Coun. Courtney Walcott steps away from police commission after one year

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A Calgary city councillor says he is stepping down from the Calgary police commission after finding his ability to advocate for systemic change was being hampered by that role.

Coun. Courtney Walcott was one of two city councillors appointed to the police commission last year after the municipal election.

He said being a member of the police’s civilian oversight board was a wonderful governing experience with amazing community volunteers, but he found being a steward of one part of the system kept him from advocating for the larger changes he feels are necessary to address social disorder.

“When we start hearing about employee morale, when we start hearing about being overworked and the number of calls that are coming from social disorder, there isn’t a single thing that I think the police or police commission could do to change those things without a broader conversation about the entire system that is built to help people,” said Walcott.

The Ward 8 councillor said his responsibilities to the commission — including abiding by the Police Act and the governance structures of the commission — tethered him from speaking out on other issues.

“The end result is that the only thing that I really am talking about is the police,” said Walcott.

Lisa Silver, an associate professor at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law and a former police commission vice-chair, said she agrees that the kinds of changes Walcott is seeking require more than just commission work.

She said the police commission is just a small part of the larger system.

“As a commissioner, you’re on a board, so you have your nose in but your fingers out,” said Silver. “That’s support governance. There is only so much you can do.”

Silver said that during her tenure, she asked questions and challenged police leadership in a positive way on how they were approaching issues.

“That can generate some change,” she said. “Will it generate the kind of change that Coun. Walcott wants? Probably not, because you need more than that.”

Walcott will be replaced by another Calgary councillor. The other councillor currently serving, Ward 9’s Gian-Carlo Carra, has temporarily recused himself due to an ongoing police matter. It is unclear if he will return or if another councillor will be appointed in his place.

Walcott said it may take a few weeks for his replacement to be announced. Every applicant has to complete a background check.

As a person of colour, Walcott said he feels confident the commission still maintains diverse representation.

“There are several people of colour (on the commission),” he said. “There are people who represent immigrant communities, first-generation and second-generation. There are representatives kind of from a wide range of backgrounds selected, and so I’m not too concerned about the racial makeup because I do believe the lived experience in particular and the diversity that exists on the board, that wasn’t the thing that I brought to them.”

brthomas@postmedia.com
Twitter: @brodie_thomas