Police chief's Facebook letter defends force in wake of toxic workplace allegations

Police Chief Roger Chaffin has posted a letter to Calgarians on Facebook responding to a damning internal workplace review and the criticism it has generated.

The recently-revealed 29-page report, which was prepared three years ago, lays out instances of workplace bullying and harassment, with some female members of the force saying fear of retribution prevented them from making formal complaints.

• Female police officers met secretly with city councillor over toxic workplace allegations

Chaffin says while the review has left many members of the Calgary Police Service feeling uneasy, he is confident the allegations are not a true reflection of the force.

"Make no mistake, I have deep concern for any employee who feels unsafe to come forward because I believe not even one individual that is employed by the CPS should be at the sending or receiving end of this type of behaviour," he said on Facebook.

"I implore those that feel they have been mistreated to find a way possible to reach out directly to me or the resources in our service that they feel most comfortable utilizing, so that together we can create a workplace that meets their expectations."

On Thursday, Calgary Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart, who is a member of the police commission, told theCalgary Eyeopener she has held dozens of private meetings this year with female officers who alleged they were bullied and harassed but weretoo afraid to make a formal complaint.

She also said she was told the report's recommendations have not been acted on.

In his Facebook letter, Chaffin said it's irresponsible for politicians to share inaccurate information.

"Your time spent politicizing the challenging times an officer has experienced does a disservice to them, a disservice to our organization, and to our community. That is not leadership," he said.

"Instead, expend that energy towards putting them in touch with the services we have to provide assistance. That would be true leadership."

Chaffin said the recommendation made in the 2013 report have been implemented "to a great extent" and that the human resources practices of the CPS are modern, befitting a progressive and professional organization.

Speaking on the Eyeopener on Friday, Chaffinsaid it's misinformed to suggest the CPS workplace hasn't improved, and naive to think there won't still be some problems.

"It's not that you can solve it overnight. You're talking about changing decades of culture to try to reform this workplace. It's been an exhausting amount of work and to characterize it as something less is simply misinformed," he said.

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