Saskatoon police chief wants to engage public on street checks

SASKATOON – Members of Saskatoon’s Board of Police Commissioners say they want to successfully engage the public on the issue of street checks. Saskatoon police officers performed roughly 1,500 street checks in 2014, according to a report presented to the board Thursday. The process is integral to successfully policing a community, according to the city’s chief of police.

“Policing has always been you see somebody suspicious, you stop them, you ask them who they are and you make a note of it in your notebook and you move on,” said Saskatoon Police Service Chief Clive Weighill to reporters after Thursday’s meeting.

The process of street checks, also known as “carding,” is polarizing. Opponents say it can amount to racial profiling.

When the item came up on the agenda Thursday, a handful in attendance stood up and turned their backs to the board. They left the room after Mayor Don Atchison asked the group to both sit and listen or leave the meeting.

“I think it’s very regrettable, I mean the Board of Police Commissioners and the police service is very open to have a discussion on this,” said Weighill.

“I don’t think it solves anything when people are turning their backs and not listening to the conversation.”

READ MORE: Saskatoon rally denounces police carding

One member of the group who participated in the show of protest was Eileen Bear. She spoke to reporters after leaving the room, saying she’s experienced a random police stop before and described it as intimidating and violating.

“I thought, OK, I am a single mom, if I get arrested, who’s going to watch my children,” said Bear of the past incident.

“I live in the core neighbourhood of Saskatoon and I see people getting stopped all the time,” she added.

Street checks can obtain information that eventually leads to crimes solved, according to Weighill. The board concluded their discussion on the process by saying they need to come up with an effective means to have a dialogue with the community.

“There has to be some way that people feel comfortable that the police are doing their job and that we have the authority to actually talk to people and find out what they’re doing,” said Weighill.