certain performance measures to satisfy this objective. The only relevant performance measurement I could find in the Plan was the response to the question “Overall, I’m generally satisfied with my current job”. In 2010 85% of the respondents said yes. In 2011 the percentage of generally satisfied respondents dropped to 78%.
These are very good numbers, unfortunately they’ve slipped.
By 2012 the percentage of employees who strongly agree with the statement “Overall, I am generally satisfied with my workplace environment” fell to 28%. In 2013 it popped up a bit to 32%. More recent numbers are not available.
While the rephrasing of the question from “current job” to “workplace environment” could impact the result, the general lack of employee satisfaction is confirmed by the Employee Engagement Index Score which placed employee engagement at 27% for 2012 and 31% for 2013.
So there’s probably a good reason why the 15 female police officers chose to reach out to Ms Colley-Urquhart instead of circling back to the HR department.
Collateral damage
Ms Colley-Urquhart has come under fire for weighing in on this issue.
Chief Chaffin said instead of “politicizing the challenging times an officer has experienced” it would be better to “expend that energy towards putting them in touch with the services we have to provide assistance.” Given the problems with the HR department that were identified in the 2013 report (which don’t appear to have improved) it made sense for Ms Colley-Urquhart to take the matter straight to Chief Chaffin who appears to have done nothing.
Councillor and police commissioner Sutherland has a whole host of criticisms: why didn’t Ms Colley-Urquhart raise this issue with the Police Commission (perhaps she wanted to give Chief Chaffin a chance to rectify the situation first). Why didn’t she act sooner (the Police Commission was not told about the problem) and why is she playing this for political advantage (is she?).
All of which makes me wonder: If 15 male police officers approached a male police commissioner to report a systemic problem at the Calgary Police Service would they have been hit with the same degree of skepticism and censure?
http://www.calgary.ca/cps/Documents/2013%20CPS%20Workplace%20Review%20Redacted%20for%20Release.pdf
Susan on the Soapbox 
After all these years of “equality in the workplace” why does it still boil down to what a man said or what a woman said. Sexual harassment is real, no matter who brought it up and it should be dealt with properly. No wonder we still have bullying in schools as adults we do not better.
Rose you’re absolutely right. It’s bad enough that some men think they can get away with sexual harassment, but I was surprised to see some female police officers quoted in the paper saying the women complaining about how they were treated were being “too sensitive”. Really? When seven men email you pictures of their genitals I don’t think you’re being “too sensitive”.
I’m curious about your take on an elected Police Commissioner/Commission. Do you think that might help these troubling issues to finally be addressed?
That’s an interesting question Ian. I’m not sure elected Commissioners would be any better than appointed ones because people seem to make up their minds on these types issues based on very little of substance. In today’s paper Mayor Nenshi defended Chief Chaffin, crediting his “deep, deep integrity” with contributing to the shift culture away from intimidation and retaliation. The mayor’s opinion doesn’t appear to be based on anything other than he respects the chief. What about the women who put their heart and souls into being police officers. I’m sure they too have “deep, deep integrity”. Doesn’t their integrity count as much as Chaffin’s integrity?
” Doesn’t their integrity count as much as Chaffin’s integrity? ”
Shirley you jest Susanonthesoapbox ….
It’s a para-military organization, completly dominated by men.
Full stop.
[I’m a guy; I know how ‘most’ [not all] guys think. And it’s with the head between their legs, first, foremost, always and forever.]
The difference being elected that Commissioners, subject to the wrath of the voters, *might* think and act independently from the police/civic administration. Also the possibility more women could be elected to the Commission.
I admit, big “ifs.”
I would like to share this post on my Facebook page. May I? Do you know how I do that OR have you posted this on a facebook page that I could share?
On 30 October 2016 at 18:00, Susan on the Soapbox wrote:
> susanonthesoapbox posted: “If you’ve ever wondered why women are reluctant > to bring forward allegations of sexual harassment, look no further than the > furor unleashed when 15 female police officers contacted city councilor and > police commissioner Diane Colley-Urquhart to discuss se” >
I figured it out – the posting to Facebook. S.
Thanks for posting this on your Facebook page Sky. I’m glad you figured out how to do that. I think all that you need to do is click the “facebook” button at the bottom of the post.
Thankyou Susan for outlining some key failures and double standards which appear to be consistent in many similar organizations. It seems each has to be challenged publicly before an independent and credible report is done.
I plan to look into this and consider engaging the Human Rights Commission and Public Commissioner.
Excellent research !
Thanks for looking into this issue David. I’m very troubled by the fact that these problems came to light in 2009 and again in 2013 and are still unresolved. Last week Chief Chaffin said that 40 or 50 years ago policing wasn’t an occupation open to women and it may have dragged some of that history with it as it evolved. I’d like to remind the chief that 30 or 40 years ago oil companies weren’t hiring women either but these companies are light years ahead of the police force when it comes to addressing discrimination, harassment, bullying and intimidation in the workplace.
It is quite obvious that the police cannot investigate themselves concerning these matters. The same culture exists in the RCMP and the Military. Obviously it will require an independent investigation along with changes in attitudes by the members of CPS. It would be interesting to know what role the Police Union is or is not playing with respect to this issue. I suppose it is our upbringing and environment that determines our attitudes – parenting and schools are important factors in instilling respect and society should provide adequate avenues and remedies when respect is not respected.
By the way Iceland elected some more Pirate party members to its legislature.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37813564
And finally I think we are witnessing the beginning of Watergate 2 type of political scenario in the US with the re-opening of the FBI investigation concerning Ms Clinton’s private email server.
The details are still sketchy, however the FBI would not have interceded close to the end of a Presidential political campaign with its announcement on Friday without compelling evidence.
It is pure speculation on my part but based on the FBI testimony before congress this summer I suspect the FBI will find on Hillary Clinton’s Staffer, Huma Abedien’s computer which was shared with her estranged and very strange husband Anthony Wiener the following:
1. Emails previously destroyed by Hillary Clinton’s staff which were on her private server, will be found on the Weiner / Huma computer.
2. These emails will prove to be of a confidential nature related to HRC role as Secretary of State.
3. Emails connecting donors of the Clinton Foundation to decisions made by Secretary of State Clinton (Quid Pro Quo)
Consequences:
Criminal Investigation
A.Huma Abedein will charged with obstruction of Justice by not providing this computer when the FBI asked her originally to provide all relevant evidence to the case.
B. Hilary Clinton will be charged with obstruction of justice for destroying evidence (33,000 emails) on her private email server concerning confidential state department records.
C. Both will be charged with perjury
D. Obama State and Justice Department officials could also be dragged into the mess. Under Secretary Kennedy (for obstructing and delaying release of State Department documents to congress) and Attorney General Lorreta Lynch (meeting with Bill Clinton on airport tarmac prior to FBI first investigation findings). It all seems to point to conspiracy to obstruct justice and to protect Hillary Clinton from Justice.
Congressional Investigation
If Clinton wins the presidency and is indicted by the FBI she would face further congressional investigations concerning, Benghazi and her mishandling of classified State department records which would lead to impeachment.
Based on her and her staffers behaviour in both the congressional and FBI investigations which was mainly delay and deny (and staffers pleading the fifth to congress) has led to this bizarre outcome. She plays the game of a poker player who always wants to see her opponents cards before she reveals her cards. She demanded on Friday that the FBI release all documents they had in this case. This is standard legal practice used in civil litigation – the accuser must bring forth in discoveries, evidence to prove his case. However in a criminal investigation when the investigators have asked for all of the evidence and it has not been provided and it is latter discovered that such evidence was not disclosed, this is when defendants get into trouble. Remember what got Nixon into trouble was not the break in, but rather the cover up.
She will basically become a lame duck president under a FBI criminal investigation on day one of taking office and a republican congress out for blood. It will be very messy constitutional crises brought on by poor judgment by the installation of a private server for the purposes of racketeering.
I doubt such a tale could be even be rated as a trashy cheap fiction novel. Too much intrigue and deception to be put in the realm of possibility or reality, but then who would have ever thought a creep and two-bit politician like Anthony Weiner could have influenced a Presidential election in such a way.
Meanwhile the Americans have to pick a president, a task I do not envy nor look forward to. The real loser in the end will be the citizens of democracy as cynicism of the political system and those who practice it will devolve into mass cynicism or maybe just maybe it will motivate people to become more active in cleaning up the corruption that are proliferated by the old stream political parties whose main purpose is to raise cash, spread lies and do nothing to address real issues and problems of the nation.
Joe
Joe, starting with your comment about the police union, good point. What is the role of the police union? Why isn’t it front and centre in pressing for a resolution? A comment by Michael Kimmel, a prominent male feminist, comes to mind. He says most men think gender has nothing to do with them. Perhaps the men in the police union think this dust up between Chaffin and “the women” has nothing to do with them at all. Sadly they don’t understand that when discrimination on the basis of gender is rectified, discrimination on the basis of race, sexual preference, etc, is also rectified.
With respect to the latest blowup in the American election, you may well be right. I’ve never seen such a horrible mess. Even if Clinton is elected, she’s going to be blocked by the Republicans every step of the way. That’s no way to run the “greatest country on earth”.
Thanks, Susan, for another insightful blog. I hope the pace picks up significantly on improving the situation.
Lord knows Jill. The 2013 report mentioned that these sorts of issues are tough to deal with in a paramilitary organization. What is it about men in uniform that makes them think they can do whatever they please? (Okay, not all men, but enough men to make the lives of women in uniform sheer hell.)
It has been reported that, in his most recent role before being appointed Chief of Police “… Chaffin headed the bureau of organizational support, which oversees training, information technology, and human resources.”
Gives one pause to wonder about why such issues weren’t brought to his attention, doesn’t it?
ABCanuck: very good point. The 2012-2014 Business Plan & Budget document says Strategic Objective #2 is “Provide a healthy, safe and respectful work environment for all our employees.” The department responsible for delivering this objective is the Bureau of Organizational Support. Chaffin was promoted to Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Organizational Support in 2010. Delivering this objective would have been his responsibility.
The 2013 report said the Respect Matters program was solid but could be improved by setting out a better complaints process which reflects the tenants of fairness and natural justice. The Respect Matters program was created as a result of the 2009 report on workplace culture. However the Calgary Herald reported last week that Chaffin, the Deputy Chief of the Bureau of Organizational Support since 2010, was unaware of the 2009 report. You’d think that Chief Hanson would have brought Chaffin up to speed on all of the issues relating to the workplace, particularly the 2009 report that resulted in the creation of a key program like Respect Matters.
Doesn’t make sense does it.
Here’s a link to the document https://www.calgarypolicecommission.ca/sites/default/files/CPC-CPS%202012-2014%20Business%20Plan%20and%20Budget.pdf
Considering, it’s been five+ years now since they changed the safety legislation so that injured employees can sue responsible individuals up and down the chain [management] as well as companies, you’d think that those physically assaulted/raped would pursue this angle. IMHO if you saw a few CEOs, Police Chiefs getting their individual asses sued, the rest would start getting interested in protecting their people.
Now retired after 33 years in the Canadian Army, with secondary duties as a ‘harassment advisor & investigator’, I can tell you that harassment in any form, is not an HR issue. It is very clearly an operational LEADERSHIP issue, in all organizations, be they military, police or the Bank of Nova Scotia.
In my experiences, it was not unheard of for CF Commanding Officers to send their worst harassers on the initial ‘harassment advisors’ and Harassment investigators training sessions; in this way they could claim they ‘had done something’ about them.
In an optimal environment, external investigators are brought in to determine what is and is not happening. Internal investigators carry the baggage of the organizations environmental culture.
….IMHO until police officers are actually being fired for egregious harassment [sexual and otherwise], in the Calgary Police Force, nothing will change.
The monsters [with leadership turning a blind/consensual eye] will continue to torment and ruin [other] people’s careers and lives. This extends well into the RCMP, very most likely most if in fact not all police forces, fire departments.
You’ve heard the ole saying, people don’t quit their jobs [that they love], they quit their nasty bosses, because their bosses, are spineless.
Siggy, you’re absolutely right, the issue here is leadership. Dropping the harassment problem into the lap of HR is a convenient way of making it look like you’re doing something about it when really you’re not. Based on the description of the HR department contained in the 2013 report it appears that police officers move in and out of HR, perhaps it’s one of the “tick the box” stops on their way up the promotion ladder. It certainly worked that way for Chief Chaffin who led the Bureau of Organizational Support before he was promoted to Chief. Just imagine how difficult it would be for an officer temporarily assigned to HR to push back on a disrespectful/harassing officer from another department, say TAC, if the HR officer’s career goal is to end up in TAC one day. It’s just not going to happen. All the more reason to do as you suggest and shift this work to an external investigator.
There is no excuse for this still happening, but it does. The fact that the RCMP and CPS are admitting that this has occurred, as well as the Canadian Forces is due to the “chain of command”. When I was a soldier the chain of command and not straying from it was strongly enforced. You are loyal to the chain of command and if it works the way it is supposed to then there should never be a problem. The problem is it doesn’t and the chain also has a bad habit of insulating problems and dealing with them in house and sometime the chain has an “old boy network”. If it is an old boy who is an offender, then they can skate the complaint. I think this is the same with any hierarchal organization (i.e the Catholic Church). For issues such as sexual assault, harrassment, bullying there needs to be a mechanism outside the chain of command and the person making legitimate claims should be protected. I’ll say it again, people who are in positions of authority or trust need to be held to even higher standards that the average citizen.
I don’t think the Calgary Police Commission should be the place where complaints are dealt with because in reality are part of the chain of command too, with all the same issues. Boards also tend to defer to their senior operations officer (in this case the Police Chief) to take action. There needs to be an “outside of the chain” legal authority that deals with this issue and has the “teeth” to enforce solutions upon the Chief to take disciplinary action.
As there is none then the responsibility of governance falls upon the police commission and Ms Urquhart was being responsible for bringing the issue up and shouldn’t be “flogged” for doing so. She’s doing her job as this puts the City of Calgary at risk legally.
The “chain of command” exists for one reason, and one reason only: so that every man and women in the entire organization, and every unit and sub-unit, knows exactly what do do and where to go when bullets are flying. But this mentality, which is crucial for success on a battlefield, or in any life-threatening environment (think firefighting, search & rescue, etc.) has no place in the day-to-day running of any peacetime workplace, military or civilian. If nobody is being shot at, then the ordinary rules for any other workplace should apply.
Jerrymacgp: well put. The 2013 Report identified another area in which paramilitary organizations suffer and that was in bringing forward ideas. Someone in the HR department researched and proposed the idea of a flexible workplace; it was shot down and it wasn’t until someone higher up in the organization expressed interest in the idea that it was finally brought forward to the executive. A good idea is a good idea, it shouldn’t matter what level of the organization it comes from.
Einer, it’s interesting that you bring up “the old boys network”. This was addressed in the 2013 Report which said they’re usually found in male dominated settings, particularly paramilitary organizations. They’re associated with allegations of favouritism, unfairness of selection and promotion processes, and the “bribe, praise and threat” processes is used to get ahead or to avoid accountability for bad behavior. They cause distrust and loss of faith in the organization’s formal processes.
Not surprisingly the Report recommends they be counteracted by making the placement and promotion process more transparent, objective and merit based. The writer also notes that “the proponents of the old boys’ network are not easily enticed to give up the power they have acquired over the course of their employment” and says change usually depends on these people leaving the organization and tightening up accountability so bad behaviour is not continually overlooked, tolerated and rewarded.
So while Chief Chaffin says the recommendations of the 2013 Report “have been implemented to a great extent” (whatever that means), the fact that 15 women felt the need to reach out to Diane Colley-Urquhart indicates he’s got a ways to go.
I must fess up, I was in the army when combat arms was the domain of men and I too was one of those who said…”women shouldn’t be in combat arms”. Yet I knew one female Sergeant who was better at being a soldier than most of the men. The culture changes way too slowly. I now know that was completely stupid thinking on my part. The world didn’t end!
I should have also added to my comments if the chain of command worked the way it was suppose to, those women should have been able to take their abuse to their next highest leader and it would be dealt with then and there. But it doesn’t happen that way, it should but it doesnt and really isn’t that a breakdown in the chain of command?
The point that the chain of command should only happen in war and the rest of the time you would just do like you do in a normal work environment. I’m pretty sure that abuse happens in businesses too, but there are ways to deal with it. If you are a female and your dream was always to be a soldier, sailor, airman or a police officer,(I know many) your options are limited and in most cases you put up and shut-up until you no longer can, then you leave the career you wanted behind. The chain of command won’t go away, the culture will change slowly and that is why I say there needs to be a means to deal with this abuse outside the chain of command in a quick, fair manner and insure that there is no blowback on those who avail themselves of the help. When people start going to jail for sexual abuse, when bullies are drummed out and when all members are treated by merit and not because of who they know, or their rank, then the culture will change.
If I were the Chief I would be embarrassed and ashamed that my department is no longer considered professional because of this crap. The same with the RCMP, I’d be ashamed to be the commissioner of a force (with such a history too) where the members could allow this to happen, obviously the members have no shame or they would not allow this to happen. The same with churches, how can you teach christianity when you do something that is so against it.
The only thing that Councillor Urquhart had going for her is that risk management is a part of her governance role on the Police commission and this is something that could cost the City a great deal of money. If for no other reason than financial, anyone deriding her should remember they have a role in managing risk to and they are failing to do their jobs. Maybe the city needs to start firing people and maybe elected officials who are trying to sweep this under the rug should lose next election and when that happens, change will begin to happen. Once again Susan you have found another topic that is really resonating with your readers. Great work!
Great comments Einer. Thanks for sharing your own history with us. You’re living proof that people can change notwithstanding Chief Chaffin’s comment (which is just an excuse) that the culture of policing is “decades and decades old” and it doesn’t change overnight. The CPS appointed a female chief, Christine Silverberg, in 1995 and whatever progress it made under her leadership seems to have evaporated after she left in 2000. The CPS did study after study and keeps coming to the same conclusion. Something is wrong. The excuse that the culture of policing is decades old doesn’t cut it anymore, especially given the fact that over one third of the officers have less than five years of experience. Surely the young recruits bring a fresh perspective to the job…what happens? Does the Old Guard pounded it out of them?
The quick answer is yep, or maybe it is more to say the new recruits pick it up by almost osmosis. I saw the press conference on the news this morning and yes what a cop out (pardon the pun) Leaders are suppose to lead and that wasn’t leadership. Since when is abuse, harassment and bullying tradition and you shouldn’t keep a tradition that doesn’t work because of nostalgia. Those 15 police officers deserve a Chief who is a leader.
it wasn’t my “comment about Air Force officers lacking the cognitive and social skills to be leaders”…..it was the Commander of the Royal Canadian Air Force itself, with the concurrence/nod of the CF’s Chief of Defence Staff.
Given the preponderance of ‘ wanna’be mall cops’ pumping up on steroids, applying for and being accepted by police forces around the country, I have to guess that the ability of them to ‘adult’ has diminished over our lifetime so far. Thankfully, the RCMP’s vetting/psycho testing has presumably weeded out the worst of them.
Frankly, when you consider we have the generation of young males who considered a blow job, an acceptable form of introduction to a female acquaintance [yes, it was [remains ?] during the past decade], it’s not surprising that ‘attitudes’ regarding women have IMHO degraded in police officers [and firefighters]. You can see the CF as well, which dealt with racism/sexism, back in the 90’s, having to battle against it again, as we type.
Rene Girard, Stanford Sociologiost would deem the CPS internal violence a form of “Sacred Violence” because police have a right and seemingly acceptable practice based “they are the good people”. What really is happening is referred to as “Lucifer Effect” described by Philip Zimbardo another Stanford alumnus. When good people become evil it takes a Heroic character to call the evil. Ms Colley – Urquhart is courageously taking on the challenge that others can not or choose not to, as some in positions of leadership in such situations.
Sad familiar stance in our cultural context of fear and intimidation.
Papajaxn: thanks for providing a sociological frame for looking at this. The headline in today’s paper is “Commission stands behind police chief”. The Commission said Chief Chaffin was very “transparent” and took Colley-Urquhart to task for speaking out, It said only the chair and vice-chairs are allowed to speak “officially” on behalf of the Commission. That raises the question: was Colley-Urquhart speaking “officially” on behalf of the Commission or was she speaking as someone who’d been contacted by 15 women about a serious problem, who’d taken the issue to the police chief and months later learned that he did nothing to address it.
The police chief took the time to write a long Facebook post blasting Colley-Urquhart, and the retired female police officers who supported the women’s story and anyone else who dared to question him but he never explained why he hadn’t met with the women or what he’s going to do about this problem. Sadly the Mayor and the Police Commission is closing ranks to protect him. It’s no wonder the women and other police officers who’ve been bullied and intimidated feel they have nowhere to turn.
You can see how they frame their response is Colley-Urquharts action are a form of “profanity and violence against the group” . So once again innocence and truth are crucified on the cross of justice – which is blind, deaf and mute. Not unlike Jessica Ernst vs GOA ENCANA AER.
My goodness, when are we going to have this situation resolved? How can a country like ours allow this to go on an on and produce male leaders which such social incompetence. It is mind boggling. The unions are useless, the leaders are useless and the rest of us pretends we did not see anything.
Listen to what these women are saying, investigate and if true get them predators out of there as soon as possible.
Carlos, not only do the rest of us pretend we don’t see anything, many of us think that to criticize the police chief for not handling this situation is smearing the entire police force and does “a disservice to the men and women who diligently protect us each day”. (quote from a letter to the editor in today’s Herald).
Corporations that discipline and/or terminate employees who engage in harassment and bullying in the workplace develop a reputation for being a good place to work. People who complain about being harassed/bullied are exercising their basic human rights, they’re not seen as smearing the organization. If the police force dealt with these complaints as professionally as the private sector it would develop a reputation for being one of the best police forces in the country.
A bit off topic, but I would argue relevant. Lack of professionalism is rampant amoungst millenial wanna-be’s… If you consider that Airforce pilots, who are Majors, on thier way to being promoted to Lt-Colonel and[full] Colonel, lack the social graces to ‘adult’ …..it may not be that surprising that when given the authority, badge, taser, 9mm and power to toss anyone’s butt in jail [at least overnight], todays male officer’s feel empowered to take liberties…
Notably and sadly, the Airforce’s answer, is to gather up [as very well paid Contractors] those same recently retired Airforce full Colonels and Generals, who promoted those [needing mentoring], and now they get another chance to mold these mid-grade officers, again…. What do you expect that the results will be…. IMHO, not very good.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/taxpayers-to-fund-three-year-mentorship-program-for-rcaf-generals-who-lack-social-skills
Siggy, this is very relevant…the Air force recognizes that it’s promoted a bunch of service men/women into leadership positions and they lack the cognitive and social skills to do the job so they’re going to hire back the same retired generals who promoted them in the first place to magically fix the problem.
One thing the 2013 Report said was that the best hope for the future in a paramilitary organization is to get rid of the old guard and replace it with fresh thinkers. The Air Force solution is simply perpetuating a broken system. I suspect part of the problem is that the Air Force doesn’t believe that a non-military man/woman could train its elite in the skills required for military leadership. That’s the height of arrogance.
I don’t understand.
Police officer kills your child in direct contravention of every law and police department directive there is. Then gets away with it.
Police officer commits harassment that falls under every HR directive in use. Then gets away with it.
Umm. I guess this points to a complete failure in the concept of “A nation ruled by laws”
Theo you’ve brought the discussion around to a critical issue: how the police serve the public they’re trained to protect. Postmedia conducted a survey and found only 39% of the public approved the Calgary Police Service’s (CPS) performance. This is in stark contrast to the CPS survey which produced a 95% satisfaction rating.
The 2016 CPS survey is interesting in that notwithstanding the excellent satisfaction rating, the scores on the perception that “officers are ethical” have declined: only 39% perceived the officers to be ethical. This is down from last year’s score of 45%. The perception that officers demonstrate the appropriate level of care and concern also dropped from 43% last year to 39% this year. Makes you wonder whether Siggy’s comment about Air Force officers lacking the cognitive and social skills to be leaders would also apply to the CPS. Here’s a link to the CPS survey, the ethics info appears on page 19 https://www.calgarypolicecommission.ca/sites/default/files/2016%20CPC%20Annual%20Citizen%20Survey%20Report-%20FINAL_0.pdf
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