Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

B. Independence
12. This Review was conducted on an independent basis, at arm’s length from the
Toronto Police Service.
13. The Review team that I assembled consisted exclusively of lawyers and other
personnel at Torys LLP, none of whom is affiliated with the TPS. No one from the TPS
was on the Review team, and the Review was conducted exclusively by the Review team.
14. The TPS appointed two individuals to act as a liaison between the TPS and the
Review team: Inspector Ian Stratford and Mr. Jerry Wiley. Inspector Stratford is a
member of the Prosecution Services group within the TPS Professional Standards unit.
Mr. Wiley was formerly (until he retired) Counsel to the Office of the Chief of Police at
the TPS. Inspector Stratford and Mr. Wiley collected some of the background
documents and information that were considered by the Review team, arranged the
logistics for some of the interviews, arranged and attended some site visits, and
otherwise served as administrative liaisons. Neither individual was involved in the
substantive analysis that I conducted with my Review team, in the development of my
recommendations, or in the drafting of this Report.
15. During the course of the Review, the Review team interviewed numerous
individuals, including members of the TPS, as well as many other individuals. With the
exception of our meetings with a small subset of TPS members, which were attended by
the liaison officers, all of the interviews were conducted on a confidential basis between
the individuals and the Review team. The persons interviewed were informed that the
information they provided to the Review would not be attributed to them in this Report,
and would not otherwise be shared in a way that could identify the individual. The goal
was to encourage candour in discussing these difficult issues.
16. I arrived at all of the recommendations in this Report independently.
C. Scope of the Review
1. The Review is forward looking
17. This Review is by its nature forward looking, designed to lead to improvements in
the policies, procedures and practices that guide TPS officers, the training that provides
them with the skills and competencies to respond effectively, and the equipment TPS
officers employ.
18. The ultimate purpose of the Review is to help prevent future deaths.
19. As a professional organization tasked with serving the public, the TPS must
engage in periodic self-examination and self-assessment, to ensure that the Service and
its members conduct themselves in accordance with the highest professional standards
and in a manner consistent with best practices. A key purpose of this Review is to help
the TPS meet this requirement with respect to those matters that fall within the
Review’s scope.
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