A Hamilton man who was slapped with assault charges after he suffered a seizure and then was Tasered by police in October 2022 is extremely happy the Crown dropped the charges this week. The incident involving Marcus Charles, however, has prompted calls for more […]
Category: Police
Officer training, mental health support among proposed recommendations in Yatim inquest – CBC News [2024-01-30]
Jurors at an inquest into the death of a teen shot by a Toronto police officer more than a decade ago were asked Tuesday to consider dozens of recommendations related to officer training and monitoring, peer intervention and mental health supports in an effort […]
Police budget increases may not reduce crime rates in Canadian cities, research indicates – CBC News [2024-01-18]
Increasing police budgets doesn’t necessarily reduce crime rates in Canada, according to a study led by a University of Toronto team. The research found “no consistent associations” between police funding and crime rates across 20 large municipalities, including Hamilton, Vancouver, Toronto, Winnipeg and Montreal. […]
Peel Region considers fines for those who misuse 911 – CBC News [2024-01-12]
People misusing 911 could soon face fines in Brampton, Mississauga, and Caledon, after the Peel Region council voted this week to explore whether fines or other penalties can be issued. Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown introduced the motion, citing Peel police data on emergency calls […]
Expert says number of police shootings in Canada ‘spectacularly unrelenting’ – CTV News [2023-12-30]
The family of a woman shot by an officer in Edmonton during a wellness check says her death was unnecessary, as the number of police shootings across Canada show little sign of relenting over the past four years. “I see my daughter’s death as […]
Niagara police officer asks trans woman for ‘deadname’ while questioning her filming at bus terminal – CBC News [2023-12-23]
Niagara Regional Police Service (NRPS) says it is reviewing an incident from Dec. 17, after an officer asked a transgender woman for her “deadname.” It comes after the woman, Sabrina Hill, posted a video of the incident on social media. Hill, a prominent local […]
Voluntary decals to alert B.C. first responders to presence of people who are neurodivergent – Global News [2023-12-06]
Families across the province will soon have access to a new set of stickers for their vehicles or homes, alerting first responders to the presence of a loved one with autism or another type of neurodivergence. The BC Association of Chiefs of Police will […]
Police fear ‘they’ll be seen as weak’ bringing up mental health struggles: Ontario union – Global News [2023-12-01]
A police union in a major Ontario city made a push this fall for better mental health supports for its front-line officers. Hamilton Police Association (HPA) president Jaimi Bannon faced the city’s police board in October and called for an end to a stigma […]
People with permanent tattoos are more likely to be arrested, convicted, and incarcerated, study finds – PsyPost [2023-11-06]
A new study indicate that both men and women with permanent tattoos are at a significantly higher risk of arrest, conviction, and incarceration compared to those without tattoos, potentially due to stigmatization. This correlation persists even after adjusting for self-reported criminal behavior, levels of […]
‘It will cost people their jobs’: Thunder Bay top cop says racism won’t be tolerated – Global News [2023-10-11]
Thunder Bay police Chief Darcy Fleury knows firsthand what it’s like to experience racism — and that has helped guide his first few months on the job as he looks to overhaul the embattled police force and repair relations with the Indigenous community. The […]
Sarnia, Ont. police delete tweet about woman’s shoplifting arrest following backlash – CTV News [2023-07-30]
Sarnia police have removed a Twitter post about a woman who was arrested for allegedly shoplifting food and cleaning supplies, acknowledging that it was “not in keeping” with their “internal and community expectations.” The tweet, which included a photo of the groceries in question, […]
St. Thomas police dismantle homeless camp, frustrating some outreach workers – CBC News [2023-07-19]
St. Thomas has dismantled a well-established encampment where people had set up tents and built make-shift shelters, angering outreach workers who say the people there have nowhere else to go. “What typically happens is they have to see if there’s room in the shelter […]
Arrest the homeless? London, Ont. councillor promotes controversial plan – Global News [2023-07-18]
A city councillor in London, Ont., is coming under fire after sharing a plan to address homelessness that suggested providing support that people need to get off the streets but arresting anyone who refuses assistance. Ward 4 Coun. Susan Stevenson tweeted “London could be […]
A new course teaches Ontario police recruits how to defuse a mental health crisis – CBC News [2023-07-07]
Ontario now offers an 18-hour course that teaches police recruits how to deal with people suffering from a mental health crisis, marking the first time such training has been offered to the province’s law enforcement cadets. The three-day training session was introduced last week […]
People with Mental Illness Are More Likely to Be Abused by Law Enforcement – Psychology Today [2023-06-28]
“Every time the police come after me they make me madder,” says Richard Saville-Smith, Ph.D. Saville-Smith is an independent scholar in the United Kingdom who writes about madness. He lives with madness himself. In early June his wife was worried about him and she […]
What Is the Pseudo-Psychiatric Term Excited Delirium? – Psychology Today [2023-06-21]
A pseudo-psychiatric diagnosis is being used by police and other first responders. Ketamine and other tactics are then being used to subdue a person. Police and first responders to mental health crises need more training. Mental health professionals and the police must collaborate on […]
London police not doing enough to tackle systemic racism, policing expert says – CBC News [2023-06-16]
London police officials are not doing enough to analyze their own race-based use-of-force numbers to start tackling systemic racism within their organization, an expert in police data says. London police numbers crunched by researcher Tandeep Sidhu show Black people in the city experienced force […]
Officers’ focus should be policing, not social work: New St. Thomas chief – London Free Press [2023-05-15]
Prioritizing the health and well-being of police officers is fundamental to improving the way police serve the community and build trust with the public, says the incoming St. Thomas police chief. Acting Chief Marc Roskamp, who will be sworn in Tuesday, outlined his vision. […]
Why mass shooting inquiry said Canada should look to Finland for its policing model – CBC News [2023-05-02]
The inquiry into one of the worst mass shootings in modern Canadian history says police training across Canada needs to be overhauled, and points to Finland as a potential model. The Mass Casualty Commission, the inquiry that investigated a 2020 mass shooting in Nova […]
New London police chief named, first with a racially diverse background – Global News [2023-05-01]
For the first time in the city’s history, the next police chief will come from a racially diverse background. Thai Truong was introduced Monday morning at London police headquarters as the next chief of police for the city. He is set to assume the […]
Mental-health services come too late, experts say, after uptick in violence – CTV News [2023-04-25]
Recent cases of violence across Canada demonstrate a clear need to treat mental illness early instead of waiting until a serious crime happens, says an executive with the Canadian Mental Health Association. Jonny Morris, the CEO of the B.C. division of the association, said […]
Ontario scrapping post-secondary education requirement for police recruits – CBC News [2023-04-25]
The Ontario government says it will eliminate a post-secondary education requirement to become a police officer in the province, as part of a bid to increase police recruitment numbers. Premier Doug Ford made the announcement Tuesday at a news conference alongside Solicitor General Michael […]
Trans Twitch star files human rights complaint against police after swatting arrest in London, Ont. – CBC News [2023-04-24]
A transgender activist arrested at gunpoint in her London, Ont. home in a swatting hoax has launched a human rights complaint against the local police for discriminating against her based on her gender identity and expression. Clara Sorrenti is asking the London Police Service […]
More mental health resources needed in remote First Nations, jury hears during Moses Beaver inquest – CBC News [2023-04-24]
Calls to improve mental health care resources in remote First Nations in northwestern Ontario continue to be at the forefront of the inquest into the death of Moses Amik Beaver. The 56-year-old Woodlands artist from Nibinamik, an Oji-Cree First Nation, died in Thunder Bay, […]
Doxxed Twitch streamer, trans activist files human rights complaint against London, Ont. police – Global News [2023-04-23]
A popular Twitch streamer and transgender activist has filed a human rights complaint against London, Ont., police, months after a swatting incident. On Aug. 5, 2022, Clara Sorrenti, known as Keffals on Twitch, was at the centre of a swatting attack after being doxxed […]
