The fraught relationship between the Edmonton Police Service (EPS), the commission that oversees it, and city council had a new wrench thrown into it Thursday, when the EPS revealed it has asked the Alberta government to intervene in the appointment of two new commission members — which led to one of them stepping away voluntarily.
The news came just hours after the Edmonton Police Commission (EPC) held its first meeting of the year.
The two people in question are criminologist Dan Jones, who for 25 years was a member of the Edmonton Police Service and wore many hats during that time, including homicide detective, undercover officer, foot patrol and gang unit member.
He has since obtained a master’s in criminology from the University of Cambridge and is the chair of justice studies at NorQuest College.
Jones told Global News on Thursday afternoon he was unable to comment about the situation because at Thursday’s EPC meeting, the commission had in-camera (confidential) conversations about the situation.
Later in the day, Jones released a statement via the police commission that he was resigning his position.
“By joining the Edmonton Police Commission, my goal was to be able to serve our community in a different way,” Jones said in a statement.
“I had not anticipated that providing this service to my fellow Edmontonians would cause such consternation and concern arising from any real or perceived conflict of interest which may or may not be determined.”
Jones said he didn’t want his term to be clouded or overshadowed by the concerns for the next two years.
“I believe the community would be best served by my resignation from the commission.”
The second new commissioner the EPS takes issue with is Renée Vaugeois: who has been the executive director of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights for 20 years.
Vaugeois has led initiatives addressing poverty, policing and youth aging out of care, and founded the Stride Advocacy program to support marginalized people navigating human rights systems.
Global News has reached out to Vaugeois for comment.
Edmonton Police Commission members Dan Jones and Renée Vaugeois.
Edmonton Police Commission
The Edmonton Police Commission oversees the police service and is made up of both elected officials and community members who meet monthly.
The EPC includes two city councillors — the current members are Anne Stevenson and Jo-Anne Wright — plus seven members appointed by city council and up to five members appointed by the Alberta government.
Jones and Vaugeois were two of four new members appointed to the commission by city council at the end of December on two-year terms. According to the EPS, the province is expected to announce its additional members in the coming weeks.
The Edmonton Police Service said it submitted an application on Wednesday to Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services, requesting ministerial intervention into the appointments of Jones and Vaugeois.
It’s not known why the police service is taking issue with their appointments and asking for an investigation.
“Due to the operation of privacy legislation, EPS can identify only the names of these public officials and not the nature of the concerns, which generally relate to public-facing activities undertaken by the two appointees in either private or professional capacities,” a news release from the police service said.
The EPS said it can request an investigation under the Police Act, which permits it to “refer disagreements about the appointment of commissioners to the minister, who may then intervene upon determining that it is desirable to do so.”
EPS said the application addresses two points.
First, it seeks ministerial intervention in city council’s process for EPC appointments, which it said must meet obligations outlined in the Police Act.
“EPS is concerned about the erosion of the governance relationship between city council and the EPC, which serves a vital role as the guardian of public trust providing civilian governance and oversight of the service.”
Second, it seeks ministerial intervention in the particular appointments of Vaugeois and Jones.
The relationship between the police commission and council has deteriorated over the past year, with the two bodies engaging in back-and-forth disputes over issues like transparency.
Last summer the commission asked for a mediator to help mend the relationship and then proposed city councillors no longer sit on the civilian body that oversees policing in the city.
Mike Ellis said Thursday the ongoing dysfunction between police and council is negatively impacting public safety, trust and the ability to deliver adequate and effective policing.
“The allegations contained in this complaint are neither minor nor frivolous and choosing to launch an inquiry is not done lightly. The risks of erosion of public trust are too high. It cannot be tolerated in Edmonton or in any part of Alberta,” Ellis said in a statement to Global News.
The minister went on to add he intends to launch an inquiry into the alleged dysfunction.
“I understand the two positions being contested have agreed that it would be appropriate to step away while an investigation was being held. I agree, and therefore during the inquiry, the two positions that are being contested will be put on hold until the inquiry is completed, and all matters are considered,” he added.
“I would like to emphasize the importance of collaboration while navigating this critical time.”
Ellis said he would provide more details on the scope of his inquiry in the coming days.
Edmonton police said it has notified all involved of its application to the province but will not publicly disclose further details until privacy concerns are addressed.
“The EPS maintains that the underlying concerns will hinder the ability of recent appointees to fully function in their roles as commissioners and will impede the EPC’s ability to oversee the service and ensure required standards continue to be met,” the EPS news release stated.
It went on to say:
“EPS respects the function of the Commission and remains committed to working collaboratively with the EPC in the interests of community safety, organizational accountability and public transparency. EPS seeks to ensure that all EPC appointees can and will perform the important and necessary functions of the role as commissioners diligently, faithfully, to the best of their ability and according to law. A failure to manage the issues raised by the city council appointments threatens to overshadow and impact the EPC’s ability to conduct its business, much of which will focus on the significant task of naming of a new chief of police in the coming months.”
Edmonton Police Service Chief Dale McFee will hand in his badge on Friday, Feb. 21 and has accepted a job as the premier’s top bureaucrat.
Starting the following Monday, McFee will become the deputy minister of executive council and head of the Alberta Public Service.
Global News reached out to the Edmonton Police Service for an interview with the chief about why the investigation has been requested, but as of publishing had not heard back.