The following draft Minutes of the meeting of the Toronto Police Services Board held on May 27, 2004 are subject to adoption at its next regularly scheduled meeting. The Minutes of the meeting held on April 29, 2004 previously circulated in draft form were approved by the Toronto Police Service Board at its meeting held on May 27, 2004. MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING of the Toronto Police Services Board held on MAY 27, 2004 at 1:30 PM in Committee Room 1, Toronto City Hall, Toronto, Ontario. PRESENT: Mr. A. Milliken Heisey, Q.C., Chair Mr. Pam McConnell, Councillor & Vice Chair Mr. John Filion, Councillor & Member Dr. Benson Lau, , Member The Honourable Hugh Locke, Q.C., Member ALSO PRESENT: Mr. Julian Fantino, Chief of Police Mr. Albert Cohen, City of Toronto - Legal Services Division Ms. Deirdre Williams, Board Administrator THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD HELD ON MAY 27, 2004 #P141. MOMENT OF SILENCE The Board observed a moment of silence in memory of Police Constable Chris Garrett of the Cobourg Police Service who was killed while on duty on Saturday, May 15, 2004 in the Town of Cobourg, and for Ontario Provincial Police Constable Tyler Boutilier, of the Grenville Detachment, who was also killed while on duty on Sunday, May 23, 2004 in Seeleys Bay. THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD HELD ON MAY 27, 2004 #P142. INTRODUCTIONS The following members of the Service were introduced to the Board and congratulated on their recent promotions: Superintendent Gary Ellis Staff Sergeant Peter Dalmore Sergeant Lisabet Benoit Sergeant Brian Bowman Sergeant David Eustace Sergeant Brad Fisher Sergeant Alex Gauthier Sergeant Sandra Gregory Sergeant Deborah Harper Sergeant Tony Remy Sergeant Paul White THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD HELD ON MAY 27, 2004 #P143. ONTARIO HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – PAYING THE PRICE: THE HUMAN COST OF RACIAL PROFILING Mr. Keith Norton, Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission, was in attendance and discussed a report entitled Paying the Price: The Human Cost of Racial Profiling which was published by the Commission in December 2003. Copies of the report were circulated to Board members and one copy remains on file in the Board office. Mr. Norton described the consultation process and the research that led to the 19 recommendations contained in the report. Ms. Estella Muyinda, African Canadian Legal Clinic, was in attendance and made a deputation to the Board on this matter. Chief Fantino was in attendance and described to the Board the extent of the work that has been completed by the Board/Service Race Relations Joint Working Group in the area of race relations. He advised that he, as well as several other members of the Service, has met with the Honourable Jean Augustine, Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women) on a number of occasions to discuss race relations issues. The Board approved the following Motions: 1. THAT the presentation by Mr. Norton and the deputation by Ms. Muyinda be received; 2. THAT a copy of the Commission’s report Paying the Price: The Human Cost of Racial Profiling be forwarded to the Board/Service Race Relations Joint Working Group and that the Working Group meet to review this report and provide its comments on the Commission’s report in a report to the Board which should be integrated into the Working Group’s final report at the September 23, 2004 meeting; 3. THAT the Chair and Vice-Chair consult with the Kingston Police Services Board regarding the Kingston Police Service pilot project on data collection and, following their consultation, provide a report to the Board on any preliminary results or final data; cont…d 4. THAT the Chair and Vice Chair consult with the Honourable Jean Augustine, Minister of State (Multiculturalism and Status of Women) on possible funding options for a pilot project for race relations initiatives; and 5. THAT the Board/Service Race Relations Joint Working Group develop a zero tolerance policy on racial profiling, to be presented to the Board for its September 23, 2004 meeting. THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD HELD ON MAY 27, 2004 #P144. POLICE IDENTIFICATION ON UNIFORMS The Board was in receipt of the attached correspondence, dated May 04, 2004, from Harvey Simmons, Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, regarding his request to make a deputation to the Board on police identification badges. Mr. Simmons was in attendance and made a deputation to the Board which included recommendations on how a police officers’ name and/or badge number could be securely affixed to the uniform in a manner so that it is clearly visible. The Board noted that earlier in the meeting the Board received a presentation from Mr. Keith Norton, Chief Commissioner, Ontario Human Rights Commission, regarding the Commission’s report Paying the Price: The Human Cost of Racial Profiling. The report included, among others, a recommendation (no. 16) that police officers and private security officers should wear name badges that are clearly displayed (Min. No. P143/04 refers). The Board approved the following Motions: 1. THAT the deputation by Mr. Simmons and his written submission be received; 2. THAT the Chief of Police provide a report for the Board’s September 23, 2004 meeting on how the Service could implement recommendation no. 16 contained in Paying the Price with regard to officers wearing name badges, or other identification, and that the report also identify any issues, from the perspectives of both the Service and Toronto Police Association, that may arise as the result of implementing this recommendation; and 3. THAT the report noted above also include the Service’s history of police identification on uniforms and the current practises with regard to police identification in other police jurisdictions. “Harvey G. Simmons” To: [email protected] < [email protected] cc: > Subject: Deputation May 27 2004.05.04 IO:25 Dear Ms. Williams: Below please find the text of my deputation, to be presented on behalf of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, scheduled for 27 May. Because they constantly interact with the public, and sometimes in highly conflictual ways, it is very important that individual police officers be easily identified. Yet the Toronto police currently can be identified only by a small number badge which they wear on the epaulettes of their uniform or on their hats. When police wear jackets or raincoats the only way they can be identified is through the badge worn on their hats. On occasion, when wearing jackets, police have been known to remove their hats making identification impossible. Even when badge numbers are visible, given the charged atmosphere in which encounters with the police often take place, when people are excited or nervous, an average member of the public is highly unlikely to remember to note, memorize, or write down, an officer's badge number. However, a random telephone survey of police departments in various Canadian cities, and a few large American cities points to alternative methods of identification. For example: NAME TAGS Calgary. Police wear a badge with their last name pinned to their shirt. Their last name is sewn on sweaters. Edmonton. Police have the badge number on their shoulders and name bars clipped onto their patrol jackets. Vancouver. Individual police officers may choose to wear a name tag, or a tag that has their badge number sewn on to all items of clothing. Police officers tend to divide 50-50 between wearing name tages or badge tags. R.C.M.P. Out west where the R.C .M.P. acts as local police force, uniformed officers have name tags sewn on all items of uniform. O.P.P. Name of officer is on shirt. New York City. Police officers have their badge number and their last name clipped to their shirts. Chicago. Officer's name tag is on a brass clip, badge number is on their hat. They must have their name tag pinned to al 1 items of the uniform. Detroit. Officers have name tags pinned onto chest of shirt, and name tags on all outside clothing. Miami-Dade Officers must wear metal name tags on uniform shirts. They also have badge numbers on uniforms. BADGE NUMBERS Boston. Police have a badge number pinned to chest of shirt. Winnipeg. Badge number is on shoulder. Toronto. Badge number is on shoulder and on cap. CONCLUSION Many large-city Canadian police officers, plus O.P.P. and R.C.M.P. officers, wear name tags. Police officers in New York City, Chicago, Detroit and Miami also wear name tags. Currently, for the reasons mentioned above, it is often hard to identify individual Toronto police officers. It is therefore proposed that regulations stipulate that all Toronto police officers have their last names sewn onto their uniform shirts, jackets and exterior gear. This would make it easier for the public to identify individual officers and obviate the possibility that officers might forget to wear their identification or that it might fall off. It would reduce any tendency for people who might have negative encounters with the police to lump all police together simply because they cannot differentiate one police officer from another. Finally, such a change would signal a new readiness on the part of the Toronto police to be held responsible for their actions as well as humanizing officers who are, now at least, merely badge numbers. THIS IS AN EXTRACT FROM THE MINUTES OF THE PUBLIC MEETING OF THE TORONTO POLICE SERVICES BOARD HELD ON MAY 27, 2004 #P145.