Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper describes defunding police as bolstering social supports and social structures to make sure people don’t end up in contact with justice and policing. And he says it has been going on in Saskatchewan for several years. The term has gotten more traction in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minnesota which has sparked protests across not just the U.S. but Canada. Mr. Floyd died after a police officer placed a knee on his neck for 8 minutes and 46 secs. That officer has been charged with second degree murder.
Chief Cooper cites the provincial strategy around reducing gang violence as an example of defunding police. He says it does include enforcement in order to deal with firearms and violent offending but it also includes things like outreach.
” And so, that’s an important part as well. We know that we have to have in the community trying to get offenders or gang members to remove themselves from that lifestyle and that takes work, it takes time and it takes an investment but it saves the additional investment in policing.”
One of the aspects touted as a form of defunding police has been mental health investment. Chief Cooper says they do have a PACT team which they are trying to expand. When the Police and Crisis Teams are working they respond to calls where someone is in mental distress.
“There’s a police officer there but there is a mental health professional with them. Someone that knows the system, someone that won’t just have the person we’re interacting with end up in custody or end up in the hospital. They’re trained how to do a proper assessment, they’re trained in how to respond to that person’s needs at the time. And it’s that kind of thing that needs to happen, I think, as policing moves forward.”
In addition to cries to defund police there has been an ensuing up swell of anger from minority populations and Chief Troy Cooper says they have to be careful how much of the police resources are in any one given community. He points to the additional police positions, that will be deployed to the Pleasant Hill neighbhourhood, which he describes as an addicted community. Aids Saskatoon relocated to Pleasant Hill and has been approved for a safe consumption site for those with drug addictions.
The Chief says enforcement is one of the important pillars for dealing with drugs and drug use but harm reduction initiatives, education and addiction services are equally important. He suggests what could occur is over-policing so their officers need to understand the value of harm reduction initiatives, that they need to listen to community members.
“Police should be considered police. We don’t want to break down social fabric, we don’t want to interfere with social interactions that’s healthy within a community.”
Budget approval for the extra officers in Pleasant Hill was approved last year. The training is being developed and will be delivered in July with the hope that the officers will be in place towards the end of July.
Saskatoon police do not use a knee on the neck technique when making arrests. They can use a carotid neck restraint which restricts blood flow but not the airway. Chief Troy Cooper says using that technique also generates a Use of Force Report. In 2017 it was used once, the neck restraint was used five times in 2018 and twice in 2019.
Chief Troy Cooper also welcomes the news that the Prime Minister is contemplating funding body cameras for police agencies in Canada. The Saskatoon Police Chief says the cameras themselves won’t add any weight that would concern officers because they are very small but the issue is cost of storage space for the video and developing policy around their use.
Cooper says they are rolling out a pilot project in 2021 for the Saskatoon Police Service involving body cams. The Chief says if the federal government provided funding for body cams, they could expedite the process for implementation. Saskatoon Police do have cameras in all cruisers which record officers in and outside their vehicles.
