An Overview of the Field Information Report Review and the Implementation of Community Inquiry Reports (306s) & Community Inquiry Report Receipts (307s)
What are the GOALS of the Service s Review? To enable officers to recognise and identify various types of police-community interactions To provide officers with procedural support for discretion and decision making capacity regarding policecommunity interactions To reduce the social cost of police-community interactions while increasing the public safety outcomes that result from those interactions
What are the 3 Ways a Police Officer Engages with the Community? Informal Interaction Community Inquiry Investigative Detention / Arrest
Community Member Police Officer Interaction Concludes with no Documentation Informal Interaction What does this mean? Informal Interaction A simple meet and greet communication between a police officer and a community member, wherein a limited exchange of information may occur.
Community Member Police Officer Interaction may Conclude with or without Documentation Community Inquiry What does this mean? Community Inquiry An in person communication between a police officer and a community member wherein the police officer, for the purposes of preserving the peace and/or preventing crimes or other offences, makes inquiry of a community member. This does not include Informal Interactions.
Community Member Police Officer Informal Interaction Community Inquiry Community Member may freely withdraw from a Community Inquiry or an Informal Interaction An Informal Interaction or Community Inquiry is an encounter wherein the community member is not obligated to participate and may freely choose to withdraw from the process or voluntarily continue with the encounter.
The Receipt (307s) The handwritten receipt (TPS 307) is offered to a person once an officer has determined a TPS 306/CIR is to be submitted The person is not obligated to take the receipt Once a Community Inquiry is initiated, the person may request, and is entitled to, a receipt (even if he/she declines to provide his/her particulars)
What are the Duties of a Police Officer under the Police Services Act? 42.(1) The duties of a police officer include, a) preserving the peace; b) preventing crimes and other offences and providing assistance and encouragement to other persons in their prevention; c) assisting victims of crime; d) apprehending criminals and other offenders and others who may lawfully be taken into custody; e) laying charges and participating in prosecutions; f) executing warrants that are to be executed by police officers and performing related duties; g) performing the lawful duties that the chief of police assigns; h) in the case of a municipal police force and in the case of an agreement under section 10 (agreement for provision of police services by O.P.P.), enforcing municipal by laws; i) completing the prescribed training. R.S.O. 1990, c. P.15, s. 42 (1); 1997, c. 8, s. 28.
What are your Rights Under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms? Life, liberty and security of person 7. Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Search or seizure 8. Everyone has the right to be secure against unreasonable search or seizure. Detention or imprisonment 9. Everyone has the right not to be arbitrarily detained or imprisoned. Arrest or detention 10. Everyone has the right on arrest or detention (a) to be informed promptly of the reasons therefor; (b) to retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right; and (c) to have the validity of the detention determined by way of habeas corpus and to be released if the detention is not lawful.
How Are Officers Being Trained? Communicating in a professional, respectful, and unbiased manner Explaining the reasons for our actions Communicating what we are doing and why we are doing it is an important part of developing a better relationship with our community members The Golden Rule: Treat people the way you would want your family to be treated
The police have every right to interact and converse with a community member. However, this must be a voluntary encounter. The community member has every right to decline to speak to the police and may be uncivil during this interaction. This does not form the grounds to arrest or detain a community member.
Police officers cannot use their status to make a community member feel that they have no choice but to speak to the police. Officers must always be mindful of an individual s human rights. Officers must always be mindful of the perception of Racially Biased Policing. This occurs when a member inappropriately considers race and ethnicity in deciding how and with whom to intervene in an enforcement capacity; this includes racial profiling.