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th ei fp .c a Th e IF P -H al to n H ill s | T hu rs da y, A ug us t 13 ,2 02 0 | 10 WALK-IN & FAMILY CLINIC Where good health begins 221 Miller Dr., Georgetown 905-873-1001 • GenesisHealthTeam.comWe're OPEN LATE - Call us Open 7 Days a Week Book Your Childs' Appointment Now! Back-to-School Health Checkup. Georgetown's trusted choice for hearing care 360 Guelph St., Unit 44 Georgetown (In the Knolcrest Centre) 905.877.8828 Armstrong Ave Delrex Blvd Try before you buy! At Halton Audiometric Centre, we are committed to your hearing healthcare. To find out if hearing aids are right for you, come in for a complimentary assessment and try the latest digital hearing aids risk free! ON NOW AT THE BRICK! SAVING YOU MORE For more details go instore or online @thebrick.com. Does a particular segment of Halton's population have more negative experiences with police than others? If so, a proposed data collection initiative may soon be able to shine some light on this situation. The Halton Police Board recently voted to direct Halton police to develop policies and procedures for the collection and analy- sis of demographic data in policing. The vote is related to a recommendation made by Justice Michael Tulloch in a 2017 Independent Police Oversight Review, which the Halton Police Board endorsed. In that report Tulloch discussed whether police oversight bodies should collect demo- graphic data. "In my view, they should. And the demo- graphic data they collect should include gender, age, race, religion, ethnicity, mental health status, disability and Indigenous sta- tus," wrote Tulloch. "Data collection offers many benefits. It supports evidence-based public policy and decision-making, promotes accountability and transparency, and, if used properly, may build public confidence in policing and po- lice oversight." He noted that with the exception of gen- der data collected by the Special Investiga- tions Unit, the police oversight system in Ontario has no data infrastructure in place to understand the makeup of "complainants and alleged victims of police conduct." On this issue, Tulloch said, Ontario's po- lice oversight system lags behind the United States, the United Kingdom and other public sectors in Ontario. "Without data and research, the conver- sation about police violence and racial pro- filing is dominated by allegations and anec- dotes. People are more likely to pay atten- tion to research," wrote Tulloch. "For systemic issues, groups need re- search to support their claims and the police and policy-makers need official data to iden- tify problem-areas and develop programs." He questioned how the relationship be- tween race and police violence could fully be understood, how possible causes could be identified and how it could be determined if policies intended to combat such issues are effective, without evidence-based research? The prospect of collecting demographic data was well received by Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner. "I am happy to do this. I believe it is the right thing to do and that now is the right time to do it," he said. "I think this is the next natural step in progressive policing." Tanner said he would need some time to work with staff to develop this program and no date has been set for when the data collec- tion must begin. He pointed out that while many police in- teractions are not officer initiated but are rather the result of 911 calls, other interac- tions, like traffic stops, are. "If the officers are only looking at the of- fences those statistics should be proportion- ate across different races and gender," said Tanner. "I think there are some concerns among police leaders, from a historical perspective, but we are not living in history. We are try- ing to prevent history from repeating itself." Board member and former Royal Canadi- an Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner for Ontario and Quebec Curt Allen called NEWS POLICE DIRECTED TO BEGIN DEMOGRAPHIC DATA COLLECTION DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Halton Police Chief Stephen Tanner has been directed to create a demographic data collection program. Torstar file photo See RESEARCH, page 11 "Data collection offers many benefits. It supports evidence-based public policy and decision-making, promotes accountability and transparency, and, if used properly, may build public confidence in policing and police oversight." - Justice Michael Tulloch