History
The Calgary Police Service was founded on February 7, 1885, [1] and initially consisted of two constables led by Chief Jack Ingram. [2]
On October 8, 1993, Constable Rick Sonnenberg was preparing a spike strip to stop a stolen vehicle when he was struck by the fleeing motorist and killed. [3] In the wake of his death and fundraising from the Sonnenberg family, the force acquired a helicopter and formed the Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety (HAWCS) unit in 1995. In 2003, a second helicopter was purchased, expanding the unit. [4]
In 1995, the Calgary Police Commission appointed Christine Silverberg as chief of police, making her the first woman to lead a large police force in Canada. [note 1] [5] Silverberg served as chief until 2000, when she retired from the police service.
In the early 2010s, in response to regional applicant shortages, the Calgary Police Service briefly accepted applications from international police officers who were not already landed immigrants, permanent residents, or citizens of Canada. [6] The force had ended the program by 2017. [7]
In 19 May 2019, CPS has considered relaunching its auxiliary cadet program, which was launched in 2013 and disbanded in April 2019 due to union concerns on staffing and safety. [8] [9]
In 2019, CPS equipped all of its frontline officers with police body cameras, becoming the first major police force in Canada to do so. [10] [11] [12]
On New Year's Eve, 2020, Sgt. Andrew Harnett, who had been employed by the Calgary Police Service for 12 years, stopped a car after noticing the vehicle's licence plate didn't match its registration. [13] As Harnett and two other officers who had responded to the traffic stop prepared to arrest the vehicle's passenger on an outstanding warrant, the driver fled the scene with Harnett holding onto the driver's side door. [14] Harnett was dragged 427 metres before falling off of the vehicle and being struck by oncoming traffic. Despite efforts in saving Harnett, he died just over an hour later. [13]
Line of duty deaths
Since its formation in 1885, twelve Calgary Police officers have been killed in the line of duty. [15]
- 1917 – Constable Arthur Duncan (gunfire)
- 1933 – Inspector Joe Carruthers (gunfire)
- 1941 – Constable Wilf Cox (motorcycle collision)
- 1957 – Constable Ken Delmage (motorcycle collision)
- 1974 – Detective Boyd Davidson (gunfire)
- 1976 – Staff Sgt. Keith Harrison (gunfire)
- 1977 – Constable Bill Shelever (gunfire)
- 1992 – Constable Rob Vanderwiel (gunfire)
- 1993 – Constable Rick Sonnenberg (hit while attempting to stop stolen vehicle)
- 2000 – Constable John Petropoulos (injuries sustained in fall)
- 2001 – Constable Darren Beatty (injuries sustained during training exercise)
- 2020 - Sergeant Andrew Harnett (succumbed to injuries dealt to him while performing traffic stop)
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