|
Ottawa
Police Services Board
Minutes 17
Monday,
25 April 2016, 5:00 p.m.
Champlain
Room, 110 Laurier Avenue West, Ottawa
|
Present: Councillor E. El-Chantiry
(Chair), J.
Durrell (Vice Chair), Councillor J. Harder, C. Nicholson, L.A. Smallwood, Councillor
T. Tierney, S. Valiquet
CONFIRMATION OF
AGENDA
DECLARATIONS
OF INTEREST
INQUIRIES
Moved by L.A.
Smallwood
That the Ottawa Police Services Board direct Board staff to
conduct a review of the committee procedures and practices of other large boards
in the country and report back to the Board’s Policy & Governance
Committee, and that the Committee make recommendations to the Board with regard
to committee structure and mandate to ensure that they continue to meet the
Board’s expectations of transparency and accountability and contribute to an
efficient and effective decision-making process.
CARRIED
ITEMS OF BUSINESS
1.
CHIEF’S VERBAL
REPORT
Chief Bordeleau 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):
·
Moment
of Silence – Inspector G. Rosa
·
Major
Crime Arrests
·
Transfer
Policy
·
Service
Initiative and IM/IT Roadmap.
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
2.
NATIONAL CAPITAL
AREA CRIME STOPPERS : SEMI-ANNUAL UPDATE
Presentation from R. McMullen,
President, National Capital Area Crime Stoppers
Mr. McMullen
thanked the Board for the
opportunity to present their progress on a semi-annual basis. Mr. T. Bristow,
Volunteer; OPS Sgt. Wong; and A/Sgt Cookson were in attendance. (A
copy of the presentation is on file with the Board's Executive Director.) The
presentation covered the following topics:
·
Board
Governance
·
Statistics
·
Community
Outreach
·
Partner
Update
·
Media
Update
·
Financial
Update
·
Looking
Forward.
Chief
Bordeleau thanked Mr. McMullen and Crime Stoppers for all their help over the
past year; the number of guns taken off the street has tripled, and the number
of arrests and charges has doubled. Ottawa Crime Stoppers is doing an amazing
job within the community and should be used as a model for success across the
country. He congratulated Mr. McMullen on the renewal of his term as President.
On
behalf of the Board, Chair El-Chantiry thanked Mr. McMullen for all his time
and hard work on behalf of Crime Stoppers.
That the
Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
3.
CANADIAN
ASSOCIATION OF POLICE GOVERNANCE ANNUAL CONFERENCE: ATTENDANCE
Executive Director’s report
That
the Ottawa Police
Services Board approve the attendance of Chair El-Chantiry, Members Nicholson,
Smallwood and Valiquet at the 2016 Canadian Association of Police Governance
Conference being held in Ottawa, Ontario from 12 – 14 August 2016.
CARRIED
4.
ONTARIO
ASSOCIATION OF POLICE SERVICES BOARDS’ ANNUAL CONFERENCE: FUNDING REQUEST
Executive Director’s report
That the Ottawa Police Services Board
approve a $1,000 sponsorship contribution to the Ontario Association of Police
Services Boards’ 2016 Annual Conference being held in Toronto, Ontario on May
11 - 14, 2016.
CARRIED
5.
“IGNITING THE
SPIRIT” FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR THE WABANO CENTRE FOR ABORIGINAL HEALTH
Executive Director’s report
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board approve funding for a table at the Wabano
Centre for Aboriginal Health “Igniting the Spirit” gala being held on 21 June
2016 at the Ottawa Conference Centre, at a cost of $2,000.
CARRIED
6.
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT / INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IM/IT) ROADMAP
AND IMPLEMENTATION
APPROACH
Member Smallwood noted that the report
indicates the IM/ IT Roadmap will affect areas where work is highly manual and
will impact a number of civilian jobs. He wanted to know how staff is planning
to mitigate this.
Director General D. Frazer explained there have been
meetings with the Ottawa Police Association (OPA) and the Senior Officers
Association (SOA) allowing them the opportunity to review the plan and gain an
understanding of the road ahead. The advantage of having a 7-year plan is the
ability to anticipate where changes will happen and the magnitude of the change,
and plan accordingly. The forecast over the next few years indicates there are
a number of ways that this process will be mitigated: retirement peaks for
both sworn and civilian employees; attrition through a natural rotation within
the workforce; and retraining opportunities. Staff will be working
collaboratively with the OPA to ensure a smooth transition throughout the term
of the work plan.
Responding to a question from Member Tierney about
actions being taken to reduce risks, DG Frazer noted four key steps to minimize
risk: in 2014 numerous requirements analyses were conducted while tapping into
staff experiences and the expertise of IBM; the organization’s ability to
absorb change was reviewed and a phased in process is being recommended;
procurement “offramps” will be built into the contracts should partnerships become
unsatisfactory along with a process to re-engage with others; and, maintaining the
partnership with Gartner Consulting, whose role will be to help ensure the OPS
gets the products they contract for and achieve the expected results.
DG Frazer advised that the OPS has consulted with three
City experts throughout this process: Mr. C. Duffett, Chief Information
Officer; Mr. W. McDonald, Chief Procurement Officer and Ms. M. Simulik, City
Treasurer.
DG Frazer explained that the report commits to $8 million
in financial savings that will reduce expenses over 6 years. Non financial
savings include approximately 250,000 sworn officer hours and 75,000 civilian
hours of time freed up. As administrative work is made easier (ie: online background
check process) they will be able to redeploy the hours within the organization.
Referring to the savings projected to be generated by the
initiative, Vice Chair Durrell asked that these substantive savings be
quantified in future reports to the Board. Chief Bordeleau indicated that
reporting back to the Board is critical and updates will ensure staff are
achieving the anticipated efficiencies.
Responding to a question from Member Valiquet regarding
contracts Gartner Consulting has had with other police services, Mr. D.
Steeves, Chief Information Officer, stated that Gartner is one of the foremost IT
consulting firms across several industries. The OPS is using them not only for
public safety and IT solutions but for risk mitigation as well. Gartner led
the $1 billion integration for the NYPD and was a major contributor for the LAPD.
They are very good at what they do and maintain a third party independence to assist
and keep the organization protected throughout the process.
Mr. Steeves explained that Gartner is sole sourced
because of their expertise. They are the only agency in the world that sets
the agenda for internet technology; he is unaware of any other agency of their
caliber.
That the Ottawa Police Services
Board approve:
1.
The Information
Management / Information Technology Roadmap.
2. The selection through request for proposals of a Prime
Contractor to implement the Roadmap.
3. The award of a contract to Gartner Consulting to support the
implementation of the Roadmap, for an amount not to exceed $4,450,000 excluding
taxes over the period 2016 to 2021.
CARRIED
7.
CONTINUATION OF
CARLETON UNIVERSITY SPECIAL CONSTABLE PROGRAM
The Ottawa Police Services Board
approve the continuation of the Carleton Special Constable Program for a
five-year term, as described in this report.
CARRIED
8.
OTTAWA
POLICE SERVICE INITIATIVE: UPDATE
Chief’s report
Presentation
The presentation was led by A/Supt. M.
Ford, accompanied by A/Inspector R. Drummond and Ms. J. Wright, Program Manager.
(A copy of
the presentation is on file with the Board's Executive Director.) The following items were
covered:
·
Policing
Context
·
Goals
of the Service Initiative Program
·
New
Service Delivery Model
·
Changes
to Date
·
Consultation
& Engagement.
Following the presentation, Chief Bordeleau
stated that the current service delivery model was implemented in 1995 and has
been adjusted over the years, however, policing continues to evolve at a rapid
pace. Present and future challenges necessitate a transformation of the
organization. This new way of doing business will ensure the OPS is effective
and efficient. It is not happenstance that the IM/IT Roadmap is being rolled
out concurrently. The work being done from an IT perspective will support the operational
changes. The Chief stated they have not lost sight of the tenets of community
policing and want to maintain it. Having public consultations and hearing from
the community will help determine what is important and make sure the model is reflective
of what the community needs.
The Board heard from the following
public delegations:
Ms. C. Parrott, Hintonburg Community
Association – (A copy of the submission is on file with the Board’s
Executive Director.)
Ms. L. Marleau,
Crime Prevention Vanier – (A
copy of the submission is on file with the Board’s Executive Director.)
Councillor
J. Leiper, Ward 15, Kitchissippi,
said he has been a resident and volunteer in Hintonburg for 20 years. The
neighbourhood is safer now due in large part to the central role of the
Community Police Officer (CPO) who has intimate knowledge of the
neighbourhood. Residents in his ward have been hearing for weeks about
potential changes and are concerned that community policing could potentially
be changed by this initiative. He is open to new models and is cognizant of
the need to find efficiencies, but the outcomes must remain the same. The
current community police model is delivering results; to continue achieving
these results the OPS must listen to residents. He asked that the OPS have
discussions with residents to ensure that communities continue to benefit from
the incredible service the OPS has been delivering.
Ms. J. Jennings, Executive Director, By-Ward Market BIA – (A copy of the submission is
on file with the Board’s Executive Director.)
Councillor
M. Fleury, Ward 12,
Rideau Vanier, has only encountered positive interactions between the OPS and
residents. He spoke to the decision regarding By-Law Services and the OPS not
responding to noise calls; this highlights a challenge. He recognized there
are consultations that are planned in the near future, and he asked that a hold
be put on the by-law decisions, to allow more discussion so that the services
can be aligned.
Chair
El-Chantiry clarified that discussions about by-law changes have been ongoing
between City and Police staff since 2013, and work continues. Member Fleury
explained that his reference was to changes that are or will be occurring where
members of Council, who are not on the Board, are not engaged in the process
and he asked that they be engaged.
Ms.
J. Kwong, Executive
Director, Vanier BIA, echoed many of the comments made by previous speakers.
The Vanier BIA works very closely with their CPO who provides guidance and
assistance to the numerous businesses in the community. It is important to
have community officers as they help community members feel safe. She hoped
the importance of CPOs remains a consideration as this process moves forward.
Councillor
D. Deans, Ward 10
Gloucester-Southgate, expressed concern about what appears to be the
dismantling of the very thing that works best in our communities. So many
problems have been solved by community officers; the cornerstone of policing is
developing community relationships. She is worried that public consultation is
coming too late in the process. She implored the Board to take a step back and
reconsider.
Mr.
S. Monuk, Business
Owner, reiterated that the most important thing being lost is their first point
of contact. The By-Ward Market has had its problems in the past and he has
always had a point of contact, which he is concerned about losing. From his
perspective, the neighbourhood officers have made his staff of 700 feel very
safe in their dealings with members of the public.
Mr.
P. Zanetti, Ottawa
Police Service GLBT Liaison Committee, thought the presentation was very good;
however, he noted that there was no mention of what mechanisms will be
available for community feedback.
Ms.
P. Ducharme, Downtown
Rideau BIA, stressed the same concerns that have been voiced by other
speakers. She believes there has been a gap in the process and there has to be
an opportunity to close that gap by way of consultations with the community at
large. She would like the opportunity to consult with her colleagues in the
greater context of this topic. Rideau has already experienced the loss of the CPO
and have since seen a reduction of calls for service as residents have become
disengaged.
Mr.
M. Skof, President, Ottawa
Police Association (OPA), stated the presentation made to the Board today was
shown to the OPA the day after the district members saw it. He stated the OPA
has impressed upon the SI that there are significant issues regarding the
collective agreements that will be problematic with how this model is rolling
out. He expressed frustration at not being able to schedule further meetings
on the topic. He questioned the suggestion in the presentation that there are
silos within patrol and district, saying that feedback may have been received
but his own experience in District could not be further from that. He
cautioned against getting rid of specialty units as he feared it would result
in different platoons working on the same problems over and over again. Finally,
he wanted the community to understand that this is likely to be a reactive
model with a properly staffed patrol sector, but there will definitely be a
change in the service that has been received to date in the community.
Written submissions were also received
from: Mr. A. Filoso, President, Italian
Canadian Community Centre, President Ottawa’s Canada Festival, Vice President,
Ottawa Firefighters Community Foundation and President, Italian Canadian
Community Historical Society; and Ms. G.
McClelland-Crout. (Copies
of the submissions are on file with the Board’s Executive Director.)
Given
all the comments that have been heard, Member Smallwood said it was clear that
there should be no diminishment of services in the community. He understood
this is a very challenging initiative for the Service and staff are looking for
efficiencies, but not at the cost of the community. He was pleased to see the work staff
is doing on the Service Initiative and the back office transformation that will
continue to provide efficiencies and savings. He expressed concern about the status of the efficiencies
and asked if they were on target to meet the projections in the 2016 Budget.
DG
Frazer reported they are currently on target to achieve the full $2 million in
efficiencies. At budget time they were just less than $700,000 short of the
target. With the back office transformation underway and the payroll function
transferred to the City, a range of policies were aligned with City policies
and a number of areas of overpayment were noted. The introduction of the new
policies will eliminate this in the future and the savings have been identified
for the outstanding balance. Member Smallwood asked that regular updates on
the efficiencies be brought to the Board during the course of the year.
Member
Nicholson thanked the presenters and stated the message is very clear that public
consultation / engagement is a must and is critical. He wondered if the SI
project warranted a similar function as the one Gartner is providing with the
IT/IM Project.
Chief
Bordeleau thanked the delegations for their input, saying it speaks to the
passion the community has for policing and to the excellent work the officers
are doing every day. Staff needed to develop an implementation concept prior
to asking the community what was considered important. The role and function
of the CPC officer is important and he recognizes the importance of officers
walking a beat in the downtown area. Responding to Member Nicholson’s comments
regarding a third party role for this initiative, the Chief felt the Board
fulfills the role of ensuring community needs are met and that efficiencies are
also met.
Chair El-Chantiry thanked the speakers for their feedback
and noted work with the community will continue.
That the Ottawa Police Services Board
receive this update on the Service Initiative Program for information.
RECEIVED
9.
AWARDS TO BE
PRESENTED AT THE COMMUNITY / POLICE AWARDS CEREMONY
That the
Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
10. 2013 – 2015 BUSINESS PLAN: FINAL
REPORT
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
11. PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
SECTION : 2015 ANNUAL REPORT
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
12. COMPLAINTS REPORT - PART V,
POLICE SERVICES ACT: FIRST QUARTER 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
13. FINANCIAL
STATUS REPORT: FIRST QUARTER 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
14. WORKFORCE
MANAGEMENT REPORT: FIRST QUARTER 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
15. LEGAL SERVICES
STATUS REPORT: FIRST QUARTER 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
16. BOARD
MONITORING REQUIREMENTS STATUS REPORT: FIRST QUARTER 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
17. REPORT
ON SIU INVESTIGATION: 16 NOVEMBER 2015
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
18. REPORT ON SIU
INVESTIGATION: 24 FEBRUARY 2016
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
19. OUTSTANDING BOARD INQUIRIES &
MOTIONS: APRIL 2016
Executive Director’s
report
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
20. LETTERS OF COMMENDATION
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report for information.
RECEIVED
COMMUNICATIONS
PROVINCIAL
CONSULTATION ON AMENDMENTS TO POLICE SERVICES ACT
a) Letter dated 6 April
2016 from Greater Sudbury Police Services Board Chair, R. Anderson to The
Honourable Y. Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services
b) Letter dated 6 April
2016 from the Regional Municipality of Niagara Police Services Board to The
Honourable Y. Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services
c) Letter
dated 1 April 2016 from the Hamilton Police Services Board to The Honourable Y.
Naqvi, Minister of Community Safety & Correctional Services
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board receive
these communications for information.
RECEIVED
OTHER BUSINESS
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 and personnel matters, in
accordance with Section 35(4)(b) of the Police Services Act.
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:00 p.m.
(original signed by) (original
signed by)
____________________________ _____________________________
W. Fedec E.
El-Chantiry
Executive Director Chair
Document 1
April
25, 2016
Chair
Eli-El-Chantiry
Members
of Police Services Board
Nine
years ago, the Hintonburg Community Association came before the Ottawa Police
Services Board, to fight to keep the Community Police Centre in this area. The
Police were paying $90,000/year in rent for a storefront further down
Wellington. We spent months working very closely with the Inspector and
suggested a room in the Hintonburg Community Centre. The Police Centre was
moved in 2007 and the rent is now $8,000/year. A savings of over $80,000/year
for the last 9 years and the rent paid goes to pay for free youth programming –
a proven crime prevention action. A win for everyone.
We
all believed that a stronger presence in our community could potentially turn
things around and make our streets safer. And we were right. Having a
dedicated, specialized community police presence has worked tremendously well,
with our residents having an officer available who is known and trusted to
help. Our community is safer, crime is down and this area has become a
destination rather than one to be avoided. The number of calls for service in
Hintonburg and Mechanicsville has significantly decreased over the past few
years and this is thanks to proactive, preventative and informed Community
Police Officers and Neighbourhood Officers. We went from the highest calls for
service to one of the lowest in the City – a clear cost savings. This was due
to the strong partnership between community and police – neither could have
accomplished this alone.
With
all of this success, you can understand why rumours about the proposed changes
to the policing model that are a part of the Service Initiative have us
worried. We have been unable to receive clear information and to this point,
cannot reassure residents of what may or may not be happening. Are the
Community Police Officers, Neighbourhood Officers, School Resource Officers,
Beat Officers gone? When will this happen- Jan 1,2017?
The
Multi-Stakeholder Approach to Problem Addresses – this started in Hintonburg in
1995 under a different name. The present model shows the Community Police
Officer is the lead. How will this happen if that position is gone or a patrol
officer does this in their spare time?
We
understand that the Police need to review their operations to ensure that
resources – people and dollars – are being used most effectively. We have
helped the Police realize savings in the past and we will work to help find
savings in the future. What we cannot support though, is for this to be a
purely cost-saving exercise that could blindly cause Ottawa to revert to solely
reactive policing and lose specialized resources in communities where they are
needed and effective.
We
are told that no one knows what this new model will look like – what positions
stay and what are gone. Realistically this is only 5 months before
implementation – it is hard to believe that the decision has not already been
made.
The
community associations represented in this letter are your partners and our
volunteers have invested a great deal in improving our neighbourhoods and also,
specifically, supporting these specialized officers as trusted members of our
community.
In
a letter from the Police dated April 20th, it states that “…community policing will always be the cornerstone of our
strategy to serve residents.” We certainly hope so. But more so, we want to
state that we unequivocally support our Community Police Centres and
dedicated officers. They have made a tremendous difference for our community
and we want them to stay. This system works.
Trust
takes a long time to build but can be lost very quickly. We ask, respectfully,
that you direct the Police to proceed by considering both dollars and sense in the
Service Initiative and that they do indeed keep communities first. We also
request that as a part of this or any significant service review, that you
ensure that communities like ours are consulted in a meaningful way
before final decisions are made. Changes in how policing is delivered can have
a huge impact on us.
Please
direct OPS to bring back the results of the community consultation to PSB for
consideration.
Cheryl
Parrott
Co-chair
Security Committee
Hintonburg
Community Association
On
behalf of
Civic
Hospital Neighbourhood Association
Hintonburg
Community Association
Mechanicsville
Community Association
Preston
Street BIA
Italian
Canadian Community Centre on Gladstone
Document 2
April 25, 2016
Hello,
My
name is Lucie Marleau and I am the founder of Crime Prevention Vanier and
Neighbourhood Watch Program Volunteer Coordinator for Vanier.
I’m
here to speak on the importance of the Community Police Officer - and the
Community Police Centre - in Vanier.
Last
year, not one but two community groups successfully nominated our CPO, Cst.
Jacques Carrière, for Crime Prevention Ottawa’s Community Enforcement
Professional Award. The nomination was accompanied with no less than 10 letters
of support from community groups and merchants.
In
his 2 ½ yrs as Vanier CPO, Cst. Carrière made a priority of connecting the
Ottawa Police Service and its Community Police Centre, and the services it
offers, to Vanier residents and community groups. Cst. Carrière took a
pro-active approach to community policing by engaging with local residents,
merchants, and community groups and services in order to fully understand the
area’s safety concerns. Thanks to his multi-prong approach to policing, he
understood the importance of fostering strong and collaborative relationships
with all key stakeholders living and working in Vanier. He actively
participated in/organized/conducted:
·
Multiple
sessions on elder safety;
·
Conflict
resolution of behalf of residents, business owners, and community services;
·
100s of
community meetings and events;
·
Eyes on
Vanier Walkabouts;
·
Distribution
and promotion of safety-related materials and OPS online reporting features;
·
Community
resource guide for new residents;
·
Advocacy
of crime-prevention-through-beautification efforts;
·
Public
events for National Police Week & Crime Prevention Week
·
Vanier’s
annual Halloween Safe Zones
·
Crime
Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) audits and training; and
·
Was a
frequent speaker at Vanier’s Café Francophile.
At
the urging of Cst. Carrière, I successfully applied to OPS for a volunteer
position as Neighbourhood Watch Program Coordinator – Vanier. Together we
conducted an audit of Vanier’s Neighbourhood Watch Program, identified the
watches that were active, abandoned, and struggling. We collaborated on
finding new Captains for the ‘orphaned’ watches, offered ‘OPS meet & greet’
events to existing and potential watches, and we ensured that our watches had
the support and tools required to effectively address safety issues. Our CPO
was instrumental in reviving Vanier’s Neighbourhood Watch Program. Without the
leadership of our Community Police Officer, the NW Program in Vanier would
still be in tatters. He consistently supported Crime Prevention Vanier’s
efforts and advocacy for greater safety awareness in Vanier.
I
remember when I reported to 3-1-1 that a local prostitute had once again
graffiti-tagged a bench as her ‘office’. Our CPO immediately sent an e-mail to
3-1-1 endorsing my request for the prompt removal of the graffiti. The
graffiti was removed within 48 hours. He urged the Wabano Centre for
Aboriginal Health to activate a Trespass to Property Authorization thereby
giving OPS the authorization to remove loiterers from its property. He
advocated for new gates on selected properties to impede criminal activity and
inappropriate use of their parking lots by drivers, sex trade workers and
Johns. He suggested buzzer activated entrances so business owners/staff can
prevent inappropriate use of its premises; and as importantly, active &
frequent use of CPC offices by community groups and volunteers to increase its
visibility, importance and relevance to Vanier. Only an effective CPO who
knows his or her area well would know to do these things.
Our
Community Police Officer plays a vital role in facilitating resident engagement
to make our community safer – that the Ottawa Police Service is only as good as
the support it receives from the citizens it serves.
Unfortunately,
Vanier wasn't mobilized to the extent it is today when OPS decided to merge
Vanier, Overbrook, and Manor Park under one CPO. It is a decision I wish
I could undo, given the big demand for police services, particularly in
Vanier and Overbrook. At a time when Vanier needed more services, OPS
chose to water down the services it offered to us.
Should
a proposal to remove our one and only CPO come to be, it will have a harmful
effect on Vanier. As well, such a move would be counterintuitive to everything
OPS has been drumming into us for a decade which was/is to report,
report, report so OPS knows how/where to allocate resources. On many
occasions, the former and current Chiefs of Police have publicly thanked the
residents of Vanier for bringing concerns to the attention of OPS, allowing it
to shut down drug houses and execute John sweeps, among other
successful OPS operations in Vanier.
From
my perspective, community policing is still in its infancy and it can take
decades to thoroughly implement. Since 2007, community groups in Vanier have
worked tirelessly to support that approach by urging residents to engage OPS
and still, it continues to be an uphill challenge.
Removing
our CPO - and our Community Police Centre on MacArthur, if that too is being
considered – will be detrimental to Vanier and possibly undo a decade of
community efforts. Many improvements have been made in terms of crime
prevention and reporting in Vanier, and for that we are grateful for the
support we receive from our CPO. But we have had to work too hard to forge a
healthy and collaborative rapport with OPS to have the CPO position/CPC
removed.
Thank
you for your time.
Lucie
Marleau
OPS
Neighbourhood Watch Program Coordinator – Vanier
Crime
Prevention Vanier
Document 3
ByWard Market Business Improvement Area /
Zone
d’améliorations commerciales du marché By
Friday, Aril 22, 2016
Ottawa Police Services
Board
110 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON K1P 1J1
Dear Ottawa Police Services
Board Members;
Re: Ottawa Police Service
Initiative Update
On behalf of the ByWard
Market BIA Board of Directors, our 600+ business members and the ByWard Market
Safety and Security Committee (representing a wide group of diverse
stakeholders including businesses, residents and community partners); we are
writing to you today to express our sincere concerns about the proposed new
direction outlined in the Ottawa Police Service Initiative Update.
Both ByWard Market
businesses and our visitors rely on our NHO’s, foot patrol and beat officers to
maintain a safe and welcome atmosphere. The regular presence and interactions
with officers who are specifically assigned to the area is our greatest asset
in terms of addressing our challenging and diverse safety and security needs.
The ByWard Market is the
City’s number one tourist attraction with a Provincial Tourism Designation. It
is home to one of Canada’s largest and oldest outdoor markets open 363 days per
year and encompasses over 600 businesses. It is also home to: the National
Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Mint, Notre Dame Basilica and the US Embassy.
But beyond the borders of the ByWard Market district, our larger community
includes Rideau, Lowertown, Lowertown East, and Sandy Hill. Each individual
neighbourhood has diverse and complicated issues which are all interconnected.
Within this greater
district, attractions and amenities include: the UNESCO World Heritage Site
Rideau Canal, the Shaw Centre, the Chateau Laurier, the Rideau Centre, the
University of Ottawa, Arts Court, numerous hotels and a future LRT station. All
of this just steps away from Parliament Hill.
Add to this an
interprovincial truck route through its heart, a major bus and transportation
corridor, three major homeless shelters housing over a thousand homeless,
dozens of drop-in centres, hundreds of supportive and public housing units,
several harm reduction programs including needle distribution sites and the
proposed location of a supervised injection site.
This unbelievable clash of
cultures and diversity of stakeholders presents a unique challenge in regards
to maintaining a safe and secure environment for all stakeholders. This is only
achieved with a consistent team of proactive officers specifically assigned to
the area; officers who possess a profound knowledge of the players,
circumstances and geography of the area.
Under the proposed new
model, who will be the area specialists? Who will be responsible for
operational planning if there are no longer community or neighbourhood
specialists making those operational decisions? The downtown area players and
situations change regularly. Who will be responsible to keep track of all the
changes and be the “experts” in the area?
The belief that officers
can simply be encouraged to get out of their patrol cars more often and be
proactive at the same time as being reactive on patrol, is in our estimation
foolhardy and a risk we are not willing to take and do not support.
Over the last few years,
the greater commitment and focus on proactive policing through dedicated foot
patrols, demo beats and beat cops has produced real and tangible results. Since
our high in 2006, our Street Ambassadors stats have shown significant decreases
in negative and problematic behaviour on the streets of the Market and overall
customer safety is very high. But the gains will be quickly lost if we lose
these dedicated officers.
In 2006, the Downtown Coalition
for a Safe Community was formed and the District and Neighbourhood officers
played a leading role in that initiative. The idea to bring all the
stakeholders together was suggested by an NHO constable at the time, and the
District Inspector and Staff Sergeant were instrumental in the formalization of
the group. As a result the Have a Heart Give Smart Program was developed
including the kindness meter program. To date the program has paid the moving
costs for over 150 moves of chronically homeless individuals into supportive
housing units.
There is no greater sense
of safety for a community member than face to face interactions and
relationship building with neighbourhood officers. Their constant presence
(whether a chance meeting on the sidewalk or a drop in to a business) builds
relationships and trust, and this sense of trust takes a significant amount of
time to build, but that trust can be broken and lost very quickly. An officer
sitting in a car is cold and intimidating.
Additional concerns are
related to the timing: January 1, 2017. In 2017 Ottawa is expecting to host an
extra million tourists. In 2017 we are supposed to be putting our “best face
forward”. 2017 is not the time to make sweeping changes to service delivery.
Changes that will undoubtedly take time to tweak and iron out wrinkles. We
cannot afford to have policing issues overshadow the millions and millions of
dollars invested in this National Celebration, when wrinkles and issues will be
on display for all the world to see.
Finally, we must call
attention to the absence of advanced and meaningful consultation with the
community at large, the very citizens who rely on the Service. Community
members are also on the front-lines. Our varied experiences, knowledge and
proficiencies are also extremely valuable to the police service process.
Unfortunately, it’s only due to widespread community concern and objections
that public consolations are quickly and reactively being planned.
Changes to delivery in
police services can have very significant impacts on our community. With this
is mind we request meaningful and engaging consultation in a process that is
recommending such sweeping institutional and organizational changes.
Furthermore it is
incredibly concerning to hear that neighbourhood and district officers have
already been informed they will be re-assigned, that their positions will no
longer exist. This sounds very much like a done deal and not under
consideration or open to consultation. We truly hope that this is not the case.
Sincerely,
(original signed by)
Phil
Waserman Vice-Chair Board