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About the CPS
Our Mission:
"To optimize public safety
in the City of Calgary"
Interpretive Centre - A Classroom Full of Answers
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Visitors watch videos on policing in Calgary in room that imitates a parade room.
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The Classroom
What better way to learn about the police than to stop for a few moments in the centre's classroom? It's just around the corner from Chief English's office, and is modelled after a police parade room. A parade room is where the police meet every day when they come on shift. It is called that because years ago police paraded into the room for a daily inspection.
This area is surrounded with displays. Before the centre was built, the curator asked children to tell her some of the things they would like to know about the police. They told her they were especially curious about:
- police uniforms and badges,
- the police insignia,
- becoming a recruit,
- recruit training,
- the history of women in the police service.
There's information about all of these topics in the displays, and there are even real uniforms to try on. Several uniforms are on display, including uniforms for different ranks and some from earlier years. A variety of equipment including guns and bulletproof vests is also on display.
Since we can't tell you about everything that's in the display we're going to try to answer some of this area's most frequently asked questions.
Insignia
What is insignia?
The word 'insignia' refers to the badges, bars and crests that police officers wear on their uniforms. Each piece has special meaning and is a sign of rank or an indication of the number of years an officer has been in the Service.
Every Calgary police officer wears a shoulder flash. The flash is a modified version of the City of Calgary's original crest and has been the registered trademark of the Calgary Police Service since 1987. The writing is either red or white on a blue background. All of the elements of the crest symbolize historic facts about Calgary.
If you look at the shield in the centre of the crest, you will see the Rocky Mountains, the Cross of St. George and the Canadian maple leaf. Inset on the maple leaf is a bull buffalo, reminding us the buffalo was once the master of our region. A horse and steer stand on either side of the maple leaf representing the original wealth on which Calgary was built.
The crest above the shield contains a Corona Muralis (mural crown), which is a symbol of loyalty, and the sun setting in the west. Below the shield are the Leek of Wales, the Rose of England, the Thistle of Scotland, and the Shamrock of Ireland, signifying our earliest settlers.
Surrounding the crest is a ring of maple leaves symbolizing Calgary's corporate boundaries and the limit of police jurisdiction.
The Calgary Police Service has seven ranks. Each rank has identifying insignia on the sleeve or epaulet of the uniform. An epaulet is the decorative piece that is worn by senior officers and extends from the collar to the shoulder of the uniform.
When recruits graduate, they become constables. The shoulder flash identifies them as CPS officers. As they are promoted, insignia is added to the uniform.
Ranks:
- Constable
- Senior Constable
- Sergeant
- Staff Sergeant
- Inspector
- Deputy Chief
- Chief Constable
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Click the insignia for a larger view
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Calgary Police Women
When did women first join the police service?
Although there was pressure to include women in the municipal police service as early as 1912, women were not allowed on the Calgary force until 1943 when Chief Patterson hired Mrs. Vera Bell on a temporary basis. It was during the second world war and the police were seriously understaffed. Most of the city's able-bodied men, including many of the city's police officers, had joined the army.
By 1946, four full-time policewomen were patrolling dance halls, streets and the city's rough spots, and assisting detectives on the morality beat.
Over the years, the number of female police officers has steadily risen and in January 2000, there were 157 women in the Service. The number continues to rise with each new recruit class.
In 1995 Calgary was the first major city in Canada to hire a woman for its top police job when Christine Silverberg became chief.
Recruits
How can you become a recruit?
Well if it were 1920 you could respond to a poster like the one on display at the centre. The requirements are a little different from today. The poster reads:
Candidates for the Police Force must apply personally to the Chief Constable and must:
- Be 21 and under 30 years of age
- Stand clear 5 foot 10 inches without shoes
- Have a fair education
- Be generally intelligent according to the judgement of the Chief Constable
- Be free from any bodily complaint, of a strong constitution, and equal to the performance of police duty, according to the opinion of the surgeon of the force.
Signed: Chief David Ritchie, Calgary, 1920
But today
Age and height are no longer the most critical factors. A police recruit must be physically fit, have an aptitude for learning and must be able to work well with people. Although there is no required education level, most of today's recruits have a college education.
To find out more information about becoming a police recruit, click here to go directly to our recruit pages or plan to visit later. You can get there from our Jobs and Training link.
The Charge Room
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In the early days, a jail cell looked very much like this.
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Adjacent to the classroom is an area depicting a police charge room and a turn-of-the-century jail cell. The door to the cell is the door from Calgary's first jail. This display shows what happens when someone is arrested. The process has been similar for the last century. It is a process people find intimidating and degrading.
As you learn from the display, when you break the law in Calgary, you will:
- be arrested (unless you choose to turn yourself in),
- be taken to the Arrest Processing Unit downtown,
- be photographed and sometimes fingerprinted,
- be given the opportunity to use the telephone,
- be placed in a jail cell, (in some instances),
- have your personal property removed for safekeeping,
- have your belt and shoes and other items taken away for safety reasons, (in some instances),
- be released on bail or sent to the Remand Centre, as determined by a Justice of the Peace.
Wordfind
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