Ottawa Police Services Board

 

Minutes 4

 

Monday, 28 February 2011, 4:00 p.m.

 

Champlain Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa

 

 

Present:          Councillor E. El-Chantiry (Chair), A. Doyle, Councillor J. Harder, H. Jensen, C. Nicholson, Mayor J. Watson

 

Regrets:          J. MacEwen

 

 

CEREMONIAL ACTIVITIES / ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

a)        SWEARING IN OF NEW BOARD MEMBER A. DOYLE

 

 

Chair El-Chantiry introduced Mr. Rick O’Connor, City Clerk & Solicitor, and invited him to swear in Ms. Adriana Doyle as a new member of the Ottawa Police Services Board.  Assisted by Mr. O’Connor, Ms. Doyle took her Oath of Office.  On behalf of the Board, Chair El-Chantiry congratulated Ms. Doyle on her appointment and welcomed her to the Board.

 

 

CONFIRMATION OF MINUTES

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board confirm the Minutes of the 24 January 2011 meeting.

 

                                                                                                            CARRIED

 

PUBLIC DELEGATIONS

 

a)        Mr. Doug McGoldrick

      

 

Mr. McGoldrick was unable to attend the meeting.

 

ITEMS OF BUSINESS

 

1.      CHIEF’S VERBAL REPORT

 

 

Chief White reported on the following items:

(A copy of the Chief’s verbal report will be kept on file with the Board’s Executive Director and is available online at ottawapoliceboard.ca.)

 

·Chaplain/Spiritual Program;

·Chief’s Ceremonial Guard;

·Beaver Pond, Kanata North;

·Review of Cellblock Operations:  Update #3.

 

Beaver Pond, Kanata North

Member Watson thanked the OPS for the way the way this issue was handled as it had the potential to be very difficult; officers were extremely professional and competent.  He asked that the Chief pass on his compliments to those involved.

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                             RECEIVED

 

 

2.         2011 BUDGET:  PUBLIC DELEGATIONS AND QUESTIONS

 

 

Member Watson thanked Chief White and his staff for working closely with both the City Treasurer and City Manager; it was a good team effort.  He acknowledged there are challenges to be faced in the future, however, this budget does adhere to the guidelines set by City Council and the cooperative approach received from OPS staff was appreciated.

 

Chair El-Chantiry sincerely thanked Ms. Frazer and her team for a job well done.

 

There were no public delegations or questions on the 2011 Draft Budget.

 

 

3.        QUALITY ASSURANCE & RISK MANAGEMENT

Presentation

 

 

Insp. T. Cheslock, Quality Assurance and Professional Standards, introduced S/S. C. Slaughter, Section Head, Sgt. L. Bustard, Policy Development, Ms. S. Kanani, Auditor, and Ms. C. Bourgon, Quality Assurance Coordinator as participants in the presentation.  (A copy of the presentation will be kept on file with the Board’s Executive Director.)

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this presentation for information.

 

                                                                                                RECEIVED

 

 

4.         COMPLIANCE WITH MINISTRY STANDARDS: 2010 ANNUAL REPORT

Chief’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                      RECEIVED

 

 

5.        POLICE SERVICES BOARD COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

Policy & Governance Committee report dated 18 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board:

 

1.         Approve the retention of Face Value Communications Inc. to develop a communications strategy for the Board at a cost not to exceed $8,800.00 plus HST.

 

2.         Delegate review and implementation of the strategy to the Board’s Policy & Governance Committee and Executive Director. 

 

CARRIED

 

 

 

6.         INTERIM APPOINTMENT TO BOARD COMMITTEES

Executive Director’s report dated 18 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve the appointment, on an interim basis, of A. Doyle to the Complaints Committee and the Human Resources Committee.

 

CARRIED

 

 


7.         ATTENDANCE AT ONTARIO ASSOCIATION OF POLICE SERVICES BOARDS ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Executive Director’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve the attendance of E. El-Chantiry, H. Jensen, C. Nicholson and W. Fedec at the Annual Conference of the Ontario Association of Police Services Boards, to be held May 11 - 14, 2011 in Niagara Falls, Ontario.

 

                                                                                                      CARRIED as amended

 

 

8.         FUNDRAISING EVENT IN SUPPORT OF CITIZEN ADVOCACY

Executive Director’s report dated 16 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve funding of $875 for half a table at the “Evening in the Maritimes” fundraiser in support of Citizen Advocacy of Ottawa  being held on 12 May 2011.

 

                                                                                                     CARRIED

 

 

9.         USE OF FORCE:  2010 ANNUAL REPORT

Chief’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

Chair El-Chantiry asked that staff review the changes that were made to the revised version of the report distributed earlier today so that everyone is aware of the changes.  Chief White apologized for the last minute changes and suggested that any questions be directed to A/Supt. S. Nystedt.  Member Harder suggested that in future situations similar to this, it would helpful if the changes were bolded and underlined in the revised report. 

 

A/Supt. S. Nystedt introduced A/Insp. J. McGetrick and Sgt. N. Mitilineos, who would respond to any questions from Board members.  The following points of clarification were made:

-       A carbine is a rifle and is carried in the vehicle trunk.  A select team of officers possess a carbine, which is assigned to two officers and is used as a support tool for patrol.

-       The current average years of experience of OPS patrol officers is 5.7 years and is typical of front line patrol operations (entry level) in policing across the country. 

 

Member Jensen wondered if the OPS has access to any comparators with other police forces as it is difficult to know if this is a normal situation.  He sits on a working group that is reviewing the Use of Force program for the Province of Ontario and was interested in obtaining feedback from OPS members regarding the adequacy and/or problems with Form 1 - Use of Physical Control.  It was noted that Use of Physical Control techniques need only be reported on Form 1 if it results in an injury requiring medical attention.  Member Jensen noted the intention is to make the Form accessible online. 

 

A/Supt. Nystedt indicated that no metrics exist from other services, however, if it was the wish of the Board he would have his team gather the information.  Member Jensen suggested that staff provide comparators in future years so that Board members would be able to gauge the effectiveness of what the OPS is doing. 

 

A/Supt. Nystedt was pleased to hear that the form was being considered for online completion, as it is archaic in its current state.  Sgt. Mitilineos elaborated that the form dates from 1991 and doesn’t list the Taser as a weapon, and still relies on Canada Post for delivery.  It was further noted by Cst. D. Elder that the form has too many options and details should be simplified. 

 

Sgt. Mitilineos agreed that having comparators was a great idea; he believed the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services should be generating and assessing this type of information, while ensuring everyone is gathering the same information.  The Ministry is currently looking at changing the way this information is gathered and the OPS will have an opportunity to recommend changes.  He further offered that use of force statistics are not really a good gauge of how well the Service is doing. 

 

Member Jensen hoped the proper ability to complete the form and analyze the statistics would lead to the identification of weaknesses, and where training might be required to strengthen and improve a given area. 

 

Member Doyle agreed that a comparative analysis of data from other services would be helpful.  She referenced the increased number of use of force instances in 2010 compared to 2009, and wondered what the next steps would be in terms of adjusting the training curriculum or providing remedial training. 

 

A/Supt. Nystedt explained that use of force reporting was reviewed when he joined the section in 2009.  He noted that officers could draw their hand gun, replace it in their holster without use, and then end up using the Taser, which is considered a second use of force application.  Most officers were not aware they were supposed to report both applications.  Since officers began training in 2010 on how to report properly, they are reporting both the primary application and any subsequent use of force applications.  This is one of the major reasons why statistics increased in 2010.  Another reporting practice officers were not aware of is that if three or four officers attend the same scene and they all draw their firearm, each officer is responsible for completing a report; previously they would submit only one report.  The only exception to this is the Tactical Unit, which submits only one report per incident.  With a better understanding of how to report, they are now seeing an increased number of reports.

 

Referencing the earlier suggestion to gather statistics from other police services, Chief White indicated that statistics over four or five years would be more helpful to the Service because trends could be identified, and if possible, obtaining data from other provincial agencies would also be helpful.  He noted however, that the Province of Ontario has Adequacy Standards whereas other provinces do not, and not all provinces report on the same things.  Chief White indicated they won’t know if there are any discrepancies until after the data is gathered from other services.  He can’t suggest that more or less use of force is an indicator of performance or effective policing.  The reality is he expects an appropriate use of force to be used for each incident.  A better measurement of effective policing might be what happens when force is used, and whether or not is has been appropriately applied based on the incident.  The Chief offered to gather data from five or six police services to see if it is comparable and recorded in the same way, and will report back in September.

 

Member Jensen cautioned that to date the working group has found it would be risky to use provincial comparators at this time as they are all over the map with how, when and if services report.  The new system is being designed to overcome these inconsistencies and he feels that in two years they will be in a better position to deal with comparators.

 

Chair El-Chantiry said he had heard there has been an increase in activity at bars downtown and that there are an insufficient number of Liquor Act inspectors to go around to all the bars.  He asked Chief White if it would be appropriate to send a letter to the Province requesting more supervision in monitoring over serving in bars. 

 

Chief White noted there are a few nights a week when officers find it challenging to manage intoxicated people exiting establishments at the same time.  He has had discussions with owners about a staggered exiting strategy that would allow police to better manage the situation. 

 

Speaking to the Province’s proposed legislative changes to the Liquor Licence Act, the Chief stated he has concerns about doing away with beer tents at local fairs; he believed there would not be enough officers to deal with the additional challenges of people walking freely throughout the fair with alcohol.  He understands liquor inspectors are overrun, as are OPS officers, when the downtown bars close at the same time.  He added he would have a more formal response about the proposed changes shortly.

 

Chair El-Chantiry asked Member Watson, as Mayor, if he would support writing a letter to the Province requesting an increase in the number of liquor inspectors in Ottawa.  Member Watson suggested that before making the request it would be helpful to have someone from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) speak to the Board and see what the numbers are, as he believes the number of inspectors has recently increased.  He suggested this could be arranged in conjunction with the Chief.  Chief White concurred and said he’d have District Insp. I. Kingham liaise with the AGCO as there may be a valid argument.  He stated that something would be prepared for the next Board meeting.

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 

10.     APPOINTMENTS MADE UNDER INTER-PROVINCIAL POLICING ACT (IPA) UPDATE – FOURTH QUARTER 2010

Chief’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

Member Jensen noted there has been a program in effect for a few years dealing with inter-provincial authority between Ontario and Quebec.  He wondered if the current program will continue or does the Inter-Provincial Policing Act supersede it.  If the new Act supersedes it, he believed it would be problematic for both services on either side of the provincial boundary. 

 

Chair El-Chantiry introduced Mr. V. Westwick, General Counsel to the Chief, who serves on a working group dealing with interprovincial policing, and asked if he could provide clarification.  Mr. Westwick agreed that interprovincial policing has been an ongoing issue for many years.  The intention has always been to have reciprocal acts between every province in the country.  He believes there are only three provinces now that do not have an act, with Quebec being one of them.  As it stands now, Quebec officers coming into Ontario would fall under the new Ontario legislation, Ottawa officers going to Quebec would fall under the previous protocol. 

 

Chair El-Chantiry asked if Mr. Westwick could provide additional information regarding recommendations that the working group will be submitting to the Province.  Mr. Westwick responded that he had no further updates.

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 


11.     2009 ONTARIO MUNICIPAL BENCHMARKING INITIATIVE (OMBI) POLICE SERVICES

Chief’s report dated  22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 

12.     POSITIVE WORKPLACE:  2010 ANNUAL REPORT

Chief’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 

13.     LEGAL SERVICES STATUS REPORT – 2010 FOURTH QUARTER

Board Solicitor’s report dated 18 February 2010

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 

14.     OUTSTANDING BOARD INQUIRIES & MOTIONS: FEBRUARY 2011

Executive Director’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

 


15.     LETTERS OF COMMENDATION

Chief’s report dated 22 February 2011

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.

 

                                                                                                     RECEIVED

 

OTHER BUSINESS

 

 

16.     NOTICE OF MOTION (FOR CONSIDERATION AT NEXT MEETING)

 

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve a permanent start time of monthly Board meetings at 4:00 p.m. rather than 5:00 p.m.

 

 

CONSIDERATION OF MOTION TO MOVE IN CAMERA

 

Moved by J. Harder

 

That the Ottawa Police Services Board adjourn the public portion of its meeting to move In Camera to discuss confidential items pertaining to legal matters, in accordance with Section 35(4)(b) of the Police Services Act.

     

                                                                                                            CARRIED

 

 

ADJOURNMENT

 

The meeting adjourned at 5:10 p.m.

 

 

 

 

      ____________________________                      _____________________________

      W. Fedec                                                               E. El-Chantiry

      Executive Director                                                Chair