The Calgary Police Service (CPS) is preparing for a “significant” request for resources from city council in the upcoming four-year budget, according to the city’s police chief.
Chief Katie McLellan made the remarks when answering questions Wednesday after presenting the service’s year-end report to the city’s Community Development Committee.
McLellan said the service and Calgary Police Commission continue to work on what exactly the budget request will include.
“We haven’t got that number finalized quite yet,” McLellan said. “We’re close with what that number is. I don’t want to share it pre-maturely without putting additional context into it, but it’s going to be significant.”
It comes as McLellan said CPS is facing significant staffing gaps with funding available for 830 positions, however, just 653 are currently filled.
In her comments to committee, McLellan said that figure includes a shortage of six detectives in the homicide unit, another six detectives in the sexual assault investigation unit and ten officers on the domestic violence team.
“There are numbers we need in each area because we’ve looked at the call load, we’ve looked at what’s required, so it’s not a number that was just dreamt up,” she told reporters.
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According to the police chief, the vacancies are due to attrition, turnover, and nearly 20 per cent of officers that remain on leave or in administrative duties; 13 per cent of officers are in accommodated roles and six per cent are on leave.
McLellan said hopes to hire an additional 660 officers over the next four years.
According to Doug King, a justice studies professor at Mount-Royal University, growth in the city’s population and footprint have also contributed to a strain on the police service.
“The Calgary Police Service was required to take fewer officers for the last five years while the city of Calgary has exploded,” King said. “It’s going to put some stress on recruiting. One of the challenges with hiring more officers is can you get enough applicants? But one problem at a time.”
The net budget for the Calgary Police Service is grew from $541 million to $613 million in 2026, and included funding to increase staffing to 3,209 uniformed members and 3,242 civilian members.
Calgary mayor Jeromy Farkas placed blame on the provincial government, after a significant clawback on photo radar enforcement last year.
“This is an issue the province could erase in a single instant,” Farkas said. “The fine revenue that they defunded our Calgary Police by, $28 million, that fine revenue would accommodate for at least 200 of the positions the chief is asking for without raising a single cent or a single dollar of taxes on Calgarians.”
Alberta’s Transportation Minister has long said the province has “no plans to expand photo radar beyond the current framework,” while continuing to support police led enforcement and “data driven safety solutions.”
According to the Calgary Police Commission, the province did approve the use of speed cameras in 11 locations across the city outside the mandated construction and school zones.
“We’ve put cameras back up,” said commission vice chair Kelly Ogle. “It’s a proactive approach and hopefully they’ll see our light.”
Aside from personnel, McLellan added there would also be a request for capital funding to modernize the service and catch up on maintenance deferrals and vehicle repairs.
Ward 5 Coun. Raj Dhaliwal, who chairs the Community Development Committee, said public safety was a big concern that councillors heard during the election campaign in October.
“Public safety, pedestrian safety, personal safety, and we will have an opportunity in November to put our money and send a strong message that the City of Calgary is a safe city and we as policy makers are serious about making sure that our residents feel safe,” he told reporters.
The next four-year budget will be released to the public in the fall.
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