Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

contains a section that addresses the Service’s role in interacting with people in crisis as
one of the “Service Priorities.” The 2013 Business plan states, “[t]he requirement for
Service members to better understand and more effectively address the immediate and
specific needs of these individuals is a priority for the Service”. 41 It then sets out four
specific goals for the TPS in this area, and performance objectives for each goal: (a)
“ensure safe outcomes for all emotionally disturbed persons during interactions with the
police”; (b) develop reliable data collection and analysis; (3) “enhance member training
for professional and respectful interactions with emotionally disturbed persons”; and
(4) enhance coordination of services offered by police and community service
agencies. 42
53. The Service’s recognition that serving people in crisis is important to its mandate
is not only significant for its own sake, but also because these statements of priorities
are intended to guide TPS and TPSB decision-making with regard to the allocation of
resources. 43
3. TPS framework for responding to people in crisis
54. As stated above, whether or not police have sought out a role as part of the
spectrum of mental healthcare, the Service’s involvement with people in crisis is an
unavoidable part of its role as an emergency responder. As a result, TPS officers need to
be equipped to fulfill their role within the mental health system. Below, I discuss TPS
procedures governing response to incidents involving a person in crisis and the units or
groups of officers within the TPS that have the most significant contact with people in
crisis.
(a) Procedures governing response to emergencies
55. Procedure 10-01 “Emergency Incident Response,” sets out the Service’s general
approach to responding to emergencies, including people in crisis. 44 Emergencies are
divided into three categories, with differing response measures. A level 3 emergency is a
disaster affecting a significant portion of the population, which may persist for a long
period of time and may require an extensive recovery period. A level 2 emergency is an
emergency incident that exceeds a division’s normal operational resources and requires
additional support or multiple agency coordination at the site, as well as some degree of
external support. These incidents may continue for an extended period of time and
require a command post to be set up on-site. Level 1 emergencies constitute the vast
bulk of emergencies the Service addresses, and include general response activities and
resources. Members of the Service respond quickly to the report of an emergency
situation to gather information, assess the situation, and determine whether additional
members or a specialized response is required. These emergencies are most often
41
Toronto Police Service, Toronto Police Service: 2013 Business Plan (Toronto, ON: Toronto Police Service, 2013) at 22.
42
Ibid.
43
Id. at 14.
44
Toronto Police Service, Procedure 10-01 “Emergency Incident Response” (Toronto, ON: Toronto Police Service, 2010).
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