Edmonton Police Service is reviewing its social media accounts after a Facebook post by the canine unit from Christmas Eve making light of an arrest sparked public outcry.
Michael James, the director of communications for EPS, revealed the upcoming review while responding to a question at a meeting of the Edmonton Police Commission on Thursday.
Commissioner Ashvin Singh asked why EPS chose to use a joking tone about the arrest of a naked man who broke into a Home Depot after it had closed for the day.
The post referred to the man as a “very last-minute shopper” and called the police dog involved in the apprehension “a very good boy” for helping in “a very strange Christmas arrest.” The post was deleted shortly after the public started to complain.
“This person was likely suffering maybe some form of mental illness and subjected to what objectively is a fairly traumatizing experience, the canine pursuit in the middle of a particularly cold snap in the winter,” Singh said.
“And one may be left wondering why that tactic was employed in that context.”
Chief Dale McFee said the arrest of a commercial break-and-enter involving “a serious violent offender on meth.” He said the involvement of the canine unit is under review.
McFee said the post was not made by one of the canine unit officers. He said the post does not reflect the values of EPS and the individual who wrote the post has been spoken to.
Singh said other postings on the canine unit Facebook account, while not as bad, weren’t great.
“They really seem to glamourize to some extent the arrests that have been made,” he said. “And given the complex nature of crime that we all recognize, I think we have to exhibit some sensitivity around criminal flight.”
The Christmas Eve Facebook post isn’t the first time EPS has landed in hot water over its social media material.
EPS removed a video on its TikTok account in August that depicted a police officer who learned a young man had just picked up his daughter for a date. He is shown guzzling two beers before jumping in a police cruiser, presumably to intervene.
The video was intended to be humorous but people complained it was sexist, glorified violence and made light of impaired driving.
James said the social media review will look at the number of accounts EPS has and whether the people who run them have the right training.
“We’re looking at quality over quantity, making sure that they abide by our via social media policy,” James said
“That we can really make sure that the face that we put forward is appropriate for all audiences, not just for a limited audience.”
James confirmed that it is not mandatory for social media posts to get vetted before they are posted.
Singh suggested that may be a practice EPS should adopt.
