Finding Common Ground: Making the Governance Relationship of Police Services a Success An Executive Workshop for Police Executives and Police Service Board Members November 15-17, 2006 MacEwan Conference & Event Centre, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta The Canadian Police College Police Executive Centre is pleased to offer this workshop in cooperation with the Canadian Association of Police
Boards, the Alberta Solicitor General and Public Security and the Calgary Police Commission 2
OUTLINE Learning Objectives: 1. To understand the formal and legal role of external oversight in police management. 2. To explain and clarify the dynamics of relationships between police forces, police executives and oversight bodies such as Police Boards. 3. To share experiences from within the participants and through police and police board members. 4. To build a compendium of best practices in creating productive relationships between police forces and their external oversight bodies. Agenda Wednesday, 15 November 2006: The Governance Paradigm 0830-0930 Overview and Introduction: Welcome from the College: Denis Couillard, Director, Police Executive Centre Course objectives and structure Rules of engagement Participants expectations: what would be success for me in this course? A Roundtable Course co-ordinator: Andrew Graham, School of Policy Studies, Queens University Starting the Parking Lot: Ideas and Practices to Take Away 0930-1200 What is Good Corporate Governance and Why Does it Matter? 3
An overview of what governance is and how it works in various environments. Andrew Graham Issues to consider: What does it take to have good governance? What does a business-like organization look like? What do Boards need to do to build governance credibility What do Police Services need to support good governance CAPB Best Practices 1300-1500 Police Governance in Canada The Legal Overview: A review and consideration of foundational concepts respecting Board governance of policing on Canada the legal context and implications. Professor Pat Knoll, University of Calgary 1515-1630 Police Governance in Canada: Roles, Relationships and Responsibilities: An interactive session, using a series of defining exercises in which participants will list and define answers to: What are the powers and responsibilities of Police Boards? What do Police Boards do? Information sharing: What rights to information do Police Boards have? What responsibilities do police executives have to provide information? Group exercise with feedback and response. 1800-2000 Evening Session: Dinner and Discussion: Ian Wilms, President, Canadian Association of Police Boards 4
Thursday, 16 November 2006: Managing the Relationship 0830-0900 Go Back and Bring Forward What stood out from yesterday s sessions? What do we need to put into the parking lot? What s missing? What s ahead? 0900-1030 The Chief s Perspective Chief Cal Johnston, Regina Police The role of oversight from the Chief s perspective Building positive and working relations What to do in times of crisis 1045-1145 Assessing the Environment: Who and What Influences Police Services and Police Service Boards: A charting exercise in which participants map out and describe the environment and influences on Boards. An opportunity to see if the environments of Services and Board are different and how Course Co-ordinator 1300-1400 Police Boards and Service in Rapidly Changing Communities Chairman Rodney Fong, Lethbridge Regional Police Perspective of the Board Chair on building success for a Board Relationships with the community, the Chief and within the Board Discussion of the role and dynamics of Boards 1400-1445 Policy versus Operations: The theory and the reality: Examination of traditional concepts of policy and operations and 5
a critical look at the dynamics between the two: exercises to sort issues and identify overlaps and ambiguities: using scripted exercises in which participants are asked to look at specific questions and define them from differing perspectives. Course co-ordinator 6
1500-1700 The Emerging Accountability Paradigm: A Discussion of the External Audit of Boards Part 1: The Perspective of the External Reviewer Tracy McTaggart, City Auditor, Calgary o The emergence of performance audits in municipal governments o What the external auditor is looking for in terms of overall Board accountability with a focus on governance o What constitutes good governance practice. Part 2: Responding to External Audits o Panel from Calgary, Edmonton and Ottawa how the Boards responded o Wendy Fedec, Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board o Doug Tupper, Executive Director, Edmonton Police Commission o Pat Tolpannen, Executive Director, Calgary Police Commission 7
Friday, 17 November 2006: Building Successful Practice LOOKING AT PRACTICE 0830-0900 Go Back and Bring Forward What stood out from yesterday s sessions? What do we need to put into the parking lot? What s missing? What s ahead? 0900-1000 Assessing Board Performance: Building a Assessment Format The use of self-assessments Models in use for Boards Exercise: the top five questions to assess Coming from this exercise and based on extensive research in this area, the Course Co-ordinator will produce a draft Board selfassessment to be distributed to course participants. 1015-1200 The CAPB Experience in Implementing Best Practices: An Overview Report by Andrew Graham 8
1300-1430 What is Success in Police/Board Roles: Responsibilities and Relationships Key characteristics of a successful Board/Service relationship What would the public see as important What would Board members see as important What about Police executives and rank and file? Small groups will work on a series of practices that they identify as being important in building good governance all round. This goes beyond simply establishing positive relationships with the police. Areas to be addressed are; Organization Skills and capacities of police executives and board members Public awareness and understanding Public engagement Council relations Association relations External sources of support, guidance and help Finalizing Parking Lot 1430-1500 Wrap-up with College Personnel Completing the Course Evaluation 9