Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

which to measure performance. There are several ways to measure police performance,
including the extent to which service members use force sparingly and fairly to minimize
shootings and treat people equally, and the level of “customer satisfaction” of the people
police serve. 61 Given that it can be difficult to accurately measure performance based on
a police service’s records alone, some experts recommend other measures such as
surveys of the community, of those who interact with police and of officers. 62 Used in
connection with citizen complaints and other internal records, a service may be able to
create a database of information that can be used as an early warning system for
inappropriate use of force. 63 Further, the effective use of the data collected may
improve police culture by encouraging officers to strive for higher levels of
accomplishment. 64
II. Overview of Issues Highlighted by Stakeholders
71. The Review received submissions from several organizations and individuals
which addressed the current provincial Use of Force Model, use-of-force policies within
Ontario and the TPS, and recommendations for reforms. The Review also received
comparative use-of-force policies and procedures, such as those produced by the
International Association of Chiefs of Police, the UN, and police services in other
jurisdictions, some of which were described above.
72. The Review received suggestions for changes to the Use of Force Model. For
example, both a former police officer and a relative of a person shot by police during a
crisis suggested changes to the current training that shots must be fired to the chest to
stop individuals. Another relative of a person with mental illness shot by police
suggested improvements to training for officers on how to deal with individuals who do
not respond in a typical way to yelled commands. Others suggested that police should
better incorporate information about an individual’s mental illness or crisis state and
input from the subject’s family into the assessment of the appropriate use of force.
73. One organization expressed concern that misconceptions about mental health
symptoms can distort police perceptions of the risk posed by people in crisis. That
organization suggested reviewing the Ontario Use of Force Model with a human rights
lens to combat adverse effects of the Model on people in crisis. Another stakeholder
expressed dismay that the Use of Force Model has changed minimally since its
introduction in 1993, and suggested that this is indicative of minimal change in police
training in the area of use of force.
74. Several individuals raised concerns that the focus on ensuring officer safety has
overshadowed the need to protect the lives of subjects and bystanders. One mental
health care provider suggested that the Use of Force Model should better emphasize the
61
Id. at 2-3 (Davis describes customer satisfaction as “services to the public above and beyond crime fighting,” and writes that,
“[p]roviding good service to citizens increases police legitimacy.”)
62
See e.g. Dr. Johann Brink et al., A Study of How People with Mental Illness Perceive and Interact with the Police (Calgary, AB:
Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2011).
63
Davis, supra note 60 at 6.
64
Id. at 12.
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