More training, less-lethal force and ‘zero deaths’
Police say they’ve implemented 79 of 84 Iacobucci report recommendations
It was a report Toronto was assured would not “gather dust.”
As he hoisted the thick, 300-page review into the air, then Toronto police chief Bill Blair promised the comprehensive review into police interactions with emotionally disturbed people would instead “gather momentum.”
Prepared by retired Supreme Court justice Frank Iacobucci, the review — called “Police Encounters with People in Crisis” — was prompted by the July 2013 death of teenager Sammy Yatim, shot dead while alone on a streetcar by Toronto police Const. James Forcillo.
Charged with second-degree murder in Yatim’s death, Forcillo was in court this week for pretrial-motions in the case. Jury selection is scheduled for the end of the month and is expected to last several days.
After a year of extensive research and dozens of interviews, Iacobucci produced a detailed list of 84 recommendations, all aimed at one thing: zero deaths — not of officers, not of people in crisis, not anyone.
More than a year later, Toronto police say they have implemented, in some form, 79 of Iacobucci’s recommendations, which range from increased training to changes to hiring practices and workplace culture.
Afull review of the implementation of each recommendation will be presented to the Toronto police board Thursday. The board will also receive a rundown of action taken on all recommendations from the triple inquest into the Toronto police shooting deaths of Sylvia Klibingaitis, Michael Eligon and Reyal JardineDouglas, many of which overlap with the Iacobucci report.
“I think they’ve done a really good job on most of the responses,” says Pat Capponi, who sits on the Toronto police board’s mental health committee and was recently awarded the Order of Canada for her advocacy on mental health issues.
Below are some of the changes Toronto police have made in the wake of Iacobucci’s report — and the recommendations they won’t take up. ‘Zero death’ police culture A major theme of Iacobucci’s report was promoting a shift in police thinking away from a belief that deaths are inevitable. Following suit, Toronto police Deputy Chief Mike Federico says a major emphasis has now been placed on promoting — through training to hiring practices to supervision — Iacobucci’s central theme.
“We’ve established a goal of zero harm — zero injuries, zero deaths,” Federico told the Star Monday.
Iacobucci recommended the force write a formal statement setting out its commitments to people experiencing mental health issues, something that should be public and given equal weight to the police core values. This statement, available on the Toronto police website, was written and posted the same day Iacobucci’s report was released. Changes have been made since then to ensure the force is attracting employees who will readily accept their role in ensuring zero harm during encounters with people in crisis. Recruiters will continue to place emphasis on applicants with post-secondary education, preferably those who have also completed Mental Health First Aid Canada training.
Improving accountability of their officers is also tied in with improved work culture, something Toronto police hope to achieve through everything from the use of body-worn cameras to improving the collection of officer-written data after incidences involving force, Federico said.
The zero-deaths goal is “what I’m most impressed with,” said Capponi. “We were told that that couldn’t happen because that would cause an officer to hesitate, and if they hesitated, they would be killed. But we actually want them to hesitate . . . to take all the necessary time to de-escalate.” Training By the time they hit the streets of Toronto, officers have completed 20 weeks training in total — two weeks of orientation at Toronto Police College (TPC), 12 weeks of basic constable training at the Ontario Police College, then six more weeks at TPC.
Though the weeks are intensive, Iacobucci expressed doubt that this was enough time to teach all topics and skills required to police effectively. In response, Toronto police have tacked on three more weeks of training, beginning with the next class of recruits. The additional training focuses on responding to emotionally disturbed persons and the destigmatization of mental illness, Federico said. Annual training for officers has also been extended — up from two days to three to include more de-escalation training.
In both cases, the curriculum has been developed in part by people who have lived with mental illness.
“We made a video of people, and these guys were talking about what escalates and what de-escalates for them. One guy said if (the officers) look more scared than me, that’s like throwing gasoline on the fire,” said Capponi. Crisis Intervention Teams Iacobucci called for Toronto police to make greater use of Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams, a program that sees a mental-health nurse partnered with a specially trained police officer to respond to emergency calls involving mental health issues.
In response, Toronto police have made some changes to the program while other aspects remain live issues, Federico said.
The force directly responded to Iacobucci’s recommendation that a mobile team must be notified of call involving a person in crisis. It is also ensuring the Toronto Police Operations Centre is informed whether mobile teams and MCIT-trained officers are available so they can be deployed citywide.
Hours of operation have also been tweaked to ensure availability during peak times, typically midday and late afternoon, Federico said.
The teams will not be available around the clock, as urged by some advocates. Iacobucci recommended the force aim to provide a specialized, trained response to people in crisis 24 hours per day.
Toronto police say they are aiming for this by inviting all officers attend MCIT training. That would expand the “pool of specially trained officers who are available during the hours when MCIT are not.” Tasers and other alternatives Toronto police did not agree with six of Iacobucci’s 84 recommendations, three of them to do with conducted energy weapons, popularly known by the brand-name Tasers.
Iacobucci recommended the force consider expanding their use, study the medical effects of the weapon — including what happens when used on those in crisis — and consider revising conditions when an officer can justifiably use a Taser.
Toronto police said a resounding “no” to the latter, opting to allow officers armed with Tasers to use the weapons whenever he or she “believes a subject is threatening or displaying assaultive behaviour or, taking into account the totality of the circumstances, the officer believes there is an imminent need for control of a subject.”
The force also declined to study the medical effect of Tasers, saying it is satisfied with the findings of current medical research.
It is possible that Toronto police could one day increase the use of Tasers. Currently, only front-line supervisors, about 275 officers, have the weapon. In 2013, the force submitted an application to the police board to have an additional 184 officers equipped with Tasers, but the plan was put on hold until the province released revised guidelines.
Instead, some officers will be equipped with a less-lethal weapon that shoots what’s known as a “sock round,” similar to bean bags. The report does not say when the weapon will be deployed to officers.