QUESTIONNAIRE
Candidate's Name: Steve Sweeney
Candidate's Ward: 14 - Somerset
Section A: OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD (PSB)
The Ottawa Police Services Board is the civilian oversight to the Ottawa Police Service.
1b) If elected, will you seek to be appointed as one of the three City Council representatives?
If elected, there are other committees that would attract my more immediate interest. Nonetheless, I do consider Police Services to be a very important aspect of our city and society, and I would certainly accept such a position if it were suggested/offered.
1c) If so, why would you be particularly appropriate for this appointment?
If appointed to the PSB, the greatest quality I would bring is a strong desire for fairness. That applies to both the citizens of the city and the members of the police force. I would also be a strong proponent of transparency, because I think it is counter-productive for city policies and decisions to be hidden behind closed-door meetings.
2. Do you believe that the PSB has to date improved public trust in the police service by providing effective civilian oversight, thus assuring the community of appropriate police behaviour? Why or why not?
In my experience there has been no lack of public trust in the police service. Of course it is always recommended to strive for improvement, but I cannot point to any examples where this public trust is lacking.
3. What policies should the PSB introduce or update concerning the policing of major events, and why?
I don't believe I'm familiar enough with current policies on policing major events to suggest changes. What I have seen with my own eyes, however, suggests that the police have been placed in the unfortunate position of increasing their presence at major events as a response to how protests have evolved over the past decade.
4. In the spirit of transparency and openness related to public business, would you support:
(a) posting the records of the proceedings of the PSB on the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) Web site?
(b) Or should the PSB have its own Web site and the PSB proceedings be posted there?
I fully support a more transparent model of city government. Although I accept that some information cannot and should not be made public for sensitive reasons, I believe the trend is to be overly-secretive. As such, I would encourage such postings to occur on whichever forum the PSB currently uses.
Section B: POLICY CONCERNS WITH THE PSB
5. In May 2002, the Citizen Panel on Policing and the Community made recommendations concerning aggressive police behaviour toward peaceful G-20 demonstrators in November 2001. According to the Ottawa Police Service's Agenda for Excellence, released in April 2002, the stated objectives of the OPS are:
- to uphold the democratic rights of all individuals to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly; and
- to ensure the safety of demonstrators and the rest of the community at major events.
- In your opinion, has the policing of major events since the November 2001 G-20 demonstrations improved?
I have not made the necessary observations to comment on any changes in the way demonstrations are policed. I did witness the G-20 demonstrations in 2001, and given the size and composition of the crowd, I thought the police response was approximately what it should have been.
(b)If not, what needs to be done?
(c)What should be the role of the PSB?
(d)If appointed to the PSB, how will you help?
6.Ontario regulations from 1997 make this the only province in Canada to NOT allow third party complaints about police behaviour, i.e. a witness to police wrongdoing cannot file a complaint with the PSB. Ontario regulations from 1997 also put the complaints process entirely in the hands of the police (investigation, hearings, adjudication). This is a clear conflict of interest. The City of Toronto Auditor has been very critical of this situation. Will you push to have the Ontario Minister of Public Safety and Security recognize the need:
I agree that both of these policies require some change. For complaints against the police, there should be an independent body that has some oversight into the investigation process. Most of the internal investigations carried out by the police are likely accurate, but some form of oversight would be able to ensure an accurate process.
(b) to allow complaints to be filed by witnesses and others?
There is no reason, to my mind, why complaints should not be filed by concerned third parties. There are many instances, however, where third parties make unsubstantiated accusations, particularly in the media, and the police cannot afford to have their time wasted on such frivolous accusations. As such, I would look for some kind of penalty mechanism to ensure frivolous accusations are not submitted, and to ensure fairness, I would look to the police oversight to make such decisions.
7. More than 200 complaints were made to the PSB in 2002 concerning alleged police misconduct in Ottawa. The Board found that less than 5% were substantiated.
(a) Do you believe this percentage is valid?
This percentage is probably closer to correct than incorrect. There are many who have the notion that the police are wrong, no matter what they do, and such individuals rarely look to their own behaviour as the cause. In addition, many complaints come from individuals who are already facing criminal charges, and these people have a vested interest in deflecting interest from their crimes as well as casting doubt on the integrity of the arresting officer.
- If no, will you work to establish an effective, independent and responsive complaints process here in Ottawa?
Nonetheless, there must be an effective and open complaints process to ensure that any police misconduct is reported and acted upon. The police have a difficult job, and are often forced to make decisions on the spot under strained circumstances, yet we still hold them (correctly) to a high standard. Thus I would support any changes that would improve the complaints process here in Ottawa.
8. Pepper spray and tasers have potentially lethal effects. Amnesty International has expressed concerns about their use. As a member of City Council and possible member of the PSB, would you support:
(a) making public the guidelines for the use of either of these weapons? Why or why not?
I would not make public the guidelines for the use of these devices. Such a disclosure would give those who find themselves in conflict with the police a field guide on what they can get away with when dealing with the police. Other fallout would involve added complaints any time a police officer crossed such a well-defined line, but I believe we need to give officers latitude to do their jobs effectively. An effective complaints process would still be available to catch incidents where a gross misapplication of such force was used.
(b) changing the policy to eliminate use of these weapons by police? Why or why not?
Members of the police force face difficult situations, and are often concerned for their own safety and that of the public while executing their duties. These devices have become an invaluable, non-lethal alternative for police officers, and I would not eliminate their use. Ensuring they are used properly is critical, but removing them from service entirely would most likely result more, rather than less, injuries during police altercations, as the options open to the officers would decrease.
9(a) Do you think that the media sensationalize protest activities and downplay the value of public expression of views in maintaining our democracy?
To some extent, the media sensationalize most of the items they report. In the case of protests, they themselves have evolved to specifically attract more media attention. If the value of public expression in maintaining a democracy is being downplayed, it is being done by that portion of the protesting population who believe that violence and the destruction of property is their right of protest. These individuals and organizations are taking focus away from the issues and concerns of legitimate protesters.
(b)If so, in what ways can City Council contribute to a balanced perception by citizens of the rights of those who wish to express dissent in public places?
I have no problem with police using cameras and/or video to document events, particularly when their actions will likely be called into question. This is no different than the media and/or protesters videotaping the police during such activities, and perhaps no less intimidating. Such a gathering in a public place carries with it no realistic expectation of privacy, so no privacy rights are being violated. Peaceful protesters exercising their rights within the limits of the law have no reason to be intimidated.
(b) If you do not agree with this, would you support the PSB, as part of its oversight responsibility, in discouraging the use of intimidating and indiscriminate taping of citizens?
11. The OPS has said that video shot of peaceful demonstrators, not needed for any criminal prosecution, is destroyed afterward. Would you support the PSB requiring a periodic report from the OPS confirming that this destruction of the images has been done within a specified timeframe?
This is the sort of policy that the OPS must follow through with on their own. They would have no reason to keep the tapes in secret, because producing them at a later date would only demonstrate their failure to adhere to policy. Once the OPS determined that the tape didn't provide evidence related to a criminal matter, they would have little or no incentive to keep it.
Section C. AGENDA FOR EXCELLENCE (AFX) FOR POLICING MAJOR EVENTS
12. Since the Agenda for Excellence was released as a draft document in April 2002, nothing appears to have been done to finalize the document as policy for the Ottawa Police Service. Since the PSB is responsible for establishing policing policy, whether you are on City Council or on the PSB itself, would you support setting a short deadline for having the very good principles and guidelines in the AFX incorporated as policy for the OPS?
I am not familiar with this document or its contents, so I cannot make a realistic response to this question.
13. The Major Events Liaison Team (MELT) unit was created as part of the AFX, and intended to work on improving communications between police and protestors at major events so as to defuse dangerous situations. Initially they appeared to have some success in this role. However they were not present at significant later events where violence has taken place (e.g., eviction of protestors from 246 Gilmour Street in July 2002, Algerian refugees and their supporters tasered at Minister of Immigration's office in May 2003).
(a) Would you be willing to find out more about the status of this unit and support its increased use as per its original mandate?
I would support such an initiative to defuse situations before they escalate, and as a member of council or the PSB, this would be of great interest to me.
(b)As the MELT members are only on assignment to this group and the funding is unclear, would you push for the MELT unit to be made a permanent part of the OPS structure, i.e. with a budget and one or more permanent positions?
As for funding, the City of Ottawa is already dealing with major financial issues, so the prospect of adding one or more permanent position might be a difficult one for the near future. Instead I would prefer to have existing officers trained, if possible, and act as liaisons when they are deployed to situations such as those mentioned. It is important to keep in mind, however, that even the most skilled negotiations by police will not always defuse a situation.