A battle between the Edmonton Police Commission and city councillors will go before a council meeting next week after the commission refused to participate in an internal audit and program review.
Back in December, councillors approved a motion to ask the commission for an audit plan that would outline which parts of the Edmonton Police Service are being audited and provide insight into policing priorities.
On April 19, the commission sent councillors a letter, which will be formally presented to council next week, in which it refused to provide city council with “information relating to the internal audit plan of the EPS.”
“Similarly, the commission wishes to advise that a program services review will not be undertaken due to the recent significant program changes undertaken at the police service,” reads a copy of the letter obtained by Global News.
“The commission recognizes that working with other partners and all levels of government will benefit all Edmontonians and lead to a truly safe and vibrant city.”
The commission said it believes in a partnership approach to drive community safety and supports the EPS as it undertakes “transformational change that results in better policing for all of Edmonton.”
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Coun. Keren Tang, who introduced the motion in December, said her goal was to allow for greater public discussion, transparency and accountability.
She noted policing makes up a large chunk of the city’s budget.
“I was very disappointed in April when we received a letter from commission to say: these are (for) internal purposes (and) if this is for the public, it would diminish their effectiveness,” she said.
“To not come to the table to have a conversation, to me, is disappointing.”
In a statement to Global News, commission chair John McDougall said police commissions exist in part to “separate the political decision-making process from police governance.”
He said the commission already has an auditor and owns the audit function, adding that the board did not support sharing that responsibility with city council.
“The commission approves a multi-year audit plan based on advice from an auditor and input from commissioners,” McDougall said.
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“This audit plan is crafted to focus on topics that present internal risk to the organization. Reports are made back to the governance body which show findings and mitigation required by the police service on a regular basis.
“In short, the commission already regularly audits the police service.”
McDougall said council already has authority to request records from the commission and audit those records.
He noted two councillors sit on the commission and provide council with a close examination of the work of the commission and EPS.
Coun. Jo-Anne Wright and Coun. Anne Stevenson sit on the commission, but spoke to Global News in their roles as councillors.
Both said the public needs more transparency about EPS priorities.
“I was disappointed by that decision,” Stevenson said.
“I feel there’s some great work that happens through the audit function, but Edmontonians don’t get to see that.”
Wright said Section 29.2 of Alberta’s Police Act states council can request information related to the efficiency of police operations.
“Council is trying to get the information to make sound decisions and without some of this information, I don’t know how we can move forward,” she said.
Councillors are scheduled to review the letter on Tuesday to determine whether more action can — or should — be taken.
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