Police staffing levels a primary concern for members: employee engagement survey

Calgary Police Service members say inadequate staffing is leading to safety risks, poor response times and burnout.

Employee morale in the Calgary Police Service is trending upwards for a third straight year according to a newly released internal survey but inadequate staffing has reached a critical low, becoming members’ primary concern.

The 2025 CPS Employee Engagement Survey, conducted by Illumina Research Partners on behalf of the Calgary Police Commission, found that overall employee engagement has been steadily improving since reaching a low point in 2022.

The percentage of employees registering high or moderate engagement now sits at 59 per cent.

Over the past year, CPS says it has dealt with a provincial change to automated traffic enhancement, in addition to a pause on hirings due to a potential budget shortfall, which became $28 million in February.

In March, city council approved to fund that shortfall, which led to new hirings.

In May, former chief Mark Neufeld resigned from the position, paving the way for Chief Katie McLellan to take over.

Taking time off

The survey also found that CPS officers were limited in taking time off during the G7 summit in June, and the Calgary Stampede in July.

Eighty-five per cent of respondents say that Calgary is a safe city to live in but employees feel service to Calgarians is slipping, down three percent from last year to 77 per cent.

CPS employees ranked “adequately staffed” as the lowest-rated measure of performance among 33 choices, with only 11 per cent agreeing the service is properly staffed.

That number is down from 14 per cent last year. Only six per cent of sworn officers believes the entire service is adequately staffed.

For comparison, in 2020, 29 per cent of employees felt the service was adequately staffed.

Employees described understaffing as resulting in safety risks for officers, inadequate response times, poor investigative follow-up, and increased stress and burnout.

In the survey, a sworn officer was quoted saying that officers are required to do more with less resources.

“Front line staffing at 60 per cent strength is the new 100 per cent,” read the quote.

“60 per cent street strength is barely achieved. Members are denied vacation time due to staffing shortages. When members leave, positions are not filled for several years. Senior leaders are collapsing vital investigative units. This is not sustainable. Frontline members are burnt out, and they can’t handle the extra workload.”

Leadership

Leadership within the service is slightly improving with 36 per cent of employees agreeing that the “actions and directions of senior leaders show that CPS cares about employees.”

That’s up from 30 per cent last year. This comes following the resignation of Neufeld in May.

Some employees expressed “cautious optimism” regarding the new leadership, noting appreciation for their increased visibility and engagement.

However, there were concerns regarding nepotism and unfair promotions that were not based on merit, specifically the appointment of the deputy chief.

The survey also found that 65 per cent of employees are likely to remain with the CPS over the next year, while 39 per cent are likely to stay over the next five.

Many sworn members plan to retire within the next five years.

One third of civilian members say there is no room for advancement and plan to leave.

Trust in the Calgary Police Commission’s governance and oversight is also reported to be “steadily improving,” with a 40 per cent agreement rate in 2025.

A total of 1,684 CPS employees were surveyed over six weeks. The survey had a 49 per cent response rate—between July 7 and August 18, 2025.

The full survey can be found here.