City Manager rejects concept of defunding police

Current police funding levels are maintained under the budget approved this week by city council.

The City of Red Deer will spend $39.7 million on policing in 2021, with an RCMP detachment that employs approximately 170 members.

What’s working when it comes to policing in Red Deer, Seabrooke says, includes increased foot patrols, particularly in the downtown. He also says the vision of Superintendent Gerald Grobmeier is one that will hopefully see crime statistics continue to decline.

As for what isn’t working, Seabrooke admits while he’d never say the City isn’t constantly striving to be better, he couldn’t pinpoint one specific area where things are challenging.

“I wouldn’t point to anything except to say our leadership for RCMP and municipal policing are constantly looking at their operations, pivoting and making changes depending what the environment is,” he said Thursday.

“To defund and lessen the amount of funding to a police force, in my mind, would be counterproductive to our objectives. I understand the advocates that indicate why they would want funding removed from the police and put into other social areas, but here in Red Deer we’re already doing those other initiatives to support social agencies and social service.”

He cited a new social diversion program set to launch in January allowing citizens to call 211 if they see a vulnerable person, thereby directing someone more qualified than a police officer to attend.

Ubuntu-Mobilizing Central Alberta says its youth council has asked to meet with the City and mayor to speak about diversity and race-related issues, but was declined. Further, Seabrooke admitted he hasn’t actually talked to any of the local advocacy or activist groups, Ubuntu included.

“I’m always curious when statements like this are made, and decisions are made on behalf of municipalities, because I’d like to know who they consulted with on this issue before making these decisions and statements,” says Dieulita Datus, Ubuntu co-chair.

“Administrators work for the community. He doesn’t think this the right thing to do, and he doesn’t have much else to say, which to me means that’s the end of the conversation.”

Datus and co-chair Sadia Khan agree there should be time made to have this conversation, especially given that funding has been taken away from other areas at various levels, including from health care, education, and arts and culture.

“These areas are defunded and there’s no issue, yet when we say this particular issue that affects us so greatly – in terms of brutality and injustice — they shut down that conversation and it tells me that they don’t consider what we’re saying to be of any value,” Datus says. “The way things are is not doing service to the BIPOC community here in Red Deer.

“Crime is still high and people are still being abused by the system.”

Datus points to the storied history of the Pittsburgh Freedom House (PFH) as an example of how policing and health care, especially when it comes to that of vulnerable and racialized persons, can be reimagined.

It was in the late 1960s when the PFH began recruiting and training people to be paramedics. That city’s EMS system’s pre-hospital care had, until then, been provided primarily by police and firefighters, which proved problematic.

Last month, Calgary city council agreed to reallocate $20 million over the next two years from the Calgary Police Service to other community safety initiatives. That motion passed 9-5, with money going toward agencies which help people with mental health and addictions.

In July, Edmonton approved police reform to the tune of $11 million over two years with a new task force expected to present recommendations early next year.

by Josh Hall

City Manager rejects concept of defunding police

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