Virtual Tea with Dan Jones: Community Policing
Last week at City Council, we approved a revised funding formula for the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), which I voted to support. The formula determines the level of potential funding growth for EPS over the next two years until 2026, with space to re-evaluate. We had a long discussion about variables, caps and limits, accountability, and more which led me to hosting this virtual tea with Dan Jones. Dan is a Criminologist, a former inspector and beat officer with the EPS in the downtown division, and now Chair of Justice Studies at Norquest College (fun fact: he also hosts the Just Us on Justice and Other Things podcast).
During our virtual tea, which you can watch below, we dove into many of these topics - from the funding formula, to the police budget and how it is invested, to police accountability, and the social determinants of crime which are closely linked with the social determinants of health. It was a fascinating conversation, and I hope this also helps to break down complex topics like the police, crime, and public safety.
Part 1: The EPS Funding Formula (from the City Council Meeting on August 23, 2023)
As mentioned, we had an in-depth discussion at City Council about a revised Police Funding Formula. Our City Administration, with insights from the Edmonton Police Commission and Service, had a big job putting this formula together, which determines the level of funding growth for EPS over the next two years until 2026. When I think about policing and accountability, there are a lot of layers: 1) “how much”, 2) “what factors do we need to consider in determining how much”, 3) “how is it spent”, and 4) “what are we getting for what we spend.” The formula discussion last week focused on #2.
A key principle that I focused on during the discussion was certainty and stability - and what is the best way to bring this to funding EPS. I believe this formula, while imperfect, is our best mechanism on the table.
With this decision, we aligned population growth and inflation to personnel (which accounts for 80% of police budget) and non-personnel portions of the budget. We also introduced new cost reduction measures to keep growth in check, like a new growth management ratio (a 30% cap) to bring EPS expenditures in line with the expenditures of the rest of the City’s departments. This ensures that EPS does not outpace the growth of other civic services, and also introduces downward pressure to decrease the amount of growth when the cap is reached. As part of this decision, Council has also implemented narrower parameters for future service packages from EPS outside of the formula, taking into consideration extraneous circumstances.
Highlights from our conversation with timestamps:
@ 7:10 Introduction to the funding formula discussion, and how certainty and stability in funding are beneficial in public safety.
@ 12:10 Do you have thoughts on the new growth management ratio (30% cap)?
@ 13:40 With the new Service Package parameters, do you think we will see a reduction in requests going forward?
Part 2: Community Policing and the Social Determinants of Crime
Community policing and the social determinants of crime were two important topics that we focused this virtual tea on. When we began talking about community policing, Dan used the quote: “Police are the public and the public are the police”, to highlight that with the ethos of community policing, everyone is responsible for public safety, and there is value in working in partnership. This principle involves building relationships with the entire community, from residents, to vulnerable populations, to business owners, to youth and more to prevent crime and solve problems. It also relates to the social determinants of crime, similar to the social determinants of health, where many factors outside of the criminal justice system and enforcement impact crime, public safety and well-being.
Highlights from our conversation with timestamps:
@ 15:00 - Edmonton has one of the highest Crime Severity Indexes (CSI) in Canada, despite a high police budget. Why do we have a high CSI and what the unique factors might be contributing to this?
@ 18:00 Where do you think the budget should be allocated within policing, and where else outside of policing do we need to see greater investments?
@ 29:00 What is community policing, and are we doing it in Edmonton right now?
@ 31:00 How can the EPS budget be structured to support Community Policing?
@ 33:45 We have crime, public safety and disorder issues related to the broader criminal justice system, but to address these issues and see positive outcomes we cannot only focus on criminal justice systems and enforcement. We need to explore the social determinants. Can you tell us more about your PhD research on this relationship?
@ 33:70 Are there recommendations that came out of your research that can be applied?
@ 38:20 What is trauma-informed policing and trauma-informed training, and what is missing in what we are currently doing?
@ 40:00 The importance of building relationships with communities and with partner agencies like public health.
@ 43:30 Comments on Irvin Waller, and his book Science and Secrets of Ending Violent Crime.
Part 3: Accountability in Policing Budgets
When we think about police accountability it includes a few different facets. There is police budget accountability, “How is the budget spent”, and “What are we getting for what we spend.” There is also police action accountability which is addressed through mechanisms such as ASIRT and the Professional Standards Branch which investigates police actions.
Last year at City Council, I made a motion to require the Police Commission to present the EPS Annual Report to City Council, allowing Councillors to ask questions in a public forum and have a conversation. This is not something that was done before, and I think is an important milestone in greater accountability. In the final part of our virtual tea, Dan and I focused on police accountability and where there needs to be a shift in what we measure.
Highlights from our conversation with timestamps:
45:30 Introduction to police accountability - what it is and what has changed.
48:30 - How can we better ensure we are getting the results for the funding we are providing?
52:10 What gives you the greatest hope with what you are seeing now, and where is the most opportunity - what are we not doing now that we need to?
You can also go back to @ 24:30 where we discuss how cities look at outputs versus outcomes in policing, and also in Social Services.
When closing a virtual tea, I usually end with the same question: What is one thing you wish Edmontonians knew about this topic. Dan’s response when asked about Community Policing and Crime was: “That when you are invested in public safety and community policing, and invested in being in the community, and walking in the community, and spending time in the community, that it does reduce crime.”
If you have thoughts about crime, public safety, and policing in Edmonton or in Ward Karhiio, reach out to my office at keren.tang@edmonton.ca.
