Police board diversity is overdue

RE: DIVERSITY COMING TO POLICE BOARD? (FEB. 9)

As a longtime advocate of equity and social justice in our city, I was encouraged to read that Hamilton’s allwhite police services board may soon become more diverse.

Since board member Stan Tick’s unexpected resignation in late January, Liberal MPP Ted McMeekin, who is unofficially responsible for choosing Tick’s replacement, has suggested that the “person will reflect Hamilton’s increasing diversity …” This would be a welcome change from the current underrepresentation of highly qualified visible minorities and members of the LGBTQ community, not only on the board itself, but also in the field of policing as a whole.

This status quo of an all-white police services board has perpetuated the practice of carding and other forms of racial profiling that continue to occur.

As the ethnic and racial makeup of our community diversifies, it is in the best interest of all administrations to recruit visible minorities such that its members are representative of the population they serve. This recruitment must be actively supported by organizations such as Hamilton Police Services and other governing boards.

Diversifying the membership of the police services board will allow it to act in the best interest of all Hamiltonians, not only those who are Caucasian, more effectively. Andrea Rado, Hamilton