EPS chief takes aim at police critics, says relationship with city hall is strained

Edmonton's police chief is well aware of complaints about violence on the city's streets and transit system.

Dale McFee said it's also "been a tough year" for him and his officers, as he tries to maintain public support, funding from city council and morale within Edmonton Police Service.

"Walking downtown and what you see, and bringing a family down here, is a concern. And if it's a concern to the public, it's a concern to me, 'cause I see it, too," he said during his year-end interview with CTV News Edmonton.

"We need to use, obviously, empathy and compassion. But it's not OK to put a tent up. And it's not OK to forget about the business folks that are actually working on the livability and viability of their business. It all has to work together."

McFee said Edmonton needs better coordination between people who provide services to addicted and vulnerable people and the police who need to arrest more of the criminals who are preying on them.

He also said governments need to provide more funding.

"Housing alone is not going to fix this. We have a huge, huge addiction issue here and increasing mental health [concerns]. Unless we have that at the forefront, we'll be dealing with this again in another five years," McFee said.

The police chief said working with the province is key to addressing homelessness, addiction and mental health challenges, all of which can lead to crime and make people more likely to become victims of it.

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Just hours after the interview, McFee was named to the government's new Edmonton Public Safety and Community Response Task Force.

"We have open-air drug use in front of the mall, that's not acceptable. What's also not acceptable is that somebody with a drug addiction is going to go straight to the justice system, 'cause that's not the answer for some of these folks," he said at the announcement on Dec. 13.

What's not helping, McFee believes, is a push by some at city hall to cut the budget of the Edmonton Police Service.

He refused to name any councillors but said critical public comments made by some on council "do not help build community" and damage officer morale, which is also an issue.

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He also argues defund-the-police efforts have failed. That movement rose in popularity following the murder of George Flloyd by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

"We may be the only jurisdiction in North America…that's still on the defund-the-police movement and I don't get it. We see ourselves as being a partner in the community," McFee said.

"It's not fair to the officers that are out there putting their best foot forward every day."

McFee said a risk analysis conducted for EPS found that the two biggest risks to the service are the "politicization of policing and officer wellness."

"It's been a tough year, it's been a grind, and it takes a toll on our members," McFee said.

Several high-profile attacks on and near Edmonton Transit Service brought system safety, or lack thereof, into an intense spotlight in 2022.

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Mayor Amarjeet Sohi said an attack on a senior at an LRT station in April "really scares people away" from transit and asked for provincial help.

Council then approved a new transit safety plan which includes more peace officers and social workers.

McFee believes a stronger police presence – meaning more resources and costs associated with hiring officers – would make a difference.

He said he argued for that during budget deliberations, but called the relationship between EPS and city council "strained."

"We continue to try to do more with less and to use innovation, and some of it is paying off, but we're getting pretty close to the bone here and that's the concern," McFee said.

There's been much debate about what to do with Edmonton's police budget, and about what the numbers mean, but McFee said over the past decade the city's expenses have grown by 79 per cent while the EPS portion has only grown by 49 per cent.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's David Ewasuk