TheBulletin.ca Journal of Downtown Toronto
Imagine what would have happened if during the G20 the cops had all been armed with Tasers. That comment, made by a deputant at the public hearing called by the Toronto Police Services Board on Sept. 24 into whether more officers should be supplied with tasers, puts the matter in its proper perspective.
Without Tasers at the G20 events three years ago, the police managed to arrest about 1100 people, most of whom were strip searched, held for 24 hours or more without access to a telephone, then released without charge. Many would have been tasered. Forty-seven folks addressed that public meeting. No one spoke in favour of expanding the number of Toronto officers who are authorized to use Tasers. Currently some 500 officers, mostly supervisors or members of the Emergency Task Force, are authorized to carry conducted electricity weapons (CEWs), as the police force refers to them, although as one deputant pointed out, the only CEW permitted in Ontario is the Taser.
Most of the deputants were low key and earnest. Many—perhaps as many as one half—had never before spoken at the public hearing. But, as many said, they felt very moved to speak on this issue, particularly after the shooting and tasering of Sammy Yatim, alone in a streetcar, by Toronto police at the end of July. If there was a consistent theme, it was the need for the police force to change its approach from one that threatens people to one that supports residents and is understanding. As one deputant noted, it is not that individual officers need to learn de-escalation techniques, but rather than the whole police department needs to be de-escalated.
Two deputants said they had had some mental health issues in the past and the officers who attended them were understanding and sympathetic, including in one case, arranging for a friend of the woman to come over to the apartment late that night to look after the woman’s young son as she went to the hospital. Both were exceedingly grateful to run into such supportive officers.
But another deputant, a mental-health worker with a community organization, had no sooner started her deputation then she burst into tears, and said, “this is very emotional.” Regaining her composure, she told her story. Three or four years ago one person she was working with said she was going to kill herself. She offered assurance, then phoned 911. The police arrived where the woman was, and tasered her.
Since then, the woman has lost custody of her child, has become involved in several abusive relationships, has misused alcohol, has become homeless and is in and out of the mental hospital. She said a senior officer told her, “sometimes police make mistakes.“
Several speakers—perhaps 20% of the total—said they would never again call the police to deal with a problem involving mental crisis. They feared what police would do; a not unwarranted fear given that three people in mental crisis have been killed by Toronto police since the end of April.
Other speakers noted the very sad record of Taser use by police in United States and fear the same would happen here. A woman who identified herself as Filipino said her father has mental-health problems and she feared that when confronted by a large police officer he would freeze up and be unable to answer the questions put to him by police and would be tasered. It was noted that many people come from other countries to Toronto suffering trauma from what they have gone through, and what they need from police is talk and understanding, not the standard “command-and-control” approach.
Much more use of the Mobile Crisis Intervention Team (consisting of a plain-clothed officer and a mental-health nurse) was mentioned by many speakers as what is needed. Currently MCITs are in some divisions for part of the day, but speakers said they should be expanded to all divisions, 24 hours a day.
No decision was taken at the meeting; in fact, a majority of members of the Police Services Board were not at the meeting. But the next morning on CBC Radio, deputy chief Mike Federico, who was present and listened to the presentations, said he wants many more officers to have a Taser.So does Chief Bill Blair.
One comes away with the feeling that these senior officers are stone deaf and they don‘t hear what people are saying.
The seven members of the Toronto Police Services Board almost always agree with requests made by the chief of police.
Even if they agree to this one and allocate the $5 or $6 million needed for Tasers—many deputants said that money should be put into expanded MCITs—city council will still have to approve that expenditure.
The issue is far from over.
John Sewell is a former mayor of Toronto.
I would suggest you pull the plug on John Sewell, the former hippie mayor, who still thinks he matters in Toronto.
His constant anti-cop barrage has been noticed by many readers and fans of The Bulletin wishing he would just taser himself. He offers many anecdotes of incidents ranging from the G20 with radical activists to persons with mental health issues. Never once has he suggested to enlist with Toronto Police and walk the beat. The cliché “Walk the walk to talk the talk” is something that needs to be pumped into him.
People coming to Canada need to understand the “command and control” position of Toronto Police. This is one component of many why our cops are among the best in the world and among many reasons why different cultures immigrate to this country. Passing a basic English test enhances their overall immigration score to entering this outstanding country.
Have Sewell zap himself with 500,000 watts of voltage or have him become your bureau chief in Afghanistan. Either way, Torontonians have had enough of this character. It’s time to pull the plug.
Dana McKiel
JOHN SEWELL REPLIES:
I don’t know any way of determining the exact number of people who might have been tasered during the G20 demonstrations if all police officers were equipped with tasers at that timem, as the provincial government apparently thinks should be the case in the future.
But it is common knowledge that police use tasers to gain compliance with people, that is, to make them do what the police order them to do – put your hands up, drop that knife, stick or whatever, kneel on the ground, etc. If people don’t comply, the officer often uses the taser. That often happens with those in mental crisis who because of their state of mind do not comply – such as the 80 year old woman with dementia in Mississauga who fell and broke her hip after being tasered by police in August.
Tasers are not used when police feel threatened – when thr4eatened they use their guns, which is why Sammy Yatim was the third person in mental crisis killed by Toronto police (at the end of July) in a three month period. In demonstrations such as occurred during the G20 meetings in 2010, it is fair to assume that a number of demonstrators were angry enough at what police were doing (assaulting people, illegally searching them) that they would have not complied with police orders and would have been tasered.
My article was reporting on the public meeting called by the Toronto Police Services Board to get public feedback on wider taser use by Toronto police. I find it interesting that not a single person in support of wider taser use decided to speak at that meeting, whereas those who did speak all expressed reservations of some kind. Those who spoke favourably of their interaction with police make the point that a sympathetic and understanding officer is what’s needed, not someone with a taser.
Thank you for your article. Your headline question “What if the G20 cops were all armed with Tasers?” seems to remain unanswered. Regardless of the definition of G20 cops (i.e., municipal, provincial, or federal police enforcement authorities) that was over-looked, your conclusion indicates “many would have been tasered.” This guarded statement introduces ambiguity in so far there is no estimated number or range of people which could have been tasered.
When looking for substance within the article, a few instances are offered. First, mental health worker indicates one woman was tasered (an unfortunate incident to be sure, but circumstance unexplained); secondly, the concern about taser usage in the United States that avoids any statistical or Canadian modelling inferences; thirdly, the fear of someone’s Filipino father who also suffers from mental health issues who may/could freeze up under police questioning. None of these premises leads to the unspecific conclusion of how ‘many’ would have been tasered. In fact there are a couple of examples were rather positive statements about the police from two of the debutants (albeit mental health related).
It may or may not have been your intent of linking taser use to the mentally ill but that’s the direction your argument seems to have headed towards. That’s a far cry from the G20 query initially raised. Could you please attempt to add clarity to the primary question in a future article?
Robert Castel