Hi there everyone. I want to start by addressing something that happened as a result of the article last month.

I received an email from somebody who, in a nutshell, wanted to point out that the police were not to be seen as an ally to the LGBT community, and that it was hypocritical for me to be writing these articles and to take part in the Pride Parade.  Well, it was abundantly clear that this writer had been through some extremely difficult and unpleasant experiences over the years which had resulted in them having these stereotypical views of the police service as a whole.  I get all of that, I really do, but that just goes to underline the need for my position here at the Calgary Police Service.  Thankfully, through correspondence, I was able to liaise with the writer and I hope that we have a better understanding of each other and that perhaps the opinions of that person may have softened just a little. I want to urge anyone who may feel the same way to please get in touch with me, meet with me, see me as a compassionate, caring human being, and then make your decisions.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by finding out just how much I and the CPS are doing to make the LGBT community in Calgary a better and safer place.

Incidents that have occurred in the community during my time as the liaison officer have led me to believe that there may be some misunderstanding as to what constitutes a "Hate Crime", so I wanted to address that with a little education here.

A hate or bias crime is a criminal occurrence committed against a person or property which is motivated by hate, bias or prejudice based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, language, mental or physical disability, sex, age, or any other similar factor. The Criminal Code of Canada contains several specific offences related to hate propaganda, such as advocating genocide, public incitement of hatred, and willful promotion of hatred. There is also an offence related to hate motivated mischief against religious property. Some common offences that could be motivated by hate are assaults, threats, harassment and mischief to property, such as vandalism or graffiti.

Hate and bias incidents are those actions by an individual or group that, while motivated by bias, prejudice or racism, do not rise to the level of a criminal offence. These include racial slurs, homophobic bullying, racist or offensive emails, or distributing material that endorses hate.

Research indicates that only approximately 1 in 10 hate motivated incidents are reported to police. Many victims of hate motivated crimes do not report their victimization to the police, for a variety of reasons, including fear of retaliation, language or cultural barriers or a perception of the importance of the incident.

If you’ve been a victim of a hate motivated-crime, or have witnessed a hate-motivated crime, please report it to police and have it investigated. It is crucial to the safety of all citizens that all incidents of hate be investigated, in order that a strong message is sent that hate will not be tolerated in Calgary communities.

If you’re witnessing a crime or are involved in an emergency situation, please call 9-1-1.

If you’d like to report a crime but are not presently in danger, call the non-emergency police line at 403-266-1234.

Hate incidents can also be reported to the Alberta Human Rights Commission via their confidential inquiry line at 403-297-6571.

Be an active witness. Often our silence signals our consent in acts of hate or discrimination. If you observe a hate/bias incident or crime, consider being an active witness if it’s safe to do so by using your cell phone to take pictures or video of the event; taking some notes of the date and time, what was said and done; and recording suspect descriptions, including age, height, weight, clothing, tattoos, and distinguishing features. When safe to do so provide the information to police.

Although many citizens might not agree with the viewpoints of certain groups who openly demonstrate to voice hate based ideas, Canada is a free and democratic society that provides fundamental freedoms to all its citizens.

The Calgary Police Service must balance the requirement to enforce Canadian laws with the duty to protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of all Canadians. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms:

The Charter states that individuals have the freedom to their own thoughts, beliefs, and opinions and can express those openly. The only time the police would infringe on that right is when the law is broken.

For further information about Hate or Bias Crimes, please contact my colleague Constable Eric Levesque at 403-428-8155.

As always, stay safe and look after each other.  Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments of concerns.