A ‘ T URNING POINT ’
Group says if implemented, new rules can help build trust in law enforcement
The Justice for Abdirahman Coalition is pleased many of its recommendations have been folded into new provincial legislation strengthening police oversight, a spokeswoman said.
“If implemented, this legislation would be a turning point for policing and police oversight,” said Farhia Ahmed, the volunteer chair of the group, which formed days after the July 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi.
Abdi, a 37-year-old Somali-Canadian man with unspecified mental health problems, died in hospital the day after he lost vital signs during a violent confrontation with two police officers. Abdi’s death sparked protests across Canada.
Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit later charged Const. Daniel Montsion with manslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. Montsion’s trial is scheduled to begin in February 2019.
Justice for Abdirahman made 14 recommendations for reforming police oversight to Justice Michael Tulloch, who was appointed by the Ontario government to lead an independent review of police over- sight bodies in April 2016. Tulloch released his review in April 2017 and Attorney General Yasir Naqvi pledged that crucial information about investigations into deaths involving officers will routinely be disclosed to the public.
Aisha Sherazi, a member of the Community and Police Action Committee (COMPAC), an advisory body with representatives from police and racialized and Indigenous communities, said measures outlined in the legislation will help build trust in police.
“Currently, that trust has been shaken, and I think the province has responded to those concerns within the community well,” she said.
One of the measures both Ahmed and Sherazi were pleased to see is the legislation proposes allowing police officers to be suspended without pay. Ontario is the only province which doesn’t allow police chiefs to revoke the pay of suspended officers, unless they are sentenced to prison.
For those who have lost a loved one, it can be very painful to learn an officer is still paid and in a position of trust, Sherazi said.
“We would have liked to see the chief (Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau) have this discretion,” Ahmed said.
The legislation also outlines expansion of the Special Investigations Unit’s mandate beyond civilian death, serious injury or sexual assault and will require police officers to comply with its investigations and would impose penalties for failing to co-operate. This was also welcomed by Ahmed and Sherazi.
“This is important. While it is understood that police officers put their lives in each other’s hands on a daily basis, they also must co-operate with investigators and help facilitate investigations as best they can,” Sherazi said.
“I sometimes worry about police culture and whether police officers are concerned about repercussions of reporting things about colleagues, whether that is professionally, or personally. I can see no
reason for officers not to co-operate fully as the impact of an investigation affects all officers, not just those that are under investigation.”
Meanwhile, members of Justice for Abdirahman want to see how a “collaborative approach to community safety and well-being” outlined in the legislation will unfold.
Under the legislation, municipalities would have a larger role in defining and addressing local needs, allowing vulnerable people to get the help they need from providers best equipped to provide that help. Municipalities would be mandated to work with police services and service providers in health care, social services and education to develop “community safety and well-being plans” to address safety concerns specific to each community.
“This was one of our stated objectives,” Ahmed said. “It fails to say exactly how, but the onus is on municipalities to work together with communities and police.”
Sherazi also applauded a requirement in the legislation for a coroner’s inquest whenever a civilian is killed through force on the part of police.
“This will also provide more transparency, especially for families who have lost loved ones. Families have not been given information about what occurred, or cause of death until well after the fact. Sometimes, it has taken months,” she said. “That is just too long for a family to have to wait.”