"The police are the public and the public are the police."
– Robert Peel
While reports of improper actions are not as front and centre, at the moment, the failure of society to take seriously the problem of the dysfunctional sense of privilege and impunity that is so apparent in policing is still a real problem. As well, there is an unfortunate deference to the institution (with the exception of the calls to “Defund Police”) that has existed in our society which hampers our ability to critically examine and act to get a hold of the problem. The deference seems to be centered on a mythology that has grown and that must be confronted and countered. Last year (September of 2020) on CBC Radio's Sunday Edition the then host, Michael Enright, made a few cogent comments about the myths surrounding policing in Canada.
Dangerous Work
He noted that one of the myths is that police have a particularly dangerous work environment and stated that in reality it is not a dangerous occupation. We are frequently being told by the media how the police "risk their lives every day". But it turns out that while police work does have risks, it doesn't even make the top ten list of most dangerous jobs. This tier is occupied by the likes of loggers, fishers, construction workers and fire fighters. (PoliceCrimes.Com) These fellow citizens of course, are denizens of the working class who pull down far less coin than the boys (mostly) and girls in blue and who receive, with the exception of firefighters not nearly as much respect.
Police are Accountable
A second myth he noted is that police are accountable to the public. Far from it he said, quoting former Toronto City Council member Gordon Chong (a right winger with experience sitting on the Police Services Board that attempts to oversee the doings of the coppers) to the effect that, police culture fights off public scrutiny at every turn. The example of the constabulary who took off their badges before they bludgeoned so many folks at the time of the G20 in 2010, in Toronto, is only one in a long list of attempts of the forces of law and order to avoid public accountability. The conviction (for attempted murder, not murder) of a copper, James Forcillo, in the death of a troubled young man named Sammy Yatin on an empty street car in Toronto (with over 20 of the city's finest apparently standing around watching), was, like the conviction of Officer Derek Chauvin, an exception to the rule of what usually transpires in these situations. The notion of accountability is clearly humbug.
Highly Trained Professionals
A third myth referred to by Mr. Enright was that the police are highly trained in the use of force, particularly deadly force. Given the parade of senseless killings in the last number of years, the tasering death of Robert Dziekański at the hands of the RCMP in Vancouver, for example, or the gunning down of young Sammy Yatin in Toronto, referred to above, that myth should surely be under severe attack as well. It is sobering to think that it takes only 24 weeks to complete the prescribed police training and become sworn in as a Constable 4th class in Toronto before they are let loose, complete with revolver, to “protect the public”. (Laurier On Line)
There are a couple of myths however, that Enright left out and are worth considering.
Police are Objective in Enforcing the Law
The first involves the notion of police dealing with citizens in an even-handed manner. Tell that to the families of the Indigenous people in Saskatchewan whose young men were transported to the edge of Saskatoon in the middle of the brutal winter and left to freeze to death. In the same vein the law enforcement organization in Vancouver somehow overlooked all those sex workers, many of them Indigenous women, who died at the hands of Willie Picton. And we can’t (or should not) forget the treatment of the Cree Red Pheasant First Nation, Clayton Boushie family, by the RCMP. When Clayton Boushie was killed by a farmer in 2016 his family were treated more as perpetrators of crime, by the Red Serge gang, than the victims they were.1 In these examples we can see the enforcing of old colonial, racist and misogynist traditions more than the rule of law.
Police as Models
There is another myth and it has to do with the idea that police officers are models of propriety who mirror the values of our Canadian society. Pure guff and codswallop. Witness the recent exposure of the nasty behaviour towards women in the ranks of the RCMP at the hands of fellow (male) officers. Another example is the xenophobic "tweet" that was sent out by one of Markham's finest to the Ontario Ombudsman who had the temerity to suggest that police training in lethal force (in light of the Yatin “tragedy”) should be reviewed. This plucky upholder of law and order didn't even have the intestinal fortitude to use his own name but rather sent it under the moniker of a so-called "brother" officer. This is not the way a body we charge with monitoring, regulating or disciplining a police force can function in a society that purports to see justice as a central value.
Change or the Status Quo
Policing is clearly a socially necessary, complex and difficult job, but that cannot excuse the arrogant and aggressive culture which encourages police officers to see themselves, and act, not as servants of the public but rather, as a paramilitary force that has the right to operate within its own rules. In other words we shall have to live with an increasingly aggressive and unaccountable body that, rather than "serves and protects" the public, sees itself, acts and is allowed to act, as a privileged body that can demand and direct as it sees fit. It should be becoming clearer to any fair minded Canadian that our police forces, from the national body to the provincial and municipal forces, are riddled with systemic problems which include racism, misogyny and a toxic sense of privilege. We desperately need to undertake a wide ranging and in-depth reconsideration of policing, including its purpose and culture. For example, do we really need all the ordinance they sport? As John Sewell (2021), the former mayor of Toronto and police reform campaigner notes, there are 19 countries, including Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, which do not have armed coppers. As to that paramilitary culture? Every person hired by the police is taken on as a recruit (except a person coming from anther police force) and must work themselves up through the ranks (Sewell, 2021). This ensures that the paramilitary “us and them” culture of the blue line, as well as the other systemic problems, is thoroughly inculcated in those at the higher ranks.
We are not facing the difficulty of a few bad apples (though there are obviously some very bad ones). This is a systemic problem. The ones noted are just a few of the issues that must be confronted and dealt with if police are going to become agents of society rather than running their own show. If we, as the citizens, do not take up the responsibility to reconfigure policing as an organization with a humane and justice-oriented mission, we will continue to worsen the situation that troubles us today.
__________________________________________________________
Resources
Laurier On Line. (2021). “How to Become a Police Officer in Toronto”. https://online.wlu.ca/news/how-to-become-police-officer. Apr. 26.
Mahony. B. (2000). “Don't forget RCMP's history”. Saskatchewan Sage. Vol. 4, Addition 5. LETHBRIDGE. P. 12.
PoliceCrimes.Com.(undated). https://policecrimes.com/police_job-html/.
Sewell, J. (2021). “Changing the way we pick the police” Toronto Star. Oct. 3. pp. I3.
1 Ben Mahony (2000) makes the point that, “According to the myth, Mounties came from the east to bring law and order to western plains overrun by American traders who abused Natives. But in reality, as early as 1884 and as recently as 1995, the Mounted Police force was employed by its political masters, not to protect Aboriginal rights, but to suppress them.” (Mahony, 2000)
Dangerous Work
He noted that one of the myths is that police have a particularly dangerous work environment and stated that in reality it is not a dangerous occupation. We are frequently being told by the media how the police "risk their lives every day". But it turns out that while police work does have risks, it doesn't even make the top ten list of most dangerous jobs. This tier is occupied by the likes of loggers, fishers, construction workers and fire fighters. (PoliceCrimes.Com) These fellow citizens of course, are denizens of the working class who pull down far less coin than the boys (mostly) and girls in blue and who receive, with the exception of firefighters not nearly as much respect.
Police are Accountable
A second myth he noted is that police are accountable to the public. Far from it he said, quoting former Toronto City Council member Gordon Chong (a right winger with experience sitting on the Police Services Board that attempts to oversee the doings of the coppers) to the effect that, police culture fights off public scrutiny at every turn. The example of the constabulary who took off their badges before they bludgeoned so many folks at the time of the G20 in 2010, in Toronto, is only one in a long list of attempts of the forces of law and order to avoid public accountability. The conviction (for attempted murder, not murder) of a copper, James Forcillo, in the death of a troubled young man named Sammy Yatin on an empty street car in Toronto (with over 20 of the city's finest apparently standing around watching), was, like the conviction of Officer Derek Chauvin, an exception to the rule of what usually transpires in these situations. The notion of accountability is clearly humbug.
Highly Trained Professionals
A third myth referred to by Mr. Enright was that the police are highly trained in the use of force, particularly deadly force. Given the parade of senseless killings in the last number of years, the tasering death of Robert Dziekański at the hands of the RCMP in Vancouver, for example, or the gunning down of young Sammy Yatin in Toronto, referred to above, that myth should surely be under severe attack as well. It is sobering to think that it takes only 24 weeks to complete the prescribed police training and become sworn in as a Constable 4th class in Toronto before they are let loose, complete with revolver, to “protect the public”. (Laurier On Line)
There are a couple of myths however, that Enright left out and are worth considering.
Police are Objective in Enforcing the Law
The first involves the notion of police dealing with citizens in an even-handed manner. Tell that to the families of the Indigenous people in Saskatchewan whose young men were transported to the edge of Saskatoon in the middle of the brutal winter and left to freeze to death. In the same vein the law enforcement organization in Vancouver somehow overlooked all those sex workers, many of them Indigenous women, who died at the hands of Willie Picton. And we can’t (or should not) forget the treatment of the Cree Red Pheasant First Nation, Clayton Boushie family, by the RCMP. When Clayton Boushie was killed by a farmer in 2016 his family were treated more as perpetrators of crime, by the Red Serge gang, than the victims they were.1 In these examples we can see the enforcing of old colonial, racist and misogynist traditions more than the rule of law.
Police as Models
There is another myth and it has to do with the idea that police officers are models of propriety who mirror the values of our Canadian society. Pure guff and codswallop. Witness the recent exposure of the nasty behaviour towards women in the ranks of the RCMP at the hands of fellow (male) officers. Another example is the xenophobic "tweet" that was sent out by one of Markham's finest to the Ontario Ombudsman who had the temerity to suggest that police training in lethal force (in light of the Yatin “tragedy”) should be reviewed. This plucky upholder of law and order didn't even have the intestinal fortitude to use his own name but rather sent it under the moniker of a so-called "brother" officer. This is not the way a body we charge with monitoring, regulating or disciplining a police force can function in a society that purports to see justice as a central value.
Change or the Status Quo
Policing is clearly a socially necessary, complex and difficult job, but that cannot excuse the arrogant and aggressive culture which encourages police officers to see themselves, and act, not as servants of the public but rather, as a paramilitary force that has the right to operate within its own rules. In other words we shall have to live with an increasingly aggressive and unaccountable body that, rather than "serves and protects" the public, sees itself, acts and is allowed to act, as a privileged body that can demand and direct as it sees fit. It should be becoming clearer to any fair minded Canadian that our police forces, from the national body to the provincial and municipal forces, are riddled with systemic problems which include racism, misogyny and a toxic sense of privilege. We desperately need to undertake a wide ranging and in-depth reconsideration of policing, including its purpose and culture. For example, do we really need all the ordinance they sport? As John Sewell (2021), the former mayor of Toronto and police reform campaigner notes, there are 19 countries, including Ireland, New Zealand and the UK, which do not have armed coppers. As to that paramilitary culture? Every person hired by the police is taken on as a recruit (except a person coming from anther police force) and must work themselves up through the ranks (Sewell, 2021). This ensures that the paramilitary “us and them” culture of the blue line, as well as the other systemic problems, is thoroughly inculcated in those at the higher ranks.
We are not facing the difficulty of a few bad apples (though there are obviously some very bad ones). This is a systemic problem. The ones noted are just a few of the issues that must be confronted and dealt with if police are going to become agents of society rather than running their own show. If we, as the citizens, do not take up the responsibility to reconfigure policing as an organization with a humane and justice-oriented mission, we will continue to worsen the situation that troubles us today.
__________________________________________________________
Resources
Laurier On Line. (2021). “How to Become a Police Officer in Toronto”. https://online.wlu.ca/news/how-to-become-police-officer. Apr. 26.
Mahony. B. (2000). “Don't forget RCMP's history”. Saskatchewan Sage. Vol. 4, Addition 5. LETHBRIDGE. P. 12.
PoliceCrimes.Com.(undated). https://policecrimes.com/police_job-html/.
Sewell, J. (2021). “Changing the way we pick the police” Toronto Star. Oct. 3. pp. I3.
1 Ben Mahony (2000) makes the point that, “According to the myth, Mounties came from the east to bring law and order to western plains overrun by American traders who abused Natives. But in reality, as early as 1884 and as recently as 1995, the Mounted Police force was employed by its political masters, not to protect Aboriginal rights, but to suppress them.” (Mahony, 2000)
Comments
Post a Comment