Date: Fri Apr 29 15:38:16 2005
Subject: PA/MRU #05 --116 MEDIA AVAILABILITY WITH CHIEF BEATON
From: Robert Palmer

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             CITYBEAT - CITY OF CALGARY PRESS RELEASE
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CALGARY POLICE SERVICE NEWS RELEASE

The Calgary Police Service has both the right and the
responsibility to challenge untruths and baseless allegations
made against its members, Chief Jack Beaton said today.

Reacting to a Court of Queen’s Bench decision this afternoon
to unseal court documents pertaining to two now-defunct
websites that criticized members of the Service, Chief Beaton
reaffirmed his commitment to find those individuals
responsible for the sites. 

"A police service cannot operate without the trust and
confidence of the citizens it serves," he said. "To maintain
that public trust and confidence, we must challenge untruths
and baseless accusations – and those who make them."

Chief Beaton launched the civil action to obtain information
about who is responsible for the content of the sites, which
he says discredits the Service and its members. "I am
immensely proud of the work we do every day, and I fully
intend to take whatever action is necessary to protect the
hard-earned and well-deserved reputation of the Service, its
members and their families."

There are numerous processes in place where legitimate
complaints about police conduct can be investigated including
the Alberta Police Act, the Calgary Police Commission, the
Calgary Police Service/Calgary Police Association Collective
Agreement, the Alberta Solicitor General and the Alberta
Ombudsman.

"Legitimate criticism of the Calgary Police Service is
welcomed," Chief Beaton said. "Anonymous, malicious,
deliberate falsehoods calculated to damage the reputation of
the Service are not. This is not a freedom of speech issue.
You cannot spread lies about people and call it freedom of
speech."

On behalf of all members of the Service, Chief Beaton intends
to continue to work to identify and address those individuals
responsible for maligning the Service and hold them
accountable for their actions. 

"The issues surrounding the creation of the Standfirm website
are important ones, and I invite the citizens of Calgary to
follow these proceedings," he said. "I am confident they will
see that those responsible for the website have defamed and
discredited the Calgary Police Service and its members."

RELEASED FOR CHIEF JACK BEATON BY THE PUBLIC AFFAIRS/MEDIA
RELATIONS UNIT. 

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Public Email Contact: 

    cps@calgarypolice.ca

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