Halifax’s Board of Police Commissioners is set to meet on Monday after a meeting earlier this month.
At Monday’s meeting, the board is scheduled to receive an update on the recommendations of the Wortley report, which determined that Black Nova Scotians were five times more likely to be stopped and street-checked by police.
Commissioners will also put forward a series of proposals.
Here’s what you can expect to see at this week’s meeting of the Halifax Board of Police Commissioners.
Coun. Mancini wants written updates on Wortley report
Coun. Tony Mancini is set to request that updates on the Wortley report be given in writing.
Previous updates, including the one that will be provided on Monday, have been provided verbally.
In Mancini’s request, he writes that a “written update provides more context and allows Commissioners to better track how the recommendations are being actioned.”
Mancini is also seeking quarterly updates for Halifax Regional Council on the Wortley report.
Centralizing police policies online
Coun. Lisa Blackburn is set to request that Halifax police make a number of their policies available to the general public.
The policies include, but aren’t limited to, information and policies on the conduct of service members, conflict of interest, complaints.
Blackburn says the goal is to have a single location where the public can access police policies, similar to what the Toronto Police Services Board has.
Report on feasibility of body camera pilot program
Mancini is set to present another request to the board on Monday.
He’ll ask for a report detailing the feasibility of a body-worn video pilot program for police in Halifax.
Mancini writes that police have been “diligent” in responding to the recommendations raised in the Wortleyreport.
But “given the recent public demonstrations” and a “petition with over 25,000 signatures,” alluding to the online petition that received 100,000 signatures and called for Halifax police to implement body cameras, Mancini writes that there is still much be done to improve the relationship between police and the general public, especially with racialized and minority communities.
“Body-worn video could provide both more accountability and protect officers from false allegations,” he writes in his request.
Mancini argues that technology has been beneficial in other areas of the country.
Halifax Regional Police told Global News last month that they’re reconsidering calls for their officers to wear body cameras after a large protest in downtown Halifax.
The most recent staff report on body cameras was in 2017 and found the cost-benefit analysis fell short at the time.
A report on their decision in 2017 estimated over $1.4 million per year in direct and labour costs for a five-year pilot with 50 cameras.
The meeting is set to begin at 12:30 p.m. and can be streamed online through the municipality’s website.
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