Public Trust and Modern Policing
Chief Danny Smyth
Earlier this year, I wrote about the history and importance of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CACP) to the policing profession in Canada and some of the initiatives the Association has explored in the areas of new technology, police and community relations, and accountability.
This past week I was in Quebec City for the 117th Annual CACP Conference. This was the first-time police leaders were able to gather in person since 2019. The conference also kicked off the beginning of my tenure as the President of the CACP. Police leaders from around the world were in attendance, including officials from Scotland, the United States, and Taiwan. It was a real gut-check for most of us, having been isolated from each other throughout most of the Pandemic.
I was also able to have a private discussion with Marco Mendicino, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety, and Mr. Steven Dettelbach, the newly appointed Director of the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Both officials were very engaged in the current environment in Canada and the United States – keenly aware of the number of firearms smuggled into Canada from the United States. There is a lot of support for law enforcement across the country. In Winnipeg and Manitoba, we have also benefited from the support that has allowed us to establish and maintain the Firearms Investigative & Analysis Section (FIAS), as well as our Guns & Gangs Unit. Both of these units do tremendous work investigating and seizing firearms from our community.
The other takeaway for me was how police agencies from across the country and across the globe are dealing with many of the same problems and issues. In particular, I was struck by how similar the work that Deputy Chief Scot Halley has been leading in member health and wellness aligns with work being done by Police Services across the globe. It certainly validated our efforts in Winnipeg.
On Wednesday, August 10th, 2022, an invocation ceremony was conducted to formally transition the President’s role from Waterloo Regional Police Chief Bryan Larkin to myself. I am honoured and humbled that my peers have given me their confidence and support for the next two years.
Here is a portion of my opening remarks:
Over the next few days, our focus will be on discussing trust and confidence. While this is not a new topic to most of you – it is once again a timely topic given the environment we are currently in.
These are challenging times, depending on your perspective: we are either emerging from a pandemic, or we are still in the midst of an endless pandemic with new variants emerging every few months.
Either way our world has been rocked – while we simultaneously navigate the many under-currents of the social justice movements. All without a playbook.
Our institutions – which includes police, but also includes government, health-care, education, and media, are increasingly being targeted by a lot of frustrated and angry people.
(If you were paying attention to the news this past week, you may have noticed that I was ‘showered’ with the attention of one of those frustrated and angry people. Literally).
As police leaders, we must acknowledge that trust and confidence with policing has eroded. But at the same time, we are being called upon like never before:
· whether dealing with increases in violent crime
· increases in protests and demonstrations
· or increased volumes in calls for service
· In my city, (Winnipeg) for the first time, wellness checks were the most frequent call for service.
This paradigm is one that most of us have never experienced before. Our people are receiving mixed messages. Media reports are often critical and often emphasize the voices of those calling to abolish the police, or those critical of the cost of policing.
Yet the demand for policing continues to increase. Our people are being asked to work more and more overtime to meet the demand. The result is that many of our own people are stressed. And we know that cumulative stress has a way of sneaking up on people and can cause real harm. PTSD has become part of the conversation.
The wellness and morale of our people is something we must all pay attention to. We cannot serve our communities effectively unless our people are healthy.
So, no, trust and confidence is not a new topic – just one that has taken on more urgency.
My vision is a simple one – as police leaders, if we are going to rebuild trust and confidence, we must focus on the foundations of our profession. Many of the building blocks of that foundation have been identified.
Our Global Studies group will confirm what many of us already intuitively know:
· The wellness of our members and organizations are key;
· Police professionalism is key; and
· How we engage with communities is key.
What people think about us is shaped by what people know about us. And they need to know we are a professional body that looks after its people, and governs itself accordingly to meet the needs of the communities we serve.
These are just a few of the things that require our attention as police executives.
While the vision is simple enough, it is the details that matter. There are a lot of tough conversations and a lot of heavy lifting ahead us. However, that work has already begun.
· I see it in the committee work that many of us are involved in;
· I see it in the roundtable work that involves leaders from across the country; and
· I see it in the back rooms and hallways where much of the political work gets done.
What makes the times we are in unique is that the concerns we are hearing are often coming internally from our own people. They are the same concerns we have been hearing from our communities – even some of our harshest critics.
That is what makes the times we are in more urgent. As I said earlier, there are a lot of frustrated and angry people out there. So, let me close on a positive and hopeful note:
I see the character and dedication of our front-line people every day. I look around and I also see a lot of talented leaders with a wealth of experience. There has never been a greater time or need for us to be united. I know that together we will rise to meet the challenges of our times, and we will emerge together better and stronger to meet the needs of our communities.
Over the years, many things were downloaded to the police, with municipalities taking on matters that would generally fall under provincial or federal jurisdiction and with social and health services calling on the police to help address issues they are ill-equipped to deal with. As public servants, we accept and encourage ‘fair’ public scrutiny. As President of the CACP, I look forward to a thoughtful and constructive discussion on possible reforms to policing and our public safety systems, but that discussion needs to be informed and evidence-based, with police at the table and with the health and safety of front-line police officers as well as members of the community in mind.