The growing dangers facing Calgary police

Calgary Police Chief Katie McLellan speaks to media about the higher risks officers are facing, on Aug. 26. PHOTO BY DARREN MAKOWICHUK /Postmedia Network In policing, there are moments that stay with you forever. Officer-involved shootings are among the most difficult events an officer will encounter. They know that behind every call for service is a human being, a family member and a life that matters. When an interaction ends in violence, the weight of that moment is carried by many, especially friends and family, but also our officers. These incidents are investigated by the Alberta Serious Incident Response Team. That body is independent of the Calgary Police Service, which is essential for accountability and public trust, and as such, it would be inappropriate to comment on specific files. I can, however, speak to the environment police are facing. Calgary remains a safe city, but calls are becoming more unpredictable and dangerous. A traffic stop, suspicious behaviour, a person in crisis or a disturbance can become an encounter involving a weapon within seconds. Forty times a month, on average, an officer is faced with such danger that they put out a distress call to the entire service. Most Calgarians never hear about these incidents because we bring them under control quickly and safely. Shootings are increasing and officers face firearms-related occurrences an average of eight times per day. Eighty per cent of these are reported by members of the public, meaning Calgarians themselves are encountering firearms or replicas in their communities. We have seen significant enforcement efforts, result in us seizing 1,625 firearms and replicas, compared with 1,290 at the same point in 2025. Of those, 474 firearms were confirmed to be unlawfully used or possessed, more than double the number identified at the same point last year. This includes a fully automatic weapon seized last week. We recently responded to an incident in a public park that began with an armed offender shooting an officer, and quickly escalated into a dangerous situation for the community. Officers warned people to run for safety while moving toward the threat themselves. This past weekend, we had a fatal shooting in northeast Calgary. While the circumstances were different, both incidents show the serious consequences of firearms straining our resources. The public rightly expect police to be there when they call 911. They expect police to prevent crime, investigate…