Police launch registry for vulnerable
Information will be used to help people with communication issues
It can offer clues as simple as a person’s favourite sports team, frequent hiding spot in the neighbourhood or a certain word that can spark a violent reaction.
For police, it is akin to a “user manual” during an encounter with someone who, because of a disorder such as autism, dementia or an emotional crisis, may have difficulty communicating — the kind of interaction that can quickly turn from tense to tragic.
It is called a “vulnerable persons registry,” and in coming weeks, the Toronto Police Service will join the ranks of Canadian law enforcement agencies implementing such a system.
The force will soon invite the public to help provide crucial information about a child or someone in their care “who may have some limitations in their ability to communicate in a crisis which could compromise their own or officer safety,” Const. Curtis Molyneaux said in an email sent to educators, parents and advocates.
“When the door was opened, he had the knife, and the police said, ‘We want to talk about hockey,’ and he put the knife down.” DENNIS DEBBAUDT LAW ENFORCEMENT TRAINING CONSULTANT
“This critical, situation-specific information will be available to the (Toronto Police Service),” he said.
Molyneaux, a use-of-force instructor at the Toronto Police College, said the registry will work on a voluntary basis, allowing family members or caregivers to provide police with basic identifying information about a relative who has challenges ranging from autism to a MedicAlert condition, an acquired brain injury or dementia.
The caregivers then provide information that could be useful in certain situations involving police — perhaps the vulnerable person’s habits, behaviours and likes or dislikes, key phrases to communicate more clearly, and words or actions to avoid.
Dennis Debbaudt, a U.S.-based law enforcement training consultant who specializes in interactions between people with autism and police, said the “likes and dislikes” part of the registry can often be the most vital information.
Citing a case from Ottawa, where police have implemented a similar registry, Debbaudt said officers responding to a high-risk call for a young man wielding a knife used one tidbit of information to avoid a violent outcome: they knew he liked discussing hockey.
“When the door was opened, he had the knife, and the police said, ‘We want to talk about hockey,’ and he put the knife down,” said Debbaudt, who helped Toronto Police develop the registry.
“A standard approach would have been yelling: ‘Police.’ And it would have been totally different.”
The registry’s implementation will mark a step forward for Toronto police in terms of interactions with vulnerable or emotionally disturbed people. Recent fatal encounters between officers and people in crisis have prompted calls for an increased focus on de-escalation techniques.
Last July, retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci made 84 sweeping recommendations to avoid fatal encounters between Toronto police and people in crisis, including creating a vulnerable persons registry.
The registry idea can be controversial in the mental health community, in part because of privacy concerns as to how the information will be used and who can access it. In his report, Iacobucci states that any registry should respect privacy laws.
Jennifer Chambers, who advocates on behalf of Centre for Addiction and Mental Health clients, said a voluntary registry is generally viewed positively.
“Nobody wants to be on such a registry without choosing to be on it. And it should be limited to the Toronto Police Service and able to be completely withdrawn and erased when the person chooses to do so,” she said in an email. “This is vital.”