Police Commission revisited?

[Gerbasi, Jenny]

Dear Friends,

 

At yesterday’s Protection and Community Services Committee the following motion was passed unanimously:

 

 

The Standing Policy Committee on Protection and Community Services requests Executive Policy Committee work with the Province of Manitoba to establish an intergovernmental committee, with significant citizen representation and public input, to explore the feasibility of establishing a civilian police commission to oversee the operations of the Winnipeg Police Service

 

And that the committee report to Executive Policy Committee and the public by December 31, 2006

 

 

Winnipeg used to have a  police commission  from 1974 until  1986.   If you want to more details about the history and the governance structures that were and are in place now,  you can look at the report that went to the May 19^th, 2004 meeting of City Council which was in response to a motion from 2003 to re-establish a police commission.

 

If you cut and paste the following link you should be able to access this report:    http://citynet/ClerksDMIS/ViewDoc.asp

 

 

 

The issue was brought forward to City Hall  last month by Tom Simms on behalf of the Inner City Safety Coalition, a group of  close to 30  aboriginal, housing and inner city groups.  As well, the recent issues with the Critical Mass Cyclist  events turning ugly have brought the issue to the forefront.  There is a growing public view from political activists, aboriginal people and inner city advocates that the issue of civilian oversight of police needs to be looked at thoroughly.

 

It was raised yesterday that 9 out of 10 major cities in Canada have some form of police commission, yet Winnipeg does not.   Our current system of  governance at city hall is getting more and more frustrating.  It is a system that can be manipulated to exclude non-Executive Policy Committee Councillors if that is the will of the Mayor and EPC.  It is becoming clearer to me that the Mayor has too much power.  We can’t rely on a benevolent dictatorship...because as the pendulum swings and Mayors come and go…some of the dictators are less benevolent than the last one.

 

 

The next step is at the Executive Policy Committee meeting  Wednesday, June 21^st at 9:00 AM at city hall.    If EPC is prepared to support the motion from the Protection Committee….we may see the issue of a civilian police commission move forward.

 

If you wish to speak to the issue please contact the clerk Joanne Park at jp...@winnipeg.ca

 

 

Cheers!

Jenny