Discreditable conduct is no ‘circus’

RE: Police union calls carding case political ‘circus’ (Dec. 16)

I was disappointed to read that Clint Twolan, president of Hamilton Police Association, referred to Const. Andrew Pfeifer’s recent disciplinary hearing as a political “circus.”

Const. Pfeifer is facing a discreditable conduct charge filed by Councillor Matthew Green for an incident last spring during which he was carded while waiting for the bus in downtown Hamilton.

According to Twolan, the stop was “absolutely not racially motivated” and was created by Coun. Green to “further his own political agenda.” However, according to the recent data, 25 per cent of those street-checked were a visible minority while only 15 per cent of Hamilton’s population was non-white.

This incident demonstrates that the practice of carding continues to affect the lives of upstanding citizens in our community, including elected officials. This practice further perpetuates the negative public perception of the police and continues to arouse public suspicion, not only in Hamilton, but in many large cities across Canada.

Coun. Green’s experience demonstrates that the need for change is long overdue. The Hamilton police must recognize carding as racial profiling and immediately take proactive measures to rectify its practices.

Members of the police must be held accountable in the same fashion as the rest of us. Putting an end to the protectionism, which currently exists, would definitely be a major step in the right direction. Andrea Rado, Hamilton