Chief welcomes report calling for more diversity
The recommendations of the Ontario Civilian Police Commission report calling for greater equity and racial diversity in Windsor law enforcement are welcome, says the chief of the Windsor Police Service.
“The report does note that the service has much to be proud of,” Chief Pam Mizuno said in an interview on Thursday. “But as much as we have to be proud of, there is still work to be done.
“I think the Windsor Police Service is committed to making change, and improving. We can always improve.
“We always want to provide the very best service to our community.”
The first female chief in the history of the Windsor Police Service, Mizuno said she was appreciative of the report dismissing any claim her appointment in October 2019 was “tokenism” as inaccurate.
“I do think they support me in the report,” Mizuno said.
While the recently-released report found no compelling evidence of misconduct or corruption among senior levels of Windsor police, it advised that more proactive measures are needed so that the organization better reflects the diversity of the community it serves.
Steps to remedy under-representation of women and people of colour among sworn officers should be prioritized, according to the report.
Mizuno said these recommendations were anticipated, and the Windsor Police Service was already in the midst of progressive initiatives — such as the Human Rights Project — when the OCPC was collecting data for the report in 2018.
“We have been actively working on that. Not just in recruitment, but also in promotions,” Mizuno said.
Earlier this week, Mizuno congratulated Staff Sgt. Ed Armstrong on his new rank — the first Black staff sergeant in the history of Windsor Police Service — following a yearlong promotion process.
Last month, Senior Const. Shawn Mccurdy was named president of the Windsor Police Association — the first Black president in the history of the association.
“Shawn Mccurdy was elected by the Windsor Police Service membership, and I congratulate him on his position,” Mizuno said.
Formerly president of the Amherstburg Police Association, Mccurdy became a part of Windsor police when WPS merged with the Amherstburg Police Service at the end of 2018.
The majority of his 27-year career in policing has been with Amherstburg police.
“With these unprecedented times that we’re facing, there’s a new realm of issues that we have to look at,” Mccurdy said when reached on Thursday.
Mccurdy said the Windsor Police Association supports the recommendations of the OCPC report on hiring and the demographics of WPS.
“We’re going to work with management and the board to see that those are implemented. The association’s
We have been actively working on that. Not just in recruitment, but also in promotions.
job is to represent the members of the police service, both civilian and sworn.
“We’ll just be assisting in that process.”
Like Mizuno, Mccurdy said he wasn’t surprised by the OCPC’S findings. “It touched base with things that needed to be addressed.”