One of the frustrations of the G20 fiasco last year was that citizens felt there was nowhere to turn. It was the police against the citizens and the cops had the muscle, the numbers, the guns, the batons and no moral cares. The normal protections of the citizens, the law, the lawmakers, the provincial special investigations unit and the police board were nowhere to be seen or heard. Our safeguards were silent.
But behold, a year later, there have been stirrings from an unexpected source. The Toronto Police Services Board has discovered intestinal fortitude. The members have discovered that they have the power to turn aside the chief of police’s recommendations for police promotions. It has been reported that they actually refused promotion for police officers who had been found to have taken off their name badges while confronting citizens at the G20. This is a rare phenomenon.
The system of police boards in Ontario is not a perfect system but it is better than most. It takes us away from direct control of the police by the politicians but only by a short step. Police service boards are politically appointed. In Ontario, the municipality usually appoints the mayor (or regional chair or reeve, depending on the local municipal structure) under the ancient custom of being chief magistrate. One or two municipal councillors are also appointed by the local council, along with one or more citizens who are neither a judge nor a lawyer practicing criminal law. The board is then rounded out with a couple citizens appointed by the province.
In Babel, being a small city, we make do with just a five person board. We have the mayor, a councillor, a council-appointed citizen and the two citizens appointed by the province. The danger with any of these appointments is that the appointee might think of oneself as some sort of super cop. There was a councillor appointee in Toronto once who even figured out a way he could get to carry a gun. That spelled trouble.
One part of the problem is that some chiefs of police, who are the operational head of the police service, tend to encourage this super-cop fantasy. It co-opts members of the board into becoming avid advocates for the police. And with a small board such as Babel’s this is not very difficult.
At a recent council meeting, Babel saw the chair of the Police Services Board making the case for spending millions on a new and larger cop shop and a member of council, who is on the Police Services Board, insisting on the scheme. These two people are supposed to be setting policy for the police services in our community. What the hell are they doing trying to convince us to pay more for the comfort and convenience of the cops?
-30-
Copyright 2011 © Peter Lowry
Complaints, comments, criticisms and compliments can be sent to [email protected]