THE CASE FOR CARDING
Edmonton police Chief Rod Knecht listens as Black Lives Matter activist Bashir Mohamed addresses the police commission Thursday. Knecht said he doesn’t believe street checks violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Edmonton Police Chief Rod Knecht is pushing back against claims that street checks are a form of arbitrary detention that violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. After an Edmonton Police Commission meeting Thursday attended by members and supporters of Black Lives Matter, Knecht told reporters he does not think street
Obviously, if we are violating the Charter, we don’t want to be violating the Charter. I don’t think that’s what our street check does.
checks — frequently referred to as carding — go against the Charter. “I don’t think that’s what (is) happening,” he said. “Obviously, if we are violating the Charter, we don’t want to be violating the Charter. I don’t think that’s what our street check does. “If you arbitrarily stop people and demand they provide you with information and don’t allow them to leave, that is a violation of the Charter, absolutely. I don’t think that’s happening with our (officers). “Now, we’re not perfect,” he said. “You could probably come up with an example. But that’s not what our policy is, that’s not what our practice is, that’s not what we want or allow our people to do, and if that is happening, I’d encourage those people to come forward.” Knecht said any allegations about improper street checks would be investigated by police oversight bodies. “Interestingly enough, we have not gotten complaints to that effect,” he said. A street check is where an officer stops, questions and ID’s a person. However, the subject of a street check is not suspected of a crime and is legally allowed to leave at any time. Black Lives Matter touched off new debate about the practice late last month after releasing five years of data on the racial backgrounds of people carded by Edmonton police. The data showed black and Indigenous Edmontonians were overrepresented among carding subjects. Knecht invited Black Lives Matter members to a meeting on carding Wednesday evening. But the group declined, saying the meetings should be held in public. Knecht said the meeting was productive and that community members who attended would report back by September with concerns about the Edmonton Police Service’s carding policy. Bashir Mohamed, policing cochairman for Black Lives Matter, said in a brief presentation to the commission Thursday that he and people he knows have been carded. “This is not a new issue,” he said. “It’s come up numerous times during the past few years in our city; however, the community concerns were dismissed with police saying it did not have a disproportionate impact.” Both the police commission and the provincial government are reviewing the practice. Restrictions on carding came into effect in Ontario earlier this year.