News Clippings of Racial Profiling of Black Officers in the Toronto Police Service

News Clippings on the subject of Racial Profiling of Black Officers in the Toronto Police Service

4/8/05 Toronto Star B01

Toronto Star
April 8, 2005

New chief, new hope Blair offers an honest take

Royson James

Toronto Star
News

Mere minutes after the new police chief Bill Blair was introduced to the
media Wednesday, questions were raised about racial profiling, an insidious
practice among some Toronto police officers.

We know the practice exists. We know from the testimony of black man after
black man across Greater Toronto. We know that from the mouths of judges,
justices of the peace, teachers, lawyers, doctors, journalists, bums, thieves
and saints.

We know it because police officers tell us. We know it because some brave
black officers of senior rank, speaking for a number of visible minority
officers on the Toronto force, brought it to the attention of police brass.

We know it because the frustration of these senior officers recently became
front page news and Bill Blair, days before he was to be named chief, was
assigned to resolve a complaint of profiling officer to officer, minority to
minority, constable to inspector, Asian to black.

Insp. Dave McLeod, having complained about his experiences and that of others
being racially profiled and stopped while off duty "for no good reason";
having told the senior brass of inappropriate racist comments and practices by
fellow officers, in the presence of minority officers; having become fed up
with the toll, challenges a young Asian officer who asks him for ID as the
senior officer fills up at a police gas station in Scarborough. Now, it would
have been so much more predictable and stereotypical had the constable been
white. No doubt, the fact he is Asian gives the police union more impetus to
flex its muscle and attack the very idea that racial profiling exists. The
association wants an investigation by an outside agency.

What some might miss is that, the more ingrained and systemic a problem
becomes, the more widespread the practice by members of the organization. So,
racial profiling isn't limited to white officers or black officers. It's lazy
policing that unfairly targets and brings targeted individuals into contact
with the police when those individuals did nothing that would normally arouse
suspicion.

So Blair was asked Wednesday if racial profiling exits. And he danced around
the subject by admitting to racism in general, which exists everywhere. When
pressed, he said "Racial profiling is not and must never be part of this
organization." It sounded like a denial. What's the difference between this
and ex-chief Julian Fantino's blanket denial of racial profiling?

It was Blair's first day, his first few minutes on the job. You could see the
wheels turning in his head. Thousands of the men and women he must lead in one
of the most difficult jobs in the city were hanging on every word. He had just
told the city this "will be the greatest honour in my life to be their chief."

Does he blow them up by admitting to systemic racism, meaning that the ugly
practice had seeped into the culture and practice of the services? Or
soft-peddle it? He took a stab at one of his new roles - playing politician by
straddling the fence.

But to his credit, showing the character trait some board members saw in him
when they made him chief, he faced the music before the sun went down. "I
don't want to leave any wrong impression here," he told the Star in an
interview. "I think racism and racial bias in policing is a problem. I do not
deny the existence of racial profiling. As a matter of fact, if we deny its
existence, how can we ever take the steps so it doesn't happen in our
relationship with the public.

"In the police services I now lead, racial profiling will not be tolerated. I
want to make that statement as strongly and as unequivocally as possible. It
will not be tolerated in the way in which we deal with the public and it will
not be tolerated in the way in which we deal with each other."

Blair said it "took great courage and conviction" for the senior black
officers to "come forward" with their racial profiling concerns from minority
officers. "They deserve our support and they have mine."

I'm okay with that. I suspect most Torontonians will be. And so we watch and
wait and hope.

Royson James usually appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Email rjames @
thestar.ca

Toronto Star A13
April 4, 2005

Section: News

Police union rejects truce; Handshake not enough leader Dispute brought racial
bias to light

Philip Mascoll

The handshake that ended a dispute between two visible minority members of
the Toronto police force is not sufficient, says the police union.

The Board of Directors of the Toronto Police Association yesterday called for
"a complete and thorough investigation" into the conduct of Insp. David
McLeod, one of the force's four most senior black officers.

An agreement between McLeod and Const. Alex Chung that was brokered by top
police brass must be put aside, said Dave Wilson, union president.

"When a situation like this occurs, and a senior officer treats a junior
officer with this kind of contempt, they must be held accountable," he said in
a release.

The call came three days after a handshake that police brass said resolved an
incident that occurred between McLeod and Chung at a police gas pump.

That incident six weeks ago caused the results of a 2003 internal police
focus group to resurface. The group looked into the impact of allegations of
racial profiling by police.

Despite what the force was saying publicly at the time, all 38 black officers
in the group said they believe racial profiling exists. Most had been stopped
by police while off-duty, and three reported being stopped more than once in a
single week.

In the gas pump incident, Chung, who was born in Hong Kong, was filling his
marked cruiser behind the 42 Division station in Scarborough when McLeod, from
14 Division in Parkdale, in plainclothes and an unmarked police car, pulled up
to do the same.

Pumps behind police stations are in parking lots closed to the public.
However, Chung asked the older black officer for ID.

Chung said McLeod replied inappropriately and he filed a complaint against
him. McLeod in turn filed complaints against a staff sergeant and an
inspector, who became involved.

McLeod's lawyer, Selwyn Pieters, said last week McLeod saw it as another
instance of the differential treatment he had experienced too many times.

The handshake resolution was brokered by some of the force's most senior
officers, led by Acting Deputy Chief Bill Blair, who said there was no
wrongdoing on McLeod's part. Both Chung and McLeod agreed.

Wilson says his call for an investigation comes after the attempt to
informally resolve a conduct complaint by members of the association failed.
"Officers at 42 Division have been instructed to be vigilant and to request
identification from people they do not know. ... Our officer did exactly what
he was supposed to do," he said.

Wilson's release also says an informal resolution would have let McLeod
simply apologize.

4/2/05 GUELPHMERCURY A6

4/2/05 Guelph Mercury A6

Guelph Mercury

April 2, 2005

Section: EDITORIAL

A genuine multicultural Canada still elusive

CECIL FOSTER
EDITORIAL

In one of my final lectures for this semester, I asked my second-year class
at the University of Guelph to think ahead to the year 2017.

How old would they be then and what will they be doing?

We agreed that by that date, the ages of these students would range between
31 years and 38 -- placing them in that phase where they would still be
youthful but acquiring the maturity, if not the wisdom, of the years.

As to what they will be doing, I suggested that they will be part of the new
leadership of Canada.

These students should be well into their careers, into producing the next
generation and, most importantly, deciding what type of country Canada should
be.

The reason for this discussion was to take up media reports about the
emphasis Statistics Canada has placed on the year 2017 in terms of Canada's
development.

Based on population trends, Statistics Canada says this will be the date that
the majority of people in major areas like the Greater Toronto Area and
Vancouver would be made up of what are now called visible minorities.

The largest ethnic groups in these regions will be southeast Asians and the
Chinese. These are the immigrants that Canada needs vitally if its population
is to continue growing and renewing itself. These visible minorities will be
the typical faces of Canada.

As part of this discussion, I also read them the result of a public opinion
poll that shows racism and ethnic differences are still social problems in
Canada.

In addition, I pointed them to a recent article in the Toronto Star -- the
Mercury's big sister publication --about the unexpectedly high rate of return
immigration of Chinese-Canadians to China.

These are disillusioned Canadians who had arrived in Canada full of hope and
expectations.

They arrived with money in their pockets and the brains that were supposed to
make them leaders.

They are among the so-called brightest and best immigrants on which
purportedly hinges Canada's future. They were returning to their native
country on completion of the socializing process that turns immigrants into
Canadians, but which does nothing about making new Canadians feel at home.

Does this mean much of Canada's supposed future is deserting it?

On this point, I asked the members of the class to take a look around them
and to project to the year 2017.

How many visible minorities were in the class? Specifically, how many Chinese
and southeast Asians were among these leaders in training?

Indeed, I asked how much does the picture change across the campus, and what
does the makeup of the student body say about the presumed leadership of
Canada in the immediate future?

Another story from the front pages I would have shared with the class is the
one about how even black-skinned members of the Metro Toronto police force are
complaining they are often subjected to racial profiling by their own
colleagues.

Just take them out of their uniforms and they become merely a suspect, just
because of the colour of their skin.

This was the point emphasized by those black officers who are among the
leaders in the force.

The force's response was to "water down" for public consumption what it was
hearing, and to really do nothing. All the while, it was publicly protesting
that, as a systemic problem among its members, racial profiling was a figment
of the public's imagination.

The main point I wanted to bring home to my class was that for them, 2017 is
not that far off.

It might still be part of the future for some Canadians, but for a large
segment of the population, the year 2017 is akin to tomorrow.

The Canada of their future is already taking shape.

There is still much to be done to make Canada a genuinely multicultural
country.

By this I mean that a genuine multicultural state would be one in which
visible minorities would be integral to all aspects of Canadian life, and that
they would feel a sense of belonging as genuine Canadians.

This would mean more than merely having a visible or demographic presence in
Canada.

If we are to be true to the spirit of 2017, then it might be possible for
many of us to have not only recognition but equity in our lifetime.

Cecil Foster is an author and assistant professor at the University of
Guelph.

END OF DOCUMENT

4/2/05 Toronto Star A16

Toronto Star
Copyright 2005 Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, All Rights Reserved.

April 2, 2005
Section: News

Officers' feud ends on handshake; Tears shed during meeting between force
veteran, junior Union adamant racial profiling not an issue in case

Jim Rankin and Philip Mascoll
Toronto Star
News

What began as an incident between two officers at a Toronto police gas pump -
and led to a national airing of internally reported incidents of racial
profiling and inequity experienced by black officers on and off the job - has
ended with a handshake.

At a meeting brokered and mediated this week by some of the Toronto Police
Service's most senior officers, Insp. David McLeod, a 26-year veteran and
among the highest-ranking black officers on the service, reached out and shook
hands with a young junior officer, born in Hong Kong, and himself a visible
minority.

Six weeks earlier, the two were strangers to each other. The young officer
was filling up his marked cruiser behind Scarborough's 42 Division police
station when McLeod, from a police division in Parkdale, in plainclothes and
in an unmarked police issue vehicle, pulled up to do the same.

According to Toronto Police Association president Dave Wilson, who spoke to
the Toronto Star yesterday and defended the actions of the junior officer,
orders had been issued to "challenge or to ask people to identify themselves
when they are on police property using police gas."

Pumps are located behind police stations throughout the city, in police-only
parking lots.

The young Asian officer asked the older black officer to show identification.

McLeod, according to sources, asked the young officer whether the same
question would be asked of a white officer. In McLeod's mind, it was another
incident of differential treatment he had experienced one too many times in
his career, his lawyer, Selwyn Pieters, said yesterday.

The young officer felt he was just following orders, and complained,
formally, that the senior officer had acted inappropriately in questioning
him.

With that, the incident became much bigger than the two. Counter complaints
were filed, and the Toronto Police Association became involved.

It led, first internally, then in reports in the Star this week, to the
resurfacing of results of an internal focus group held in late 2003, ordered
at the behest of then-chief Julian Fantino, to look into the impact
allegations of racial profiling have had on black members of a force accused
of racially biased policing.

The force's four most senior black officers - including McLeod - relayed the
results of focus group, made up of 38 hand-picked black and other visible
minority officers, to Fantino and senior command officers in late 2003.

Documents and notes obtained by the Star and published this week reflect what
the senior command were told. Despite what the force was saying publicly at
the time, the black officers, all 38 of them, believed racial profiling
exists. The majority felt they had been the subject of an improper police stop
while off-duty, and three reported having had more than one such stop in the
span of a week.

The officers noted in the internal and police-only presentations that any
organization that recruits from the population at large is bound to bring in a
few racists. But they felt problems within the service were systemic - that
bad apples were protected, and black officers were reluctant to report
incidents for fear of being ostracized.

Last month, more than 16 months after the concerns were first raised, senior
black officers got wind of the gas pump incident, and in a meeting with acting
chief Mike Boyd, raised the subject of the presentations and expressed their
belief much more had to be done to address the problem of racism in policing,
and on the streets.

Boyd has since said addressing the concerns is a top priority.

With the allegations out this week, and making headlines, the young officer
and Insp. McLeod sat down Thursday, before a room full of officers and
lawyers, to talk about the incident at the pumps, and experiences both had had
with racism - for the older officer, while on the job, and the younger, while
growing up.

McLeod, who has directed his lawyer to speak to the media on his behalf, told
the young officer that being asked for identification, in a police parking
lot, was "the straw that broke the camel's back."

Pieters described the meeting as one of the best dispute resolution meetings
he has ever attended. Deputy Chief Bill Blair played peacemaker, and Supt.
Mike Federico, and Supt. Keith Forde, the force's highest-ranking black police
officer, were key in making sure all involved were treated with dignity and
respect, said Pieters.

Yesterday, Dave Wilson, head of the police union, said the association stands
behind the young officer, who he said was just doing his job. "The bottom line
here that people really need to understand is that our officer did the right
thing," said Wilson.

Wilson said it's the association's position that McLeod, who is in
management, acted inappropriately, and what happened at the pumps, was not a
case of racial profiling. He pointed out that the junior officer himself was a
visible minority, and suggested it unlikely one visible minority would
racially profile another. "Let's not put that into a spin, and say there's
some kind of a racial profiling happening here," said Wilson.

Asked if only white officers are capable of racial bias, Wilson responded "I
guess that's a fair question. But how do you determine when someone is doing
what he's been asked to do by a supervisor, as being racist as opposed to
being appropriate?"

Pieters said his client "was right," and in matters involving behaviour felt
to be racist, whether real or perceived, there can be no wrong. "No one has to
apologize."

Blair, the officer who brought the two officers together, described the
incident as a misunderstanding, and had nothing to do with misconduct on the
part of either officer. He said yesterday that security on police property is
an issue, and that the younger officer had done absolutely nothing wrong in
asking for identification from someone he did not recognize.

He also said he got to know the two officers through this experience, as have
they, and that he is "proud of both men."

At the meeting, McLeod shared personal experiences and those of other black
officers who had encountered racial stereotyping and racist treatment, said
his lawyer. There were tears from the younger officer, who had studied in the
United Kingdom and worked in Hong Kong as an urban planner before becoming a
police officer here five years ago, said Pieters. "He was pretty devastated."

Pieters said the session "brought to the fore issues that involve young
officers - that young officers need much more mentoring that they have at the
present time."

The meeting ended without apologies, but with a handshake, said Pieters.

The complaint against McLeod, aside from the paperwork, is all but resolved
informally. Deputy Chief Blair determined there was nothing in what McLeod had
done or said that would amount to misconduct. A counter complaint, filed by
McLeod against a Staff Sergeant, is still on the books, said Pieters.

As for the larger issue of racial profiling of black citizens, including
off-duty black officers, a chorus of voices - from acting chief Boyd and
politicians, to advocacy and rights groups - addressed this week the reality
raised by the focus group of black officers in 2003 - that police are only
human, and some will bring racist views to work.

Boyd said in an interview Thursday that racism and racial profiling in the
service will be "rooted out." He said he plans to arrange a meeting with
officers who are visible minorities to "learn the facts and hear the
experiences" - and acting immediately on what he learns.

Police association president Wilson said yesterday that whether incidents are
perceived or real, the issue is serious and allegations must be investigated.

And he echoed some of the commitments made by Boyd this week.

"Certainly, in situations where racial profiling or a racist incident occurs,
the Toronto Police Association, and the Toronto Police Service, both will
simply stand back, and say, 'We don't support it.' The association doesn't
tolerate inappropriate and unlawful conduct," said Wilson.

He also said police could do a better job of informing those they stop of the
reasons for the stop.

END OF DOCUMENT

4/2/05 Toronto Star F06

Toronto Star

April 2, 2005

Section: National Report

Big breakthrough on racial profiling
National Report

The comment that "racial profiling exists" in Toronto is hardly a surprising
view when voiced by academics, civil liberty advocates, upset leaders of the
black community, or by the Star.

However, it becomes a powerful new revelation when expressed by Toronto's
black police officers - and it must not be ignored.

To his credit, former chief Julian Fantino asked black officers in 2003 for a
frank assessment of the police department's racial situation. Four of the
force's top black cops met behind closed doors with 38 other black officers,
drawn from the 16 units forming the Toronto Police Service. Not only did they
agree racial profiling was a reality, but the majority said they, themselves,
had been stopped by police for no good reason while off duty.

A summary of what the group disclosed was presented at a two-day, police-only
conference on serving a diverse community. But its troubling conclusions were
never made public until revealed this past week by Star reporters Philip
Mascoll and Jim Rankin. The insight provided by black officers marks a
breakthrough on several fronts

It underlines the abject failure of using race as an indicator of likely
criminal conduct. Instead of effectively spotting troublemakers, racial
profiling also targets innocent members of the black community and even some
of the very police officers whose task is to protect society.

Rather than just isolated examples of dirty work by a "few bad apples,"
racial profiling is a deep-rooted problem within the force. Some black
officers reported being stopped while off duty more than once in a single
week. Errors on that scale aren't the work of a "handful"of cops.

While Fantino did the right thing in asking black officers for their views,
he failed to make their valuable insights public. According to Toronto Police
Services Board chair Pam McConnell, the chief failed even to tell the civilian
board overseeing the force. That speaks to a view that regards racial
profiling primarily as an internal police problem. And it's dead wrong. Racial
profiling directly - and hurtfully - affects a huge swath of this city's
minority population, especially the black community. When minority groups are
unfairly subject to special police scrutiny, a clear and depressing message is
sent to people that they are not trusted by the very organization that is
supposed to protect and serve them.

Ontario hasn't done enough to end the corrosive practice of racial profiling
in Canada's largest and most ethnically diverse city. In response to the
revelations from black police officers, Community Safety Minister Monte
Kwinter said Ontario has "zero tolerance" for racial profiling. Fine words,
but what about action? Judging from what black officers have declared - and
what civilians in the black community have long pointed out - racial profiling
has been happening for years. Given its obvious harm and its extent, Kwinter's
failure to act is unacceptable.

Black officers have much to contribute in the debate on profiling - and in
reaching reforms. It is not easy in any organization to challenge the
prevailing corporate view. It is especially hard to do that within policing,
where there is a strong culture of banding together against outsiders. Black
officers who criticized the unfair practices they witnessed deserve special
commendation. Hopefully, their example will encourage others.

To defeat racial profiling, the first step must surely be to speak out and
share the simple, unvarnished truth. The officers who have done that have
served this city well.
END OF DOCUMENT

04/01/2005 GLOBEMAIL A13
04/01/2005 Globe & Mail (Toronto Can.) A13
The Globe and Mail
Toronto News

Friday, April 1, 2005

By Timothy Appleby
Next police chief must act to stop racial profiling, black officers group says

Enough already -- no more rhetoric, no more public inquiries. Discriminatory
police behaviour has been studied to death and what's needed is concrete
action to combat it, says the president of the Association of Black Law
Enforcers, Sergeant William (Chris) Bullen of York Regional Police.

Sgt. Bullen was dismayed but not surprised to learn of an in-house Toronto
Police Service meeting late in 2003 where dozens of black officers said they
had experienced racial profiling, both on and off the job.

'This exists and we've long said it exists,' said Sgt. Bullen, leader of the
York force's recruitment office and head of the Canadawide ABLE, which has
about 1,000 members.

'I have the pulse of my membership and this is the reality for black law
enforcers right across the province, particularly in the GTA.'

The 42 black officers at the closed meeting represented the 300 of Toronto's
5,500 uniformed officers who are black. Aired via documents and notes leaked
to the Toronto Star, their complaints described a range of discriminatory
actions by colleagues, notably involving non-white motorists being pulled over
for no good reason.

The only remedy, Sgt. Bullen said, is for Toronto's next police chief to
declare, 'I will listen to criticism and I will act.'

Interim Chief Mike Boyd, who holds the reins until a successor to Julian
Fantino is named, promised yesterday to do just that.

'I don't see a quick fix to this but I have to acknowledge this is a serious
issue, and where we find it we're going to root it out,' he said. 'It will
just not be tolerated.'

In response to the published leak, Chief Boyd met yesterday with the rest of
the force's management team.

'And the consensus was that we need to do more, and to move forward.'

He agreed that some racial-minority officers 'feel they don't have equal
opportunities.'

But public perceptions may be worse than the reality, he said, suggesting that
too often -- particularly when pulling over errant drivers -- police officers
fail to explain themselves adequately, leaving the impression that racism was
the trigger.

A message seeking comment from the Toronto Police Association was not
returned.

It's not just black police officers who voice complaints about discrimination,
Chief Boyd concurred. He heard the same at a citizens meeting in North York as
recently as Wednesday night.

'And policing worldwide is dealing with this.'

So what will he do in the next few weeks, while the Police Services Board
ponders selection of a permanent chief, (a job Chief Boyd has made no secret
of pursuing)?

Talk to the force, white and non-white, he said.

'Learn the facts, hear their experiences and learn more about the scope of
this, because I need to get to the bottom of it.'
END OF DOCUMENT

4/1/05 Toronto Star A01

Toronto Star
Copyright 2005 Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, All Rights Reserved.

April 1, 2005
Section: News

Boyd vows to end racial profiling; Racial profiling faces crackdown, Boyd says
Acting chief outlines immediate plan Move follows release of internal report

Philip Mascoll and Jim Rankin

Toronto Star
News

Racism and racial profiling in the Toronto Police Service will be "rooted
out," acting Chief Mike Boyd has vowed.

And he will not wait for a permanent chief to be appointed before moving on
issues raised by his four most senior black officers in a 16-month-old report,
which was revealed in the Toronto Star yesterday.

"I don't want anyone to underestimate my determination to deal with this
issue," Boyd said in a phone interview yesterday. "Where it is found, it will
be rooted out."

Boyd, who is on a contract until May and is seeking the chief's job
permanently, emphasized he was not with the service in October 2003, when then
chief Julian Fantino asked for a report on the experience of black officers
serving on a force that had been accused of racial profiling.

The report was prepared by the service's four most senior black officers
Supt. Keith Forde, Supt. (then Staff Insp.) Peter Sloly, Staff Insp. Karl
Davis and Insp. David McLeod.

They convened a focus group of 38 rank-and-file officers who were visible
minorities. The Star obtained copies of presentation notes from the senior
officers' report on that session, as well as slide summaries of a more general
presentation delivered to a police-only conference in November 2003.

All 38 officers agreed that racial profiling exists, the documents show. All
reported having witnessed or experienced incidents of police racial misconduct
while on the job, but some expressed a reluctance to report such incidents out
of fear of being ostracized.

The consensus was that any organization, recruiting from the public at large,
is liable to hire a few people with racist views. But the black officers felt
the problem was serious and nothing would change until matters were dealt with
internally.

Boyd said in the interview that the presentation and the problems it revealed
were brought to his attention by the senior officers a few weeks ago. He said
he discussed a response yesterday with his senior management group.

"We collectively agreed that this cannot wait for the new chief to be
appointed and we must move forward immediately," he said.

"Racial profiling is unacceptable. It will not be tolerated and we will
aggressively go after that," he said. "It will not be tolerated in this
service. Where it is found, it will be rooted out."

Boyd outlined actions he intends to take immediately, with the unanimous
support of his senior management group and the black senior officers

Arrange a meeting with officers who are visible minorities. "I am going to
learn the facts and hear the experiences - personally if I can. This is
important. I believe I am going to hear examples of treatment within the
police service."

Act immediately on what he learns. "This is not going to be solved
overnight," he said, "but it cannot wait for the appointment of a permanent
chief."

Boyd said that since becoming interim chief on March 1, he has been meeting
with small groups from the community at large - among them members of the
black community.

He noted that the perception of racial profiling is created every time police
officers stop motorists without explaining the reason.

"We are going to do something about that," he said. "That will go a long way
to reduce the problem. It will not eradicate the problem, but it will reduce
the perception."

Chris Bullen, president of the Association of Black Law Enforcers and a
sergeant in charge of recruiting for York Region police, said yesterday the
Toronto service's internal report marks a turning point, adding he expects
more black officers to speak out on the issue.

"After reading the article, it really hit home," Bullen said. "This is the
reality for black police officers right across the province, but particularly
Toronto and the GTA, where the largest number of black officers work.

"It's more than a shame, actually. It's disgusting."

Bullen said his group, which has more than 1,000 members across the country,
will be working behind the scenes, at all levels of government, trying to
bring about change.

He said he would like to see the Toronto Police Service show the kind of
leadership demonstrated by the Ontario Provincial Police and promote qualified
senior black officers to the upper echelons of senior command.

Bullen also pointed to the work that has been done in Kingston, where the
police chief embarked on a pilot project that involved documenting the race of
citizens stopped by officers, with the intention of analyzing the data for
possible patterns of racial bias. Early results of that study are due to be
shared publicly as early as this spring.

The focus group report resurfaced last month following an incident at the gas
pumps at Scarborough's 42 Division police station.

According to sources, Insp. David McLeod, one of the force's most senior
black officers and a co-presenter on the focus group findings, was in
plainclothes and about to fill up his unmarked police vehicle when a junior
officer also using the gas pump requested to see identification. McLeod, who
is based in 14 Division in Parkdale, asked him if a white officer would be
asked for identification, sources said.

Complaints and counter-complaints were filed, and yesterday afternoon McLeod
and the constable met with acting Deputy Chief Bill Blair.

Blair said in a phone interview afterward that the issue between McLeod and
the constable had been resolved after a "very productive meeting."

Asked to comment on the Star article, Community Safety Minister Monte Kwinter
repeated yesterday that the Liberal government has "zero tolerance for racial
profiling. We've made sure that everybody knows that."

He added that "it's going to take some time" for racial profiling to become a
thing of the past. But he said new recruits at the Ontario Police College now
receive extensive training on the issue.

Mayor David Miller told reporters the issues raised by the officers "reminds
us of how important it is to acknowledge a problem so it can be addressed. And
for senior black police officers together to have said this is a serious
problem, I think reinforces that it is.

"The good news is that the police services board is moving forward. There'll
be a new chief shortly and we'll be able to work on this issue," he said.

Toronto Police Services Board chair Pam McConnell said the board was unaware
of the focus group and the presentations on its findings until the Star story
yesterday. But she said the board will hear from the four black officers and
have a frank discussion with them.

"This board is very much committed to addressing the issue of racial
profiling," she said. "And I am hoping this will happen in a very timely way."

Calls to Toronto Police Association president Dave Wilson were not returned
yesterday.

With files from Robert Benzie and Paul Moloney

END OF DOCUMENT

4/1/05 Windsor Star A6

Windsor Star (Canada)

April 1, 2005

Section: News

Black officers also profiled?

Racial profiling by the Toronto Police Service has even
affected its own members, a meeting of several dozen of the city's
black officers heard during a private meeting.

It was agreed that details would remain an internal matter, but
documents and notes obtained by the Toronto Star show the black
officers said racial profiling was a reality on the force.

The Oct. 2003 meeting heard many officers experienced racism on the
job. Some said they had witnessed incidents of biased policing but
were reluctant to report them out of fear of being ostracized.

The focus group was called by then-chief Julian Fantino to discuss
what it was like to be a black member of a force facing allegations
of racial profiling. Among those present were four of the service's
most senior and respected black officers.

The majority in the room said they themselves had been
inappropriately stopped by police while they were off duty. Three
said they'd been stopped more than once in a single week.

One officer said a colleague referred to black citizens on bicycles
as "chimps on bikes."

END OF DOCUMENT

3/31/05 Broad. News (Pg. Unavail. Online)

March 31, 2005

TOR OUT YYY
TORONTO -- A report says racial profiling by Toronto police has even affected
its own members.

The Toronto Star reports that revelation came out during a private meeting of
several dozen of Toronto's black officers.

The Star says it obtained documents and notes from the October2003 meeting.

The meeting heard many officers experienced racism on the job.

Some witnessed incidents of biased policing, but were reluctant to report them
out of fear of being ostracized.

Most of the meeting's participants said they themselves had
beeninappropriately stopped by police while they were off duty.

The focus group was called by then-chief Julian Fantino todiscuss what it was
like to be a black member of a force facingallegations of racial profiling.

They reached a consensus that any organization which recruitsfrom the general
public is liable to pick up a few racists.

But they still feel it's a serious problem and say nothing willchange until
it's dealt with internally.

(TorStar)

NMC

END OF DOCUMENT

March 31, 2005

Section: News

Racial profiling exists ; Promises of internal probe fell flat

Philip Mascoll and Jim Rankin

Toronto Star
News

The meeting was without precedent. Four of the Toronto Police Service's most
senior and respected black officers, along with 38 other black officers from
across the force, gathered on company time to have a frank discussion about
what it was like to be a black member of a force facing allegations of racial
profiling.

What emerged from the session in October, 2003, held at the request of then
chief Julian Fantino, was far more wide-ranging. It was also disturbing, and
it was agreed that the details would remain an internal matter. The force had
publicly said there was no racial profiling taking place, and that any
incidents of racially biased policing could be chalked up to a few bad apples.

But according to documents and notes obtained by the Toronto Star, the black
officers said racial profiling was a reality on the force. Many said they had
experienced racism on the job. Some said they had witnessed incidents of
biased policing but were reluctant to report them out of fear of being
ostracized.

The majority in the room said they themselves had been inappropriately
stopped by police while they were off-duty. Three said they'd been stopped
more than once in a single week.

One officer said a colleague referred to black citizens on bicycles as
"chimps on bikes."

The consensus was that any organization, recruiting from the public at large,
is liable to hire a few people with racist views. But the black officers felt
the problem was serious, and nothing would change until matters were dealt
with internally.

That was the message taken back to Fantino and the senior command in two
closed-door meetings over the following weeks, where the findings were
presented by the force's four most senior black officers Supt. Keith Forde,
Supt. (then Staff Inspector) Peter Sloly, Staff Insp. Karl Davis and Insp.
David McLeod.

Fantino, who is now Ontario's Commissioner of Emergency Management, said
yesterday he recalled being surprised and upset by some of the allegations
that came out of the focus group. Some of it, he said, he was hearing for the
first time in his career.

"I've always been conscientious about our relationship, not only between the
police and the community, but, also between the police and the police," said
Fantino. "I always was committed to making sure that the internal environment
was one where we treated everyone with dignity and respect, as we expected we
should treat the public and expected to be treated ourselves."

Chief Fantino, who had already launched initiatives aimed at improving race
relations internally and externally, promised to look into the issues and have
specific alleged incidents of misconduct internally investigated.

Now the same issues have resurfaced following a Feb. 20 incident at a
Scarborough police station.

Insp. David McLeod, one of the senior black officers who helped convene the
focus group, was in plainclothes when he went to fuel up his unmarked police
vehicle at 42 Division police station, sources said. A junior officer who was
there fuelling his own cruiser demanded to see his identification, sources
said. McLeod asked, according to sources, if a white officer would be asked to
do the same.

Complaints and counter-complaints have been laid over the incident. In the
process, the 16-month-old findings of the black officers' focus group
resurfaced.

The complaints and the focus group's findings are now a top priority for
interim police chief Mike Boyd, who met with the four senior black officers in
early March.

Boyd said in an interview yesterday that he had retired from the force a
month before the results of the focus group were shared with senior command
officers, and was unaware of the contents of some of the material obtained by
the Star.

But he said he made a commitment to the black officers that "we would
continue to move forward on these issues, and my sense was that they
recognized the commitment.

"I think we need to go deeper" than just investigating individual incidents,
said Boyd. "I believe from what I'm learning now about this review with the 38
officers, I believe that there's more that we can do, and what we should be
able to do with this. I think we have to drill down. I think we have to speak
with members. I think we have to understand the experiences that they're
describing."

It was chief Fantino himself who, in mid-October 2003, asked the senior black
officers to look into how allegations of racial profiling by Toronto police
were affecting black officers.

It had been a year since the Toronto Star published a series on race and
crime, which used police arrest data to suggest blacks were treated
differently than whites in certain circumstances. But the controversy
surrounding the series, and the chief's denial of any widespread problem, was
quite alive.

The Star series had also prompted the Toronto Police Association to launch a
$2.7 billion class action libel suit against the paper, which was ultimately
dismissed by the Supreme Court of Canada.

Fantino asked the most senior of the black officers, Supt. Forde, to prepare
a report for an upcoming police conference. Forde insisted that the three
other senior black officers - who had on several occasions before offered
their services to the chief on the racial profiling issue - also be involved.

At the request of the senior officers, Fantino ordered the commanders of the
16 units that make up the police service to each send at least one black
officer to a focus group the senior officers were calling.

When the group sat down a week later in a classroom at the C.O. Bick College
police training facility in Scarborough - where Forde is commanding officer -
there were black officer of all ages and of lengths of service, ranging from
three years to more than 30.

The Star obtained copies of speaking notes and a slide presentation, which
sources said reflect what was discussed at the focus group meeting. They
provide a rare glimpse of what black officers say they experience on the job,
and as black citizens when the uniforms come off.

They suggest a much more serious problem than the force has previously
admitted to.

"We know racial profiling exists," the speaking notes declared.

Officers described "differential enforcement activities" - including
derogatory comments directed at officers and members of the public - but were
reluctant to report such incidents out of a fear it would lead to them being
ostracized.

The stereotype that black motorists in expensive cars and neighbourhoods
receive extra attention was true.

Black officers were concerned police brass do not care about racist
behaviour, that bad apples are protected, and that remedies are not effective
or not taken.

In once instance, an officer allegedly referred to black citizens riding
bicycles as "chimps on bikes" and the acronym COBs was used on one of the
in-car computer screens.

There remained a belief in the stereotype that black officers are lazy, while
black officers felt they were not allowed the same margin of error as others.

The overall climate was not changing despite a zero-tolerance stance taken by
former chief Fantino.

Black officers wanted to defend the organization, but felt nothing could be
done externally until internal issues were dealt with.

11 of the group had reported instances of racial misconduct, although all had
experienced or witnessed as much.

The majority felt they'd been stopped for improper reasons while off duty.

Half a dozen said they'd been stopped more than 12 times in a year and three
said they'd been stopped more than once in a one-week span.

In their initial report, the senior officers had suggested that because of
the shocking findings, it would be best for the force if a more general -
"watered down," one source described it - version of the focus group was
shared at an upcoming conference.

The source said Fantino agreed.

On Nov. 8, the four senior black Toronto officers delivered their
presentation on racial profiling - from the perspective of a black officer -
to a room full of senior Ontario police officers who came to Toronto for a
conference on "Policing a Diverse Community."

It was a two-day, police-only gathering, hosted by the Toronto Police Service
and sponsored by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the
Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.

Aside from a guest media speaker, no reporters were allowed at the sessions.

The black Toronto officers' presentation began with the statement "We know
racial profiling exists."

The officers noted that racial profiling, as opposed to criminal profiling,
was a poor policing tool, and that there were strong indicators that there is
a systemic form of racism in law enforcement that supports systemic racial
profiling.

A key conclusion of the presentation suggested that the same "systemic form
of racism" represented by barriers to promotion and other issues also
supported systemic racial profiling of citizens.

The presentation also dealt with police management issues, and a reluctance
to face the 21st-century reality of policing a diverse community. Police
forces "recruit from the general community and that means we will recruit
racists," according to presentation documents. "We recruit," the officers
noted, "from the human race."

Without pinning anything to any one force, including their own, the officers
noted that off-duty visible minority officers feel that they themselves have
been stopped by police because of the colour of their skin.

According to conference notes, the officers also noted that visible minority
officers feel they face a higher level of scrutiny than their peers, are not
given the same job opportunities, and that racial misconduct is often not
reported.

According to the notes, the officers told the conference that racial
incidents were not as blatant as they used to be, and that police
organizations are changing for the better. And much of the presentation dealt
with ways to make things better, including better training and recruiting
practises.

In summing things up, according to conference notes, the senior Toronto
officers stressed black officers have the best interests of their
organizations and communities at heart, that racial profiling is a product of
racism and organizational culture, and spoke of the importance of addressing
the root causes of the problem, rather than adopting measures to mask the
symptoms.

Two weeks after the conference, an unedited version of the presentation was
given to the service's command officers - including the chief, deputy chiefs,
senior superintendents and the heads of administration and professional
standards.

Some weeks later, Fantino met with the focus group, at the college and heard
them for himself.

He again promised that specific allegations would be investigated by
Professional Standards, a source said.

"I wanted to get these issues sorted out in a way that would be helpful to
us, on all fronts - internal to the organization, and external the
organization," Fantino said yesterday.

Fantino said he promised the officers he would have specific allegations of
racial misconduct investigated, but he couldn't recall whether any incidents
raised by the officers had been formally complained about, and was uncertain
if any investigations were launched.

Calls to Toronto Police Association president Dave Wilson were not returned
yesterday.

The four senior black officers were also unavailable to comment on this
story.

Insp. David McLeod referred the Star to his lawyer, Selwyn Pieters.

"Inspector McLeod does believe that the new command structure in place will
give a high priority to addressing these systemic issues raised in the
consultation with black officers," Pieters said, "since the public's interest
and service's interests are well served by the resolution of these concerns.

Asked whether he felt the issues raised in the presentation were still
current, Pieters said yes.

"Any report that raises systemic issues, any report that impacts upon a large
group of represented officers, based on race, that isn't addressed, does
create a problem. It creates a problem where people feel that their dignity is
infringed upon, that they're not respected, and that the workplace in some way
can be poisoned.

"I think it's the culture - that's what causes racial profiling to exist."

Boyd said he hadn't yet been made aware of any specific incidents of racial
misconduct stemming from the focus group sessions, but said any complaints
that do come forward will be fully investigated.

He also stressed that many changes have taken place that deal with some or
many of the issues raised.

Boyd said he is hopeful that the officers involved in the incident at the 42
Division gas pump will come to an agreement and resolve the matter.

Fantino said there is still work to be done but took issue with a suggestion
nothing had been done in response to the officers' concerns. He said his
approach was "exemplary" and pointed to the force's track record on minority
hires, the promotion of black officers to specialized squads and training
initiatives set up under his watch, a "great deal" of which happened as a
result of the concerns raised by the black officers.

"We made that happen. We actually transferred people into the homicide
squad," said Fantino. "We made significant improvements. We probably doubled
the minority hires on the police service.

"I, as the chief of the day was very committed, very conscientious and very
much on dealing with those issues," said Fantino. "Is it done? No.
Relationships are always a work in progress."
Staff Insp. Karl Davis, from left, and Insp. David McLeodwere two of four
senior black officers who presented the findings ofa candid staff meeting on
race to then chief Julian Fantino.
END OF DOCUMENT