Police Board to hold Virtual Meeting on Thursday May 21, 2020
The agenda is available on the Board’s website at https://tpsb.ca/meetings/meetings-past.
Given the current COVID-19 pandemic, and to protect the health and wellbeing of all involved while adhering to provincial emergency orders, this Special Board Meeting will proceed as a virtual meeting. Members of the public and media are welcome and encouraged to attend the meeting through our livestream at: https://youtu.be/PcIKAqgIIs4.
Members of the public who wish to make a deputation may register using the regular process, at https://www.tpsb.ca/meetings/making-a-deputation. The request must be received no later than 12:00pm on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Once registered, deputants will be contacted directly by email with instructions as to how to provide their deputation. When registering, deputants must ensure that they provide an up-to-date e-mail address and telephone number so that they may be reached for follow-up. Individuals who are unable to join the meeting virtually, and require an accommodation should contact the Board’s Administrator, Ms. Diana Achim, at diana.achim@tpsb.ca.
As with all meetings, a recording of this meeting will be posted and archived to the Toronto Police Service YouTube account at https://www.youtube.com/TorontoPolice for members of the public to access later at their convenience.
Items of Interest at this virtual Board meeting include:
TORONTO POLICE SERVICE’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19
The Chief will provide an overview to the Board regarding the Service’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including information about the operational response, maintaining business continuity, and Member wellness during the pandemic.
POLICY REGARDING COVID-19 DISCLOSURE
The Board will consider a report from Ryan Teschner, Executive Director of the Board, recommending approval of a policy with respect to the access to, and use, disclosure and retention of COVID-19 information. The development of this Policy was recommended by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which has created a specialized First Responders COVID-19 Risk Look-Up web portal, accessible only to authorized users, who can query COVID-19 status information when appropriate. The Policy was developed with the recognition that it is vital to put into place stringent and appropriate safeguards to limit access to this sensitive and personal information, while permitting Members to access a relevant source of information that can assist them in the field. In addition, the report recommends that the Board request the Chief to report to the Board with respect to the workplace health and safety measures in place so as to minimize Members’ risk of occupational exposure to the COVID-19 virus, including monitoring compliance with these measures.
QUARTERLY PROGRESS UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTATION OF BOARD’S RACE-BASED DATA COLLECTION, ANALYSIS AND PUBLIC REPORTING POLICY
The Board will consider a report from the Chief that provides a quarterly update on the implementation of the Board’s Race-Based Data Collection, Analysis and Public Reporting Policy. The report reviews work to date in a variety of areas, including training, focus groups, the development of an Indigenous Engagement Strategy, the self-identification pilot, as well as data privacy and quality assurance measures. As the report notes, the full impact of the COVID-19 situation on the timelines for implementation of the implementation strategy remains unknown at this time. The impacts will be updated and further reported in future quarterly reports.
2019 ANNUAL REPORT ON CONDUCTED ENERGY WEAPONS (CEWs)
The Board will consider a report from the Chief regarding the 2019 Annual report on Conducted Energy Weapons, or CEWs. This report, which results from a direction of the Board, and has had different components added over the years, compares annual statistics from year to year, and includes content such as: type of use, CEW effectiveness, injuries/deaths, civil actions, as well as reporting on the effectiveness of CEW use on persons in crisis. The report states that it is important to note that the expansion of CEWs to frontline P.C.s in 2018 has resulted in approximately four times the number of C.E.W. operators and this number will continue to increase until all frontline P.C.s are trained; year-to-year comparisons have, therefore, been deferred for now. The report notes that the data, particularly the high percentage of demonstrated force presence, indicates that officers are using good judgement under difficult circumstances, making appropriate decisions to use only the force necessary to resolve tense and dangerous situations. This agenda also contains the most recent quarterly report regarding CEW use.
The Toronto Police Services Board is the civilian body responsible for governing the Toronto Police Service. The Board is responsible for ensuring the provision of adequate and effective police services in the City of Toronto, setting priorities and objectives for the Toronto Police Service, approving the annual police budget and selecting the Chief of Police.
Contact: Sandy Murray
sandy.murray@tpsb.ca
416-808-8090
