The Edmonton Police Association (E.P.A.) is a

labour union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

that represents members of the

Edmonton Police Service The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is the municipal police force for the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The current chief of the EPS is Dale McFee. The service has three deputy chiefs two sworn members and a civilian member. Chad Tawfik is r ...

History

Early history

The Edmonton Police Force was founded in 1892; however, it was not until 1919 that the Edmonton Policeman’s Association, Local No. 74 was organized under the Edmonton Trades and Labour Council.

20th Century

In the early twentieth century, the Edmonton Police Association was led by

Philip Primrose Philip Carteret Hill Primrose (October 23, 1864 – March 17, 1937) was a Canadian police officer and the fifth Lieutenant Governor of Alberta. Primrose was born in 1864 in Nova Scotia. He attended the Pictou Academy before graduating from ...

, formerly the fifth

Lieutenant Governor of Alberta The lieutenant governor of Alberta () is the viceregal representative in Alberta of the . The lieutenant governor is appointed in the same manner as the other provincial viceroys in Canada and is similarly tasked with carrying out most of the m ...

, who subsequently served as Chairman of the Edmonton Police Association from 1915 until 1935. In the mid twentieth century, the Edmonton Police Association was discussed in several Canadian news publications for voicing support for

capital punishment in Canada Capital punishment in Canada dates back to Canada's earliest history, including its period as a French colony and, after 1763, its time as a British colony. From 1867 to the elimination of the death penalty for murder on July 26, 1976, 1,481 peo ...

. Although capital punishment was ''de facto'' abolished in Canada in January 1963, the Edmonton Police Association continued to voice support for capital punishment in the 1960s; for example, in 1965, the

Vancouver Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they are British Columbia's only ...

reported that "Sgt. S. L. Stevens, president of the Edmonton Police Association told reporters

hat A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

police rejected the alternative of life imprisonment 'because we've had ample opportunity to see that life imprisonment in this country doesn't mean what it says.'"

21st Century

Stop and search

In 2017, the Edmonton Police Association published an open letter to the city of Edmonton defending stop and search tactics. CBC news stated that the letter was written "in response to recent data obtained by CBC Edmonton showing Edmonton police from 2012 to 2016 disproportionately stopped, questioned and documented people of colour who were not suspected of a crime."

2021 flag incident

In 2021, the Edmonton Police Association drew the attention of news sources throughout Canada following their decision to fly a

thin blue line flag The "thin blue line" is a term that typically refers to the concept of the police as the line which keeps society from descending into violent chaos. The "blue" in "thin blue line" refers to the blue color of the uniforms of many police depart ...

on their building. The flag was seen at the union headquarters throughout April and May 2021, including on the day that

Derek Chauvin Derek Michael Chauvin ( ; born March 19, 1976) is an American former police officer who was convicted for the murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Chauvin was a member of the Minneapolis Police ...

was found guilty (20 April), as well as on the anniversary of the

murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...

(5 May), at which time the flag was lowered to

half-mast Half-mast or half-staff (American English) refers to a flag flying below the summit of a ship mast, a pole on land, or a pole on a building. In many countries this is seen as a symbol of respect, mourning, distress, or, in some cases, a salu ...

. Winnipeg CityNews reported that some "viewed the thin blue line being lowered ..as a show of support for the officer convicted in Floyd's murder." EPA president Sgt. Mike Elliot responded by saying "that hurts in the fact that somebody would think that. It has nothing to do with George Floyd."

References

{{reflist

External links

Edmonton Police Association
1919 establishments in Alberta Law enforcement in Canada Organizations based in Edmonton Trade unions established in 1919 Trade unions in Alberta Police unions