Saskatoon’s police chief looks back on a challenging 2020, ahead to hopeful 2021

During a year that saw an increase in violent crimes like aggravated assault, arson, domestic violence and criminal harassment, Saskatoon’s police chief wants to remember the good things.

Troy Cooper says what he wants to remember, is that people are basically good.

“We see examples of that, not just with our own staff—our staff are absolutely amazing and there’s a hundred examples of where they’ve done incredible things and make me so proud, but the community itself,” he said.

One of the lessons learned in the past year is that public safety requires ongoing positive relationships with community organizations. That became more evident in 2020, when schools closed. Cooper says the rest of the community, including police, had to step in and help out more.

“You think about the impact that schools and the education ministry has. Schools are not just the place where people go to get educated. They feed families, they add structure and supports to families as well. They make our community safer,” he explained.

Cooper says during a time when police services around the world were much more closely scrutinzed, the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) worked more closely to rebuild relationships with Indigenous groups, the LGBTQ+ community and other ethnic groups.

“What people would really like to know is that they matter, that they’re important to us, that they’re considered to be within that circle of care,” he explains.

What does Saskatoon’s police chief look forward to in 2021? Like most people, he says, being able to personally connect with his officers more, community members, and to take part in community events.

“We consider ourselves a bit of a family in policing and so it’s important for us to be able to celebrate our successes together, to be able to grieve together when we lose loved ones, and that has been restricted like it has been for everyone,” he explains.

He’s hoping for more stability as well- not only for his officers, but also for the health of the community.

“We’re used to working in emergencies, in uncertainty and in chaos. But even for us, it’s been challenging…it’s important for individuals to be able to rely on their families, to rely on what that version of the community looks like for them for support.”