Why Reforming the Police Force is Necessary. Openness and Transparency are Required.
Effective immediately I am resigning my seat on the Saint John Police Commission.
In the remaining months that I have as the Mayor of the City of Saint John, I want to remove as many barriers and restrictions as possible that have been placed on me through board governance rules.
I’ve been consistent in my call for reforms within the City of Saint John and this includes policing. It is not appropriate for me, fair to the commission, or in the best interest of the community for my voice and suggestions to be restricted over the remaining 6 months of my term. This decision allows me the freedom to share observations, opinions and, most importantly, solutions to achieve necessary reforms to policing.
Why Now?
Why now you might ask? What can’t you say as a member of the police commission and what reforms do you think are required? All great questions, so let’s dive in…
Since becoming Mayor of this incredible city in 2016, I have been both inspired by the role and consistently shocked. Shocked not only by the barriers that we face and have faced, but by the almost unwillingness to speak about these barriers publicly, consistently, and as a group. Even more importantly, unwillingness to implement solutions that are in the best interests of the citizens and essential for the sustainability of the city itself.
Police commissions exist to provide civilian oversight to the police force but with neither clarity of the role or with huge gaps in authority to effect meaningful change. I’m only one voice and, despite suggestions by the police union, I have not dominated the police commission. I have been struggling with this decision for some time and, as an elected official, am no longer willing to cruise into the finish line with my comments filtered or withheld because of a page in a governance manual.
I want to be clear about the members of the police commission; they are highly skilled in their expertise, committed to our community, and working through a complex governance model. It’s more about the pace of change, the focus of the Force, and the limited time remaining in my role.
The Saint John Police force needs to be reformed.
Reform is the right word in my mind, not defund. I think they mean the same thing. I believe citizens of this city deserve to know what works and what needs to be improved in our operations. Modernizing our police force to address current challenges, with refined approaches, should not be seen as a problem by anyone.
Reform to me means getting back to core policing and working with other levels of government to improve people’s lives economically, socially, and culturally. Housing, food security, drug treatment programs, mental health supports, law reviews that may result in decriminalization or regulation, enhanced social supports, and study of Basic Income. It really means completely reevaluating what we’re doing and what outcomes we want and need.
Our current status has our police officers dealing with the outcomes from incomplete systems or incompatible objectives. I have no doubt police officers are very busy keeping the peace and serving a scope of work never imagined in the past. How that is interpreted by union leadership is: more money. While not only being simplistic and disrespectful to the profession, the financial future of our police force is not sustainable and the path we’re on is not healthy for anyone; not the community, not the police officers, not city management, not elected officials, and certainly not citizens, especially those most vulnerable.
Police forces across North America are under pressure to change. I think we should lead the way. We have the oldest police force in the country and I’d like to see us lead again when it comes to shaping, embracing, and implementing meaningful reforms. Where do we start?
- The police force must be more open, transparent, and proactive with the community.
- The police force must recognize the reality of systemic racism in New Brunswick and the SJPF must mitigate systemic racism because systems are how racism lives on. To do this it must operate according to the values of openness, transparency, accountability, and public trust.
- All stakeholders need to redefine core policing and develop strategies and actions to address systemic issues at their core (outcomes focused). This will not be easy, however, in the absence of this type of thinking, we’ll never have enough money and we’ll never achieve our collective full potential.
- The relationship between the police union and management needs to be redefined and balanced. It’s broken today, not sustainable financially and actually not conducive to a healthy and thriving workplace.
- The police act needs to be modernized to enhance public trust, to empower a governance model that works, and to achieve balance.
I wish to thank the police commission for the privilege to serve and for their commitment to the community.
The Saint John Police force serves our community with dedication and honour. Like organizations around the world, the Force must be innovative, it must embrace change, and it must be financially sustainable. I intend to use my voice to support this necessary reform with the time remaining in my term.
