Hagen’s racism comment “naive”
Refusal to acknowledge possibility of a problem is harmful, they say
Saying there are no racists in the Regina Police Service is a “naive statement,” according to North Central Community Association executive director Michael Parker.
On Friday, Police Chief Troy Hagen said he couldn’t recall any substantiated complaint of racism against an RPS officer and that hiring policies, like polygraph tests, are intended to screen out those with racist attitudes.
“There is absolutely no reason for me to believe that we have racists within the Regina Police Service,” Hagen told reporters, adding that he can never guarantee anyone’s future behaviour.
“I would put that possibility (of a racist incident) as remote and provide an assurance, if it were to occur, that the Regina Police Service would take this very seriously, and deal with it appropriately and swiftly. And there would probably be significant consequences if it occurred,” he added.
Parker said he hears different stories from community members about racism or racial bias by police officers.
He highlighted “carding” or “street checks,” stopping individuals not under arrest and asking them to volunteer information about their identity, which is then recorded, as examples of other people’s experiences.
What concerns Parker most, he said, is denying that there might be a problem.
“They’re not shooting native guys at random, but certainly people are experiencing things differently based on the colour of their skin,” said Parker.
Compared to RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson saying there are racists in his police force and he doesn’t want them there, Parker believes Hagen’s comments could be potentially harmful to Regina police’s relationship with aboriginal communities.
“It can reinforce attitudes people have toward the police. It reinforces that perception that they’re unwilling (to admit) or unaware of some of their own imperfections,” Parker said.
John Clarke, director of the Saskatchewan Public Complaints Commission, said there have been “several” allegations of racism by the Regina Police Service over the years, but that Hagen was correct in saying none had ever been substantiated.
Racism would fall under the discreditable conduct section of the Municipal Police Discipline Regulations. The section covers several infractions, including withholding information in a report, the destruction of an official document or acting “in a manner that is unbecoming or dishonourable to the member or to the police service.” Racism complaints, Clarke explained, fall into the latter category, which acts as a bit of a catch-all in the regulations.
Racism allegations, though, can be tough to prove.
“They are difficult (investigations),” said Clarke. “We would require some method of being able to substantiate it.”
Bob Hughes of the Saskatchewan Coalition Against Racism said video evidence would likely be needed to have a complaint proven. And even then, he’s skeptical of the effectiveness of those kinds of investigations.
When Hughes heard Hagen’s comments, he was immediately disappointed. Then it made him angry.
“It’s not reality,” Hughes said. “I’m a mental health worker. There’s problems with racism within most of the systems.”
Hughes said he routinely has to check his own racist reflexes as a result of his upbringing and education.
He believes some police officers likely have similar tendencies.
“The whole goal of anti-racism work is to create a more harmonious situation and that certainly doesn’t,” he said.