Community connection and accountability part of the ‘way forward’ for Toronto police

The Toronto Police Service of the future will be lean, and not quite as mean.

That was the takeaway from a transformational task force report on modernizing community safety in Toronto that was released on Thursday.

The report, titled The Way Forward, comes after a year of self-reflection and public consultations. It outlines how Toronto police will become more efficient and accountable, with an emphasis on improving relations and connecting with a public that has voiced its distrust with the very people tasked to serve and protect them.

If the Service’s vision comes to fruition, Toronto could see a return to the beat cops of yesteryear, patrolling and engaging with citizens on foot and bicycle, rather than isolated in their cruisers.

“It is only when officers are embedded in communities as known, trusted partners that they can create strong, effective relationships,” the report states.

After numerous public consultations, Staff Sgt. Gregory Watts said citizens “want to see police as part of their neighbourhood and not just in an enforcement capacity.

“We asked and heard that the public wants police to be more accountable and focus on preventative efforts, rather than being reactive all the time.”

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A new neighbourhood officer program will be implemented with the goal of having officers forge strong relationships in communities.

“The neighbourhood officer will be their gateway to services,” Watts added. “In the future the system will work for the public. New officers will be embedded in and really build a foundation of community policing … They want that familiarity with police but they want it sustainable,” he added, saying new officers will be assigned to specific neighbourhoods and stay there “for years” rather than months.

“At the centre of our new model sits our neighbourhoods,” he said.

When a hiring moratorium is lifted in 2019, neighbourhood policing will be the starting point for a policing career in Toronto, the report noted.

The report further outlines how neighbourhood officers will better utilize smart mobile devices and technology to help streamline efforts in the field, doing away with antiquated paper memo books.

“Connected officers will be able to prepare and file reports from anywhere, rather than being limited to mobile workstations in cars or having to return to police stations to work at desktop computers.”

The transformational task force report was released just days after Toronto police came under fire for their behaviour during a downtown arrest. Some protesters showed up at police headquarters Thursday to protest how police handled the situation.

The way police calls are handled will also change, police said Thursday, with more civilian members dealing with non-emergency situations, freeing up officers to attend more pressing priority calls.

“It’s a complete overhaul and change on how we provide service,” Watts stressed. “Currently we ask all officers to attend all types of calls, from emergencies to landlord tenant disputes. It’s not sustainable or healthy for our members.”

Priority will go to emergency calls and a secondary Investigative Support Unit (ISU) will deal with calls where the immediate presence of an officer is not required. The ISU can then handle the call over the phone, or assign a civilian member to the call.

The new community-based approach, and a mammoth police budget, would both be aided by proposed changes to divisional boundaries which would see the closure of some police stations and the consolidation of 54 and 55 divisions.

“The current boundaries are outdated, don’t align to Toronto’s neighbourhoods, and restrict the Service’s flexibility to move officers to where they are needed most,” the report states.

Toronto Police Service would also end its oversight of the school crossing guard program, which carries a $6.8 million budget, and lifeguard program at Toronto’s 13 beaches ($1.1 million budget).

Paid duty assignments could also be scaled back, with the report noting that they are damaging to police reputation.

“The most common public complaint is that residents see a police officer “standing around” at a construction site instead of responding to calls.”

A new public safety risk filter will be applied to all paid duty requests. “Only assignments where the presence of a police officer is necessary for public safety…will be accepted and staffed,” resulting in a reduction of 30 per cent, the report predicted.

Culture Change

The report noted that the public has expressed “concerns … about individual and systemic bias, racism, discrimination, inappropriate use of force and escalation” and stressed that “there is more the service can do to strengthen and deepen its culture of professionalism and accountability.”

Police Chief Mark Saunders stressed that initiating a culture change within the force is “necessary” and starts with him.

“It has to start at the top with the leadership,” Saunders said Thursday. “Part of that change is listening to everybody. It’s not just what we do, it’s how we do what we do and understanding our relationships and our roles in our community.”

Saunders said the implementation of body worn cameras “will assist in giving an objective view of interactions” and he said all officers will receive further “training on community engagement and dealing with people with mental health issues.”

“It’s going to take time,” Saunders said. “There’s no magic pill on this one.”

When asked to peer into the crystal ball of the future and tell Torontonians how their police force will most markedly change, Saunders said he foresees a city that is more connected to its officers.

“I think that the biggest change is there will be stronger individual relationships with neighbourhoods and police officers.”