Chicago Seeking New Chief for Agency Investigating Police

Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emmanuel, has appointed some key people to seek out a replacement for that city's Independent Police Review Agency (IPRA). Former police superintendent, Garry McCarthy, Sarah Pang (co-chair of Emmanuel's election team), Rev. Michael Pfleger, councillor Deborah Graham, and Michael Rodriguez (executive director of local non-profit group) will form a committee to find a suitable replacement for Ilana Rosenzweig as IPRA's chief administrator.

Chicago Police Investigation Head to be Selected

Such agencies play a critical role in sustaining, maintaining, or enhancing the integrity of a police service. It provides an objective platform upon which public complaints may be brought forward with respect to conduct and management of any department.

American agencies have been in existence longer than their Canadian counterparts and, therefore, it is instructive to examine the trajectory of these particular oversight bodies to see how they are supported within the municipal structures of government, how they are funded to allow their work to proceed properly, and how they are constituted in order that they may be a positive, persuasive and (reasonably) powerful presence on the public policy landscape.

Canada has brought American expertise to lead the new Independent Investigation Unit in British Columbia. A new Independent Investigation Unit has been established in Manitoba flowing from the recommendations put forward by the Honourable Roger Salhany as a result of this review of the Chrysal Taman incident.

Whoever Mayor Emmanuel's committee picks to carry on the work of Ilana Rosenzweig, that individual will have a complex department to deal with and we can watch what transpires in the 'Windy City' with great attention. Rosenzweig was also a key member of the executive of the National Association of Civilian Overseers of Law Enforcement (NACOLE) and this leaves a gap in that important body which generates further insight for other similar organizations, such as the Canadian Association of Civilian Overseers of Law Enforcement (CACOLE).

The UK's New College of Policing: Or, Why Don't We Have One?

Building upon an earlier blog from November 2012, the UK continues to demonstrate leadership through continued innovations coming out of the new College of Policing.

This entity took over many of the roles and responsibilities previously carried out under the auspices of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). It has wisely, and usefully, continued the monthly publication of the Digest which, as its name suggests, offers up-to-date summaries of police legislation, as well as, reports and information on policing operations and advances in criminal justice. Of course, circumstances alter cases in Canadian policing law and practice. However, Canadian police leaders may learn a great deal from what is transpiring in another common law jurisdiction which following the Westminster traditions. Topics like child sexual exploitation, undercover policing operations, surveillance camera code of conduct, intelligence services and other matters of interest provide excellent background research and evidence for Canadian police organizations.

The College of Policing is becoming increasingly more active in coordinating and contributing to the multitude of activities and initiatives designed to improve policing in the UK. The College's CEO, Alex Marshall, has been proactive in leading this new entity toward improvements in the overall quality of policing in this jurisdiction. The College's website: www.college.police.uk is a true gold-mine of resources for Canadian police practitioners and academics. It also highlights that current reality that Canada does not have a strong centre of gravity for its policing research and study.

Indeed, the UK offers our country a truly leading example of what might be accomplished when the notion of the 'economics of policing' is taken seriously. Earlier in July 2013, the College of Police responded to a report published by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) dealing with "Valuing the Police" which includes submissions from all police services across the UK. This is an evidence-based demonstration that these diverse police organizations are working hard to produce savings in the delivery of this vital service, while also protecting public safety, workforce safety, and ensuring quality service delivery. The HMIC's national report: Policing in austerity: rising to the challenge, and the reports submitted by the forty-three (43) individual British police services may be accessed at: www.hmic.gov.uk.programmes/value-for-money/policing-in-austerity-rising-to-the-challenge/

Canadian police leaders, including the executives of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, the Canadian Association of Police Boards, and the Canadian Police Association should all be looking very closely at the UK's College of Policing and asking themselves; Why can't we cooperate to create a Canadian equivalent of this vital agency?

Ontario Mayors Seeking to Limit Policing Costs

A number of municipalities in Ontario have gathered together to form a coalition for addressing what they see as the unsustainable costs of policing in that province:

http://www.mayorscoalition.com/index.php

Driven largely by rural (and northern) municipal representatives, the Mayors Affordable Sustainable Accountable Policing (ASAP) are pressing the issues relating to their inability to exercise significant control over their continuously escalating policing costs. Much of the concerns centres on the lack of leverage felt by municipal authorities in the context of contracts with the Ontario Government for policing provided by the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

It is important to emphasize that these municipal leaders are not only objecting to their lack of financial control over their municipal police costs, but also, they are deeply concerned that they have no true civilian governing authority over the goals and objectives of their contracted policing services. This is an ongoing issue that was raised for policy review during the 1990s when the Provincial Government established an Expert Panel on Municipal Police Budgets as part of a larger disentanglement initiative.

While the members of the Coalition have not articulated any specific policy directions to address their fundamental concerns, they are clearly adding their voices to larger questions raised by organizations like the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM).

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) will be developing some form of response to this Coalition, however, it is really the OPP that needs to formulate a position that will address the serious concerns of certain Ontario mayors as they witness increasing policing costs.

Source: OPP website (2012)