Police chief Larkin reflects on 2017
‘A year of growth … year of finding our feet’
WATERLOO REGION — When police chief Bryan Larkin talks about harm reduction and being more humane with the drug user, he gets pushback.
When he suggests supervised injection sites may be an alternative to help users take their drugs safely and the site will save lives, he gets pushback.
And when he flies the Pride flag at police headquarters, he gets pushback. In each case, he gets criticism from people in the community and sometimes from officers, too.
But the head of the Waterloo Regional Police accepts the unfavourable response he receives. It comes with the job.
“As a senior police leader, some would describe me as unique. I don’t know if that’s a compliment or not,” he says with a chuckle, during a yearend interview, as he ponders issues he will be challenged with in 2018.
“One of the roles of the chief is to be visionary and reflective,” he said.
“For me, my job is to continue pushing us to the cliff and we jump off the cliff,” he said. “I don’t think it’s my position to conform or toe a particular line.
“My job is to continue navigating through bumpy roads, through big waves, through the storms. My job is to stay the course.”
When it comes to combating the drug issue, Larkin suggests addicts should be called users and that they need to be kept safe.
Drug enforcement for the past 150 years in Canada led to this country having a drug issue, he said.
“If you look at it from a return on investment perspective, we pour a lot of resources into it, but our results are minimal,” he said.
He is a supporter of having officers carry naloxone to protect themselves and help save others as the community faces an opioid crisis. So far this year, 65 people have died in Waterloo Region of opioid-related overdoses.
But not all chiefs are on board. Last week, Hamilton Police Chief Eric Girt said his officers would not carry naloxone.
Larkin said in 2017 his police changed their drug efforts from the “user to organized traffickers — and we are seeing a disruption to organized drug networks.”
“Previously, our enforcement was the user,” said Larkin, who cites the example of the alcoholic who is arrested and part of his or her probation may include a prohibition against the consumption of alcohol. “But how realistic is that.” Instead, a condition should be to see a public health nurse.
“This is a radical shift in thinking,” he said.
This past year also saw the service focus on equity and diversity, and an officer was appointed to solely address the issue.
“It’s been a year of growth. It’s been a year of finding our feet,” he said.
Larkin said the service is taking a serious look at removing systemic barriers when it comes to hiring, to ensure more women and minorities feel it’s a place they want to be.
“There is still a lot of work to do around diversity. We need to build and enhance relations,” he said.
Some of the testing that is done may not be fair when it comes to recruiting.
“Is a spelling test a systemic barrier for a new Canadian?” he said.
It doesn’t mean lowering standards, but taking into consideration that a candidate who speaks another language and is fluent in English may process in their native language first, he said.
Larkin said that often those applicants are ruled out in the first stage and he’s wondering if that is fair.
He said the equity office created an ambassador program made up of 15 officers from diverse backgrounds; they will attend events and touch base with communities to highlight recruiting.
Larkin wants to see a service that reflects the community it serves. That means more officers from the Muslim and black communities.
“How do we convince the young man or the young woman that policing is a career for them? How do we recruit more young black men?” Larkin wants to see movement. “I want to see action. If that means we have to set goals, set targets, so be it.”
The applicant base is still predominantly white and male.
In January, another session for police women will be held. It will be a forum where they can talk openly about challenges and how to address issues they feel hamper their promotion.
Waterloo MP and federal cabinet minister Bardish Chagger will address the group.
In 2017, Larkin and the service was slapped with a gender discrimination suit in which three plaintiffs described a “culture of misogyny.”
The plaintiffs, a female constable, a former constable and a retired superintendent, are seeking total damages of $167 million. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Larkin said he cannot speak specifically to the suit, but the criticism he and the service received was hurtful.
“I acknowledge we are not perfect. We have imperfections. We have warts. We have challenges,” he said. “Of course, you take it personally.”
In 2017, Larkin also created a task force of community members to look at unfounded sexual assaults.
The task force was created after a Globe and Mail investigation last year found that police dismiss one out of every five sex assault claims as unfounded and no charges are laid. Locally, the unfounded rate was 27 per cent from 2010 to 2014.
Larkin said the task force is examining 45 randomly selected sexual assault cases. He anticipates changes to policy will be announced by March.
“It’s not being driven by police. That is important,” he said.
On the legalization of marijuana, which is coming in July, Larkin said his 800 officers need to be trained. He’s concerned about the timeline for legalization, particularly as chiefs have yet to see the federal legislation.
Marijuana roadside-screening devices are not yet ready.
But his biggest worry is public safety on the roads. He and other police chiefs across the province would like to see zero tolerance, meaning no pot in your system when you get behind the wheel.
For now, police have focused their efforts on opioids, not marijuana, but funding is anticipated from federal and provincial governments to assist police once marijuana becomes legal.
“Will there be chaos in July? I don’t think so,” he said.