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REPORT RAPPORT |
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REPORT RAPPORT |
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DATE:
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17 December 2012 |
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TO/DEST:
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Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board |
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FROM/EXP:
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Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service |
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SUBJECT/OBJET:
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TRAFFIC STOP RACE DATA
COLLECTION –
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RECOMMENDATION
That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
BACKGROUND
The Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project is the result of a settlement agreement between the Ottawa Police Services Board (Board) and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC). A full copy of the settlement agreement can be found online at ottawapolice.ca/race.
The goals of this study are:
· To continue the ongoing work related to ensuring bias-free policing.
· To continue to promote community trust and confidence in the police by addressing and discussing community concerns.
· To continue a commitment to openness and accountability.
· To advance the study of the collection of race-based data, and;
· To use recommendations from this study to strengthen service to the community.
Highlights of the settlement agreement:
· The settlement provides for race-based data collection on all traffic (vehicle) stops by the OPS for a period of two years (April 2013 – April 2015).
· The Project will record the observational assessments of driver race by OPS officers.
· The data will be gathered in a disaggregated format and will not be used in discipline or performance appraisals.
· The data collection will commence within 12 months of the signature date (April 27, 2012) of the agreement.
· The settlement provides for a six-month consultation process with the community; however the police service is committed to internal and external consultation throughout the project.
· At the end of the project, the data will be made available to the OHRC.
· A mutually agreed upon expert in relation to race-based data collection will be engaged to work on this project within nine months.
· The Board will give good faith considerations of study recommendations by the OHRC.
This data collection project will be the largest of its kind in Canada. Every year, well over 50,000 vehicles are stopped in the City of Ottawa by Ottawa Police and all of those encounters will be recorded as part of this study.
DISCUSSION
The Ottawa Police Service (OPS) is committed to developing and maintaining the trust of the community it serves by providing responsive, effective, and equitable policing to all residents. Through ongoing dialogue with the people it serves, training of officers, and a racial profiling policy developed in consultation with the community, the OPS continues to work to ensure that all persons live in a community with bias free policing.
As part of this ongoing focus, the OPS is currently engaged in implementing the Traffic Stop Race Data Collection Project. The implementation date is April 27, 2013. The purpose of this report is to update the Board on the implementation of this project including consultation plan next steps.
Implementation Team & Research Team
Following the signing of the agreement, an OPS project team, lead by Inspector Pat Flanagan, was organized in order to implement the project. That team is working on the various issues and challenges related to implementation including the development of a consultation plan, the necessary IT solutions to collect the data, police training, as well as the identification of an expert to assist the OPS in conducting the study.
A York University Research Team has been retained to assist in the development of the methodology to collect and analyze race-based data. In addition, the team will be helping the OPS conduct a series of consultation activities with the community and OPS membership.
The hiring of the research team is consistent with the settlement agreement between the Board and the OHRC. The team was selected by a panel whose membership included representatives of the OPS, the OHRC and the community. The York team includes:
· Dr. Lorne Foster ― a Professor and Director of the Graduate Program in Public Policy Administration and Law.
· Dr. Lesley Jacobs ― a Professor of Law & Society and Political Science, Academic Director/Executive Director of the Canadian Forum on Civil Justice, and Co-Director of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s funded Cost of Justice project.
· Dr. Bobby Siu ― a Professor of the Graduate Program in Public Policy Administration.
Collectively, the team brings a combination of research experience and knowledge on the issues of race and ethnic relations, human rights, data collection, empirical research, social justice and public policy.
The challenges related to the project include: public and member awareness of and feedback on the agreement, project timelines, data collection methodology, census benchmarking, training, IT and other issues.
A pilot exercise with a limited number of officers will be conducted before full implementation of the study.
Consultation Plan
The Consultation Plan has been designed to raise awareness about the project and ensure that public and OPS members have the opportunity to provide their feedback through a series of consultative opportunities.
Consultation with the public
Since the signing of the agreement, the project team has undertaken a series of consultative and outreach opportunities, which include a mix of tools and techniques. The following points detail our consultation activities over the last several months and in December, January and February.
1. Online questionnaire for community members: To ensure accessibility, a web-based questionnaire soliciting feedback and opinions is now available on ottawapolice.ca/race. A special section of the website holds key information regarding the project such as updates, frequently asked questions and important documents. This information is being shared through social media.
2. Interviews, targeted outreach and focus groups: A number of consultation meetings and interviews have been held with community members and groups since the project initiation. These types of discussions are expected to continue throughout the project. The project team has reached out to a variety of groups including multi-cultural groups and organizations, BIAs, the African Canadian Legal Clinic, the Ottawa taxi industry and Community Health and Resource Centres.
3. A public consultation session will be held on 31 January 2013 from 6:30 p.m to 9 p.m. at the R.A. Centre.
4. Community ride-alongs with traffic officers: Since July, COMPAC and other community members continue to participate in ride-alongs with traffic officers to help increase awareness about the project and policing in general. This will support understanding and dialogue with the community. Ride-along opportunities will continue for the life of the project. Specifically, the project team is encouraging interested community members, media and other stakeholders to participate.
5. Discussions and updates to COMPAC and other community stakeholders: A number of presentations and regular updates continue to be provided to community groups and partners. These include:
§ COMPAC update presentations at each monthly meeting.
§ RCMP community diversity committee meetings.
§ Presentation and basketball game with youth from Jaku Konbit; and
§ Sessions with First Nations community hosted by COMPAC’s Vice-Chair at Odawa Community Centre.
6. Online forums: A social media chat session is being planned for January 2013.
Consultation with Internal Membership
The OPS is also concentrating efforts on ensuring its members are aware of the project and are able to provide input. This process will continue to involve the OHRC, the research team and the Senior Officers’ Association and the Ottawa Police Association.
· Meetings, presentations and focus groups: Briefings and consultation meetings will continue to be held throughout the project to ensure an understanding and awareness of the project. It is important to ensure that officers are kept informed of developments in the project and that decisions on its implementation are consistent with operational needs. Presentations and meetings with members, especially to those that will be carrying out the study, such as the Emergency Operations Division – Traffic Enforcement, the Patrol Staff Sergeant group, Information and Technology (including Records Management), the Professional Development Centre, Professional Standards and the Senior Management group, have been undertaken.
· Intranet Questionnaire: A questionnaire has been posted on the internal intranet to allow members to provide comment and feedback on the project.
· Regular updates and communication: Email and intranet updates will continue throughout the project to ensure members are kept up to date on developments.
Communications including earned media, paid advertising, a community paper outreach plan, multilingual communications, social media, web-based information and more low-tech approaches, like handbills and posters, will be utilized throughout this period.
The OPS will be working to evaluate this communications plan to ensure its effectiveness and to make adjustments in the coming months to ensure community and internal awareness has been achieved.
FINANCIAL STATEMENT
Project costs will be allocated to corporate account: #TSRDCP 906213 for 2012 and 2013. Project costs to date include:
- Data Research Expert for Data Collection Methodology $90,000.00
- IT Business Solution for Data Collection Instrument 40,000.00
130,000.00
CONCLUSION
Race-based data collection for police stops is recognized as one of the tools available to help police services address concerns of racial profiling. Police services can benefit by using this tool in order to address community concerns and questions. The OPS believes that this project will contribute to strengthening relationships with the community.
The information gathered in the consultation will be utilized in the development of the project. It will also be summarized and reported back to the Board in early 2013.
The OPS will continue to update the Board on developments in this project.
(Original signed by)
Charles Bordeleau
Chief of Police
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Responsible for the report: Inspector Pat Flanagan
