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A day after Calgary Police Association president Les Kaminski called for the resignation of police commission chair Brian Thiessen, a local criminologist said he saw the message as something coming “out of left field.”

Kaminski’s call for Thiessen’s resignation came weeks after a war of words erupted, when he called out the chair for comments made on CBC Radio One’s Calgary Eyeopener program.

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Kelly Sundberg, a criminologist at Mount Royal University, said Kaminski taking it a step further is unprecedented. He also said he found the timing of it odd.

“I was taken aback by the president of the CPA being so vocal and so … derogatory towards the chair of the police commission,” he said.

“It’s important to note the chair of the commission is, in fact, a very well respected, and noted labour lawyer and is also a volunteer.”

Kaminski made the call Thursday afternoon, a week after Sheila Ball resigned as chief human resources officer with the Calgary Police Service — a mere six months after she was hired. Her second-in-command had also resigned.