Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

(j)
Valuing the Role of Debriefs: methods for creating a culture of
debriefing and self-assessment within the Service, rather than a
systemic perception of debriefing as a routine administrative duty.
RECOMMENDATION 26: The TPS develop a procedure that permits
debriefing to occur on a real-time basis despite the existence of a Special
Investigations Unit (SIU) investigation. The TPS should work with the SIU and
appropriate municipal and provincial agencies to craft a procedure that does not
interfere with external investigations, and that maintains the confidentiality of
the debriefing process in order to promote candid analysis and continuous
education.
Mental health champions
RECOMMENDATION 27: The TPS develop a network of mental health
champions within the Service by appointing at least one experienced supervisory
officer per division with experience in successfully resolving mental health crisis
situations to:
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
provide formal and informal divisional-level training, mentoring
and coaching to other officers;
lead or participate in debriefings of mental health crisis calls when
appropriate;
provide feedback to supervisors and senior management on officers
who deserve recognition for exemplary conduct when serving
people in crisis and those who need additional training or coaching;
meet periodically with other mental health champions at various
divisions to discuss best practices, challenges, and
recommendations; and
report to the appropriate deputy chief or command officer on the
above responsibilities.
Discipline
RECOMMENDATION 28: The TPS establish an appropriate early intervention
process for identifying incidents of behaviour by officers that may indicate a
significant weakness in responding to mental health calls. Relevant data would
include: propensity to draw or deploy firearms unnecessarily; use of excessive
force; lack of sensitivity to mental health issues; insufficient efforts to de-escalate
incidents; and other behaviours.
RECOMMENDATION 29: The TPS review its discipline procedure with regard
to the following factors:
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