Policing Attitudes

[Peepers]

Good grief. If anyone here is still in denial and wants proof that some members of the Toronto Police force are totally corrupt and out of control, this is it. If anyone here is still in denial after this, I can only conclude that they are either racist, or perpetuating such stuff themselves.

Hopefully Constable Adam Lourenco is put in jail for many years if he committed such abuse. But knowing their history of corruption, he'll probably get a promotion.

Given how uncommon a name it is, it's likely the same Adam Lourenco that was charged for drunk driving (so drunk he fell asleep in the middle of an intersection) previously - http://www.canada.com/story_print.html?id=a7425c69-d07f-4dc9-a890-e61d6ff52cda?

Seeing TAVIS in action I can't help but think that they do more harm than good and to think a few weeks back people were applauding the continued funding of this organization.

But for the fact that the assault on the underage teen was caught on video this young law abiding kid would now have a police record.

At the heart of this story is the unconstitutional practice of "carding" whereby cops randomly stop young men and underage teens for absolutely no reason other than to "card" them, i.e. collect personal information. This is unconstitutional. Police can only stop you if they have reasonable grounds to believe that you have committed a crime, are about to commit a crime or have evidence of a crime. None of these elements existed here.

What surprises me is that this illegal and unconstitutional practice has been going on for years under Bill Blair and yet no one is calling for it to be stopped. The only complaints have been related to the fact that more young black men are being stopped than white men. These young men knew that the cops did not have grounds to stop them but as we can see, asserting your rights can backfire because cops will escalate the situation. As bad as this turned out it could have been worse, it could have ended in one of the teens being shot and killed.

Imagine what the reaction would be if police routinely patrolled upscale neighborhoods randomly stopping young neighborhood teens and subjecting them to the same treatment that these teens were subjected to? There would be hell to pay!

Is it any wonder that so many teens turn to crime in these "priority" neighborhoods when they are treated like criminals from an early age by the cops that patrol these areas?

I suspect that the Adam Lourenco in this story is the same Adam Lourenco in the 2008 DUI case (I see only one Adam Lourenco on the "sunshine list"). He should have been kicked off the force after the 2008 DUI but he is still on the force making over $100K!

 

[nfitz]

He should have been kicked off the force after the 2008 DUI but he is still on the force making over $100K!

Apparently the charges were stayed in 2009. Which is pretty shocking given that he was so drunk, that he fell asleep while stopped in the middle of a major intersection.

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

Speaking of TAVIS, today's Star story reminds me of the time a client's storefront was vandalized. The storefront was visible from two TAVIS cameras, but when we contacted the TPS to obtain/view the tapes we were told that the footage could not be made available. Our tax dollars at work, etc............

 

[Peepers]

Apparently the charges were stayed in 2009. Which is pretty shocking given that he was so drunk, that he fell asleep while stopped in the middle of a major intersection.

Very suspicious that the charges would be stayed under these circumstances. I wonder if he had some help from his fellow officers.

 

[BurlOak]

Is it corruption if the officers in question were taught that this behaviour is acceptable and actually believe they're right in behaving they way they do? Are they aware that they're violating civil liberties or was their training that inadequate?

It appears that the incident took place in a "common area in the Neptune Dr. public housing complex". I would guess that this means it is common to those who live in the Complex, and not the general public. The only way Police have to tell if anyone is a resident is to ask for identification.

Are the Police not allowed to enforce the "Trespass to Property Act on behalf of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation"? How else can they know who is trespassing and who is not - besides asking?

 

[doug]

careful, don't hurt yourself....twisting like that can be dangerous.

 

[Admiral Beez]

In Europe it's not uncommon for it to be a requirement that you have ID on you at all times. Not suggesting it for Canada at all, but it's interesting how different the approach is in North America vs. Europe re. state identity cards.

 

[Peepers]

For those of you who are as concerned as I am about our out-of-control Police Force under Bill Blair I thought I would bring the following article to your attention:

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/03/25/power-game-at-top-of-toronto-police

As you can see from the article we are at an important cross-roads when it comes to leadership.

Board Chair Alok Mukherjee's term expires next month and he is lobbying for a renewal. According to Joe's inside sources Bill Blair is also quietly lobbying for another five year extension of his lucrative contract.

These two things MUST NOT HAPPEN and if enough people email the political decision makers we have a good chance of making sure that they do not happen.

Firstly, Alok Mukherjee has been a complete disaster as Board Chair. He has been nothing but a lap-dog and apologist for Bill Blair. Mukherjee has turned a blind eye to many of Bill Blair's transgressions. If we are going to see changes for the better in our police force it is absolutely critical that Mukherjee NOT be reappointed Board Chair.

Even more worrisome then the prospect of Mukherjee being reappointed Board Chair is the prospect that he would be replaced by John Tory as Joe Warmington speculates. Bill Blair rarely talks to reporters - his high paid PR guy does all the talking for him - and yet he phones in almost weekly to the John Tory show. It is obvious from the exchanges that they are good friends (probably see each other on the same cocktail circuits) and it is sickening to listen to John Tory fawn over Bill Blair. From what I have read in other forums - Police insiders say Blair is lobbying to have someone "friendly" appointed as Board Chair.

The decision on whether to replace Mukherjee or reappoint him belongs to the Premier. The decision to renew Blair's contract for another year is ultimately Mayor Fords (exercised by his proxy's on the Board).

If you share my concern send an email to the following group address telling them NO to reappointing Mukherjee NO to appointing John Tory and NO to extending Bill Blair's contract for another five years.

Given what has taken place post G20 I don't know how anyone in their right mind would think it a good idea to extend Blair and Mukhjeree's employment contracts but crazy things happen in politics when people aren't looking and the public isn't engaged!

If anything is going to change for the good we need someone appointed Board Chair who is not intimidated by Bill Blair and his goons and who will not be bullied into submission. I think someone like John Sewell would be a good candidate.

Here are the email addresses (just copy and paste!)

Let these politicians know loud and clear that if they do not act in accordance with your wishes they will not be getting your vote!

kathleen.wynne@ontario.ca; kwynne.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org; mayor_ford@toronto.ca; board@tpsb.ca; alok.mukherjee@tpsb.ca; councillor_delgrande@toronto.ca; councillor_thompson@toronto.ca; councillor_nunziata@toronto.ca;

 

[voxpopulicosmicum]

^ That's a great initiative, Peepers, although I would like to see some discussion/suggestions on (1) who might be good candidates to replace Blair and (2) what structural changes are required to break the culture of impunity that allows the police to intimidate the Police Services Board. I think the Toronto Police will continue their well-entrenched, corrupt/abusive ways if they aren't brought to heel.

I'm of the opinion that there out to be special (i.e. harsher) sentences to public officials who are corrupt or who abuse their authority. Our justice system (i.e. judges) seems to believe the opposite. What about mandatory minimum sentences and/or new criminal offenses associated with corruption/abuse of authority? I would guess that cops would think twice if they were facing a minimum 5 year sentence as opposed to the maximum few weeks of house arrest they face today.

 

[Voltz]

John Sewell is an idiot, just because he challenges the board on issues does not mean he knows what he is talking about. He has made absurd statements like the police are so under worked that each officer only attends one call every two shifts, and that they are safer if they work alone at night instead of in pairs.

He also could not be bothered to attend the funeral of a police officer who was brutally murdered while he was the Mayor.

 

[Peepers]

^ That's a great initiative, Peepers, although I would like to see some discussion/suggestions on (1) who might be good candidates to replace Blair and (2) what structural changes are required to break the culture of impunity that allows the police to intimidate the Police Services Board. I think the Toronto Police will continue their well-entrenched, corrupt/abusive ways if they aren't brought to heel.

1) I think that Bill Blair's replacement must come from outside the Toronto Police Force. This is the only way to break the cycle of corruption and incompetence (remember that Blair was mentored by Julian Fantino - who used to be Toronto's worst Chief in history until Bill Blair came along).

Perhaps a good candidate would be Peel Regional Police Chief Jennifer Evans. She was recently profiled in the SUN and it seems she has a different approach from Bill Blair when it comes to misbehaving cops. She does't tolerate them!

http://www.torontosun.com/2013/03/29/no-messing-with-peel-police-chief-jennifer-evans

2) Maybe we need to elect Police Service Board members and Chairs just as we do school boards?

I'm of the opinion that there out to be special (i.e. harsher) sentences to public officials who are corrupt or who abuse their authority. Our justice system (i.e. judges) seems to believe the opposite. What about mandatory minimum sentences and/or new criminal offenses associated with corruption/abuse of authority? I would guess that cops would think twice if they were facing a minimum 5 year sentence as opposed to the maximum few weeks of house arrest they face today.

They should be held to a higher standard but just the opposite is happening. For instance if you or I lied under oath we would be quickly charged with perjury. Police Officers perjure themselves with impunity all the time! If we were to refuse the order of a judge as did a Toronto cop recently when he refused to turn over a cell phone to the judge - we would be charged with contempt of court. Not so the police officer.

 

[James]

...
They should be held to a higher standard but just the opposite is happening. For instance if you or I lied under oath we would be quickly charged with perjury. Police Officers perjure themselves with impunity all the time! If we were to refuse the order of a judge as did a Toronto cop recently when he refused to turn over a cell phone to the judge - we would be charged with contempt of court. Not so the police officer.

Quoted for truth. These cases of preferential treatment, as appalling as they are, are no different in any other "organization." It's one of those things that people don't like talking about but it happens. It's obvious they are looking out for one of "their own." Again, it happens outside of the police force and outside of the government. These cases are hard to fight and require a lot of intervention and investigation, which will be naturally met with carefully-orchestrated resistance.