Alberta has new watchdog commission to investigate complaints against police

The government of Alberta has created a new organization to investigate serious complaints against the police.

Alberta’s Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, outlined the government’s plans for the new Police Review Commission (PRC) during an Edmonton press conference on Monday.

Ellis claims the new commission was established to help address public concerns that the current complaint investigation process against police wasn’t independent enough.

“For far too long, the perception of the public was that police were investigating police, and because of that, there was a level of distrust,” said Ellis.

While he described the new commission as “an independent arms-length civilian body,” Ellis said it will also employ former police officers to help investigate some of the complaints.

View image in full screen Alberta’s new Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, Mike Ellis, announces details of a new independent commission to investigate complaints about police in the province during a news conference in Edmonton on Monday. Global News

“Typically, you don’t bring in somebody who has no idea or no concept regarding how investigations work, how police tactics or how operations are,” said Ellis.  “So you have to bring in somebody who has experience. Just understand that that particular body will be independent from the policing organizations.”

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“(I) gladly welcome former police officers within the police review commission,’ said Mike Ewinson, interim CEO of the commission. “But we’re also hiring civilians. And we do want to see over the years our civilian complement get larger and larger and larger.”

View image in full screen The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team, which used to be responsible for investigating serious complaints about police in Alberta, will become part of the new Alberta Police Review Commission. Government of Alberta

Previously, most complaints about police conduct involving serious injury or death, along with other sensitive allegations of police misconduct, were investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), which describes itself as “an independent agency with civilian investigators and seconded police investigators.”

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Under the new commission, complaints against police will be divided into three categories, depending on how serious they are.

“Level one complaints are the cases involving death or serious injury or serious and sensitive allegations,” said Ellis. “Level two will be complaints involving allegations of criminal or other statutory offences.” Those complaints will be investigated by the former members of ASIRT, which is now part of the PRC.

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Level three complaints, which Ellis described as accusations of “non-criminal misconduct by officers employed by municipal and First Nations police services,” will be investigated by other members of the commission.

The commission will also be responsible for investigating serious or sensitive allegations involving peace officers working for the provincial government, municipalities and other “authorized employers,” claimed Ellis.

Investigations will be required to be completed within 180 days, and if more time is needed, “the head of the PRC must publicly report why an extension is needed,” said Ellis.

“This approach provides transparency, it strengthens accountability and, most importantly, it strengthens public trust in policing,” Ellis added.

The PRC will also have two Indigenous liaison members.

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