NCJ Number
132722
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 33 Issue: 3-4 Dated: (July-October 1991) Pages: 347-362
Date Published
1991
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The role that civilian oversight agencies will play in the future of policing in Canada is viewed in light of the Toronto police complaints system.
Abstract
The Toronto model, the first successful Canadian effort at the civilianization of police complaints procedures, is examined as a case study which provides insight into both the historical roots of civilian oversight in Canada and its future prospects. Initially, both police management and the Toronto Police Association accepted the Toronto complaints system and perceived it as an opportunity to defuse considerable public hostility and to improve officer morale by means of enhanced community support. Many officers soon began to feel unfairly singled out as the only officers in Ontario subject to such a system. Efforts both to derail the system and to expand the Toronto civilian oversight model on a mandatory basis across the Province are reviewed. Ultimately, the Ontario system will be accepted by police and will lead to the creation of similar systems in other Canadian jurisdictions. 1 note and 20 references (Author abstract modified)