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Toronto Police Service marks five-year milestone in ongoing Race and Identity-Based Data Collection Strategy

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This January marks the fifth year since the Toronto Police Service embarked on its Race and Identity-Based Data Collection (RBDC) Strategy, which is designed to unfold in phases.

In 2019, as part of the Ontario government’s Anti-Racism Act, all police services were directed to collect race-based data in use-of-force interactions. The Toronto Police Service went beyond this mandate and included strip searches in January 2020 under Phase 1. The RBDC Strategy continued to expand with arrests and mental health apprehensions in January 2023 under Phase 2. The purpose is to assess where racial disparities exist, what is driving different outcomes, and what can be done to create greater equity.

The RBDC Strategy is an ongoing initiative applying an iterative, hypothesis-driven approach. The Community Advisory Panel (CAP), TPS members, and cross-sectoral stakeholders pose questions, which the RBDC Team works to address using available data. When data does not support a clear answer, the process shifts to fostering dialogue to explore potential changes. This cycle is repeated until questions are temporarily exhausted. Data findings are shared publicly throughout the process to ensure transparency and keep the public informed as the work progresses.

“Accurate data empowers us to make meaningful change. This is why the Race and Identity-Based Data Collection Strategy is so essential – it helps guide our work to provide fair and equitable policing for everyone,” said Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw. 

Below is a summary of what the Service has been working on over the last five years:

RBDC Public Reports

  • Five reports released
    • The RBDC Strategy has released five reports across three major police-civilian interactions. This five-year journey has seen TPS reach key milestones, such as surpassing the provincial mandate to only report on use-of-force, and becoming the first police service in Canada to release race-based data on mental health apprehensions.
  • Key data findings of reports
    • Across interactions, the RBDC Strategy has uncovered key themes that highlight varying experiences across different race groups. This includes findings that showed Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities were disproportionately subject to certain police interactions, like arrests and use-of-force.

More than 60 Engagements with TPS Members

  • More than 25 sessions with TPS members in Phase 1
    • RBDC work is continuously shared with TPS members to raise awareness on the progression of the RBDC Strategy and to gain valuable perspectives on the operational context behind police interactions.
  • 35 sessions with TPS members in Phase 2 since 2022 includes:
    •  RBDC Liaison Program holds periodic engagements with a diverse group of members across police divisions and specialized units, including an open invitation to more than 200 Neighbourhood Community Officers. These members have voiced concerns of their respective units and provided critical insights on existing data findings or new streams of analysis.
      •  18 sessions held with 43 liaisons
    • RBDC Fair and Unbiased Policing course is delivered to new police officer recruits, special constables, communication operators, and parking enforcement officers. It focuses on the purpose of the RBDC Strategy, which is to advance fair policing, as well as foundational concepts, the members’ role in the success of the strategy, key data findings, and evidence-informed actions.
      • 11 sessions with a range of 60 to 150 participants per session
  •  Specialized Internal Engagement Sessions are provided on request
    • Six sessions were provided to TPS senior officers, frontline police constables and court officers

Engagements with Community Members and Cross-Sectoral Partners

  • More than 100 engagements with community members
    • Community engagement is a core part of the RBDC Strategy. From the beginning, the RBDC team worked closely with CAP, partnered with community organizations, and engaged with diverse communities citywide. 
    • The Community Advisory Panel (CAP) is comprised of diverse residents with various experience and expertise that is instrumental in ensuring transparency and accountability. CAP advises TPS on the entire process of data analysis and interpretation, sharing the findings with community members, and designing relevant solutions.
      • 13 members serving under CAP 1.0 in Phase 1
      • 12 members serving under CAP 2.0 in Phase 2
      • More than 60 meetings since 2021
  • Stakeholder Groups were created to have broader and deeper engagements. TPS created four stakeholder groups comprised of community members, police members, government stakeholders, as well as formal committees, meeting quarterly.
    • 24 meetings since 2023
    • More than 90 participants across four stakeholder groups, on average
  • Town Halls: TPS partnered with community agencies to host town halls with diverse community members who shared their experiences, concerns and feedback.
    • Eight town halls in Phase 1 (2019-2020)
    • Six town halls in Phase 2 (2022-2023)
  • More than 18 consultations and public events to advise and share knowledge with public sector partners
    • Recognized as a leader in race-based data work, TPS routinely engages with other police services and public sector partners to provide expert advice. Members also participate in professional events to share methodology, key data findings and lessons learned.

Implementing Action Items from Phase 1

The Service identified 38 action items as part of its commitment to reduce racial disparities found in Phase 1, and the RBDC Team continues work to implement these items and make adjustments informed by community feedback. Nearly three quarters of these actions have been completed, with the remaining in progress. 

RBDC showcased in IPC Transparency Challenge

It is an honour to have the RBDC strategy featured in the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s (IPC) Transparency Challenge with other public sector initiatives that are modern and innovative, improve transparency in a creative way, or have a concrete and positive impact for Ontarians.

“Our iterative and ongoing analysis alongside community stakeholders develops a shared understanding of the problem, and more importantly, identifies solutions that will work," said Chief Information Officer Colin Stairs. "It also gives us the ability to measure progress towards meaningful changes in how the public experiences the police."

Engagement with CAP, other stakeholders, and Service members continues to guide ongoing analyses. TPS is committed to greater transparency and as such, the findings are regularly shared alongside testing the hypotheses.

In collaboration with CAP, the RBDC team recently began unpacking the ‘why’ behind revealed racial disparities identified in Phase 2 to design potential solutions that address these disparities.

For more information about the RBDC collection, analysis and reporting, please visit the RBDC webpage on tps.ca and Follow Our Progress on the implementation of the RBDC Strategy. 

Chief Information Officer Colin Stairs is available for media interviews on this topic on January 7; please contact [email protected] for arrangements. 


By Nadine Ramadan

Nadine Ramadan

Senior Communications Advisor

Corporate Communications

for Office of the Chief

Office of the Chief

 

An infographic on the Race and Identity-Based Data Collection Strategy capturing highlights over the last 5 years.
An infographic on the Race and Identity-Based Data Collection Strategy capturing highlights over the last 5 years.

 

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