Apology coming to LGBTQ community, Edmonton police chief says

The Edmonton Police Service is preparing an apology to LGBTQ people for thepast treatment of the community by the service, but it won't be delivered by Chief Rod Knecht.

Knecht is retiring from his position on Friday. His successor will deliver the apology in March.

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"We want to do it right," Knecht said, while speaking with the reportersTuesday.

EPS is meeting with community members to draft an apology that will be meaningful, Knecht said.

"An apology has got to be a beginning, not an end. I think by just checking off a box and saying 'I'm sorry,' I don't think that would resolve the issue for all people."

The announcement came as Knecht faces an accusation of deceit made by a high-ranking EPS officer, who alleges the chief made "false and misleading" statements regarding the cancellation of an LGBTQ event.

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That complaint is unfounded, maintained Knecht.

"I'm very confident I'll be exonerated," he said.

Knecht said he believes EPS has made great strides towardbuilding relationships with marginalized communities during his seven years as police chief.

"We're more engaged in the community, we're doing a lot more outreach in diverse communities."

But Knecht said buildingthose relationships are always a work in progress.

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Allegations of racism on the part of police have emerged in the past around street checksor carding of Indigenous and black people.

More recently, African-Canadian bar owners have accused EPS of being heavy-handed during business inspections.

Knecht said it's understandable that some people have a negative view of police work.

"We don't get along with everybody, obviously, because of the business we are in," he said. "We're dealing with confrontation, we're dealing with people who are agitated."

Reflecting back on his time at the head of EPS, Knecht was proud of how the force handled difficult situations, especially the attack on an officer and pedestrians in September 2017.

"There's so much that could havegone wrong," said Knecht. Investments made in training officers for this type of event paid off, he added.

"It brought us together like a well-oiled machine in that particular time."

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His successor will be busy, but will inherit a strong and healthy police force, he added.

"It's a great city to police, it has many, many challenges," Knecht said. "There's a never a lack of things to do in the job."