Community Policing

Good evening Panel, Chief Martin;

thank you for the opportunity to converse with this panel this evening on the issues regarding Anti-black racism within the Durham Region. Let me 1st share a bit of my background with you for perspective.

My family(myself, wife and son) moved to Canada from the Caribbean approximately 21 years ago and specifically the Durham region 19 years ago. My connections with Canada has been through one of this country's largest International Financial institutions with whom I had been employed for almost 28 years, 20 of which I served here in Canada having been given numerous opportunities as a visible minority to develop my knowledge and skills specifically in Information Technology, moving through the ranks of the organization until leaving the company's employ as a senior executive. My son, completed his primary, secondary and tertiary education here in Canada and is now employed with the same FI while my wife assumed employment as a customer Service Representative in two different companies here, after leaving her Caribbean based job as a Senior Flight Attendant with the region's largest airline. After renting for 2 years in Markham on arrival to Canada we acquire our loved home here in Brooklin. In essence I would say that we have been fortunate and privileged. We made a good life for ourselves and one in which our objective was to ensure our son had a broader scope of opportunities available to him career wise but more importantly, a career in which he would be able to give backt o his community and/or country.

Chief Martin, I do appreciate your opening remarks, from which I gathered that you and your executive team are committed to making the region an all inclusive multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and diverse community. Actually, we should all be striving to make this a commitment across Canada. My concerns surround the recent beating of Mr Miller by one of your police officers and his brother. While I do not condone the behavior of this young man( Mr Miller) and his friends, which seemed to be simply unlawful mischief, this matter was handled unprofessionally, smelt of racism, police bias and as such has in my view, created a perspective of mistrust amongst people of colour in the region, especially as no one, not even the officers who arrived on scene and joined a profusely bleeding Mr Miller as well as unharmed Theriault brothers, have been, in many a public view, disciplined/suspended for inappropriate police action. No report of the incident to SIU was made for months until Mr Miller's Lawyers escalated the matter to the Toronto Police Commissioner, probably hushed by the very fact that Mr Theriault Snr. used his past position and connections in the Durham Police force. This behavior in my view is just downright, openly blatant injustice and needs to be addressed by the Durham Police Force(DPF) and it starts with you sir, as its leadership.

Now I will admit that this behavior by the officers is very likely not reflective of the entire DPF as I will be the first to admit that everyone in my family has been pulled over by white and other ethnic officers in Durham and the experience and interaction has always been cordial and professional, though only for minor infractions eg: driving over the speed limit, rolling stops. In this regard we have never had any lack of confidence in any police officer or first responder. Nevertheless, the matter involving the Theriault brothers and Mr Miller disgusts me and is one which has not given me any confidence that there will not be a recurrence and that the relevant officers are not dealt with appropriately. How do you and your executive team plan to address these type issues, sir?

One suggestion I do have is that officers need to be disciplined for not performing their duty in the spirit of their oath " To Serve and Protect" everyone, not some, but ALL. As part of the discipline, if officers are found guilt of bad behavior/a crime against the public, their salaries should be stopped from the moment of suspension until any investigation is complete and if not guilty paid retroactively. Additionally, once found guilty and removed from the force, their pensions removed immediately. I have learnt in my career that good behavior is to be rewarded and bad dealt with justly but also swiftly and decisively.