[0:28] Appreciate the patience of the lady at the back who's

[0:31] been working for the past hour. To try and sort

[0:34] out our streaming and recording. She could end up being

[0:40] a member of the month for July at the rate

[0:42] we're going? Okay. Thank you all. Okay.

[0:53] I will now rise and report to the open session

[0:56] the results of the closed session. The board approved its

[1:00] closed minutes of June 27 meeting and dealt with confidential

[1:04] items under section 44, two of the Community Safety and

[1:09] Policing Act. May I please have a mover and a

[1:14] second to receive the report back? Member minutes, please. All

[1:20] in favor? Thank you. We will now go back to

[1:26] open session. And do it this way around, so. We're

[1:33] beginning with calls. Good afternoon, Kirsten. Can you please confirm

[1:36] that we have quorum? Through you, Mr. Chair. We do

[1:40] have quorum. As you all in the room know, we've

[1:44] had some. Technological difficulties. We think we are both live

[1:53] streaming and. Recording. It is possible that we're only recording.

[1:57] So do the members of public out there. Thank you

[2:00] for your patient with patience with us. Even if it

[2:05] didn't livestream, we will have it up and running as

[2:08] soon as possible. Approval of the agenda. Kirsten, are there

[2:13] any changes to the agenda? Through you, Mr. Chair. There

[2:21] are a few changes to the agenda. We have. Public.

[2:28] Consent item 8.1. That report was revised with an added

[2:35] item C. We have. Public correspondence, item 8.9, which has

[2:40] been added, which is correspondence from chief Bergen regarding an

[2:44] update on efforts to address gun violence in Hamilton. And

[2:48] then finally, we have an added item. On our closed

[2:52] agenda, a consent item 3.13. And that qualifies as being

[2:58] a closed item based on section 44, one and two

[3:01] of the CSPA. Thank you. Do we have a mover?

[3:06] In a second for the agenda. One, two. Thank you.

[3:15] Discussion on the agenda. Go ahead. There is one item.

[3:24] From. Last public board meeting that I did not get

[3:27] a chance to speak to, and I kindly asked permission

[3:30] to. Seek clarifying question and speak to that agenda item

[3:36] about the reporting back from the policy recommendations. That emerge

[3:40] from the special budget meetings in February. We'll do that

[3:46] at the end, or we can do it at the

[3:48] end of the chief's report. Whichever you. It's the one

[3:50] part we weren't able to. Do last year, but the

[3:52] chief had the answers ready. I believe so. We'll do

[3:55] that. Okay. Can I have a vote? All those in

[3:59] favor? The agenda is carried. Declarations of conflicts of interest.

[4:07] Are there any declarations of conflict of interest? Seeing none.

[4:12] We'll move on. Delegation is presentations and verbal updates. There

[4:16] are no delegations. This month. Members of the month. Chief.

[4:22] Thank you very much. And through the chair, I'd like

[4:23] to call upon Inspector Carolyn Rashford for member of the

[4:27] month. Through your chair. The member of the Montreal Montez,

[4:31] Councillor James Dominsky. Unfortunately, he's. Unable to attend, so we

[4:35] will defer this presentation until the next board meeting. I

[4:39] would like to highlight a project that run out of

[4:40] Division Two. The commanders of the division are superintendent stellar

[4:44] and Inspector Dor. Project, take Back 2.0, was championed by

[4:49] Councillor Chris McGregor and Councillor Mike Musanovich. But I was

[4:52] adopted by the whole division. I'll point out that this

[4:56] is the second iteration of the project. The original project

[4:59] was equally successful and won the John Peds Problem Oriented

[5:02] Policing award in 2023. The project was focused on fighting

[5:07] the ongoing stolen vehicle issue in the city of Hamilton.

[5:10] Highlights from the project include, but are not limited to,

[5:13] 31 arrests, which led to 145 charges. 60 recovered vehicles

[5:19] for total recovered value of 1,599,500. One firearm that was

[5:25] seized, 50 failed to comply. Charges were laid. 17 operation.

[5:30] While prohibited, charges were laid. Eleven firearm charges and three

[5:34] dangerous operation of motor vehicle charges. And that's it, sir.

[5:37] Thank you. Thank you, Inspector. The board chair's verbal update

[5:42] will be short. We're in for a busy fall.

[5:52] We're coming into budget season. We're now in the middle

[5:56] of summer and will not meet again till the end

[5:58] of September. In the meantime, we have two committees that.

[6:05] Are shorthanded and they're moving ahead as best they can.

[6:09] So we're forced to prioritize. So it's fairly obvious that

[6:12] when we come to the budget, committee. We know what

[6:14] the priority is. It's the 2025 budget. It's an ongoing

[6:18] process. You will note. In our policies. It is actually

[6:23] the only policy that actually from the solicitor general requires

[6:28] the board and the service. To do a joint. Operating

[6:33] budget plan. So that process is underway. The first meeting

[6:37] took place. We're getting better at getting people engaged. The

[6:43] governance committee is still a little shorthanded, but we can

[6:46] always pull together to do things. We've highlighted a few

[6:49] things that are going to happen today. And they've already

[6:52] been dealt with before, but they're not going away, so

[6:55] we're going to kind of work on the things that

[6:57] get us through to the rest of the year for

[6:59] now and that are directly related to the coming into

[7:02] force of the new act. There's still lots of work

[7:05] to be done on that, so please. Bear with us

[7:08] as we move forward. That's all I have. Thank you.

[7:12] Chief. May I please have a mover and a secondary

[7:16] to receive the chair's update? All in favor? Thank you.

[7:23] Chief, your update, please. Thank you very much. And through

[7:26] the chair, I want to address the ongoing concerns regarding

[7:29] the recent rise in gun related crimes in our city

[7:32] and provide an update on the actions being taken by

[7:35] the Hamilton Police Service to address this critical issue. Please

[7:38] be assured. That the Hamilton Police Service is fully aware

[7:42] of the gravity of the situation and is actively working.

[7:45] To combat gun violence, we've recently made our dedicated shooting

[7:50] response team a permanent fixture within our service. This team

[7:53] is specifically trained and equipped to respond swiftly and effectively

[7:57] to our incidents involving firearms. Their presence has already made

[8:01] a significant impact, and we are confident that the continued

[8:04] efforts will contribute. To reducing gun related crimes. In Hamilton.

[8:09] Last week, our efforts led to the successful seizure of

[8:12] multiple firearms on the Hamilton Mountain. This investigated investigation highlights

[8:17] the dedication and hard work of our officers in making.

[8:20] Our streets safer yesterday we received a call from a

[8:24] concerned community member about an erratic driver on Upper James

[8:28] street. This individual reported a vehicle speeding and repeatedly crossing

[8:32] into oncoming lanes for an extended distance on Upper James

[8:36] street. Thanks to this community member, our officers were able

[8:39] to safely conduct a traffic. Stop at Fennel Avenue, and

[8:42] upon approaching the vehicle, officer detected a strong odor of

[8:46] marijuana and observed the driver exhibiting nervous behavior. The driver

[8:50] then admitted to having a handgun in his pocket as

[8:54] a result, a loaded glock 26 was seized, along with

[8:58] a quantity of crack cocaine and. Scales found in the

[9:02] vehicle. In addition to the work of our shooting response

[9:05] team, we are enhancing our community outreach and engagement. Initiatives.

[9:10] We are committed to fostering stronger relationships with community members

[9:14] and leaders to gather crucial information that can help prevent

[9:17] crimes before they occur. Our strategy includes increased patrols and

[9:22] high risk areas, collaboration with local organizations, and the use

[9:26] of strategic policing partners to track and deter criminal activities.

[9:31] Furthermore, we have enhanced our offender management strategy to focus

[9:35] more intensely on serious, repeat violent offenders with firearms. The

[9:40] recent c 48 bail reform, which came into effect this

[9:44] year, has provided us with additional tools to manage these

[9:47] offenders more effectively, ensuring that those who pose the greatest

[9:52] risk in our community are kept off the streets. It

[9:56] is also essential to recognize that addressing gun violence requires

[10:00] active involvement of our entire community. These efforts start with

[10:05] engaging at risk youth early in their lives, providing positive

[10:08] role models and steering them away from a life of

[10:11] crime. We often face challenges due to the lack of

[10:14] witness support, which hampers our investigations. Therefore, I urge all

[10:19] community members to come forward with any information they may

[10:22] have, no matter how small it may seem at the

[10:25] time. By working together and sharing information, we can make

[10:28] a significant difference. Anyone with information can contact the police

[10:33] directly or provide tips anonymously through crime stoppers. In addition,

[10:38] The province. Ontario has been actively collaborating with us to

[10:42] address this issue. Funding and resources have been allocated to

[10:46] support our initiatives, and we are working closely with our

[10:49] provincial policing partners to ensure that our community has the

[10:52] necessary tools and support to combat gun violence effectively. For

[10:58] your reference, here are the numbers of shootings in Hamilton

[11:01] over the past five years. 20, 20, 51 shootings. 20,

[11:06] 21, 39 shootings. 20, 22, 45 shootings. 20, 23, 35

[11:14] shootings. Of note this year. Today we are currently at

[11:17] 40 shootings. I understand the importance of transparency and accountability,

[11:22] and we are committed to keeping you informed about the

[11:25] steps we are taking and the progress we are making.

[11:28] Since January 2024, members of our service have taken 260

[11:34] firearms off our streets. I want to thank the community

[11:38] for their involvement. But more importantly, I want to take

[11:41] a moment. To thank the men and women of this

[11:43] organization who are doing everything they can to mitigate the

[11:46] challenges of the gun violence. We are. Thank you, chair.

[11:51] Thank you, chief. Any questions of the chief? Can I

[11:55] have a motion to receive his report and a second?

[12:06] Any further discussion. None. All in favor? Carried. The administrative

[12:14] director give a short update. Thank you. And through you

[12:18] chair. Just wanted to mention that Vice chair Robertson and

[12:24] myself will be attending the CAPG conference in. Halifax, August

[12:28] 8 through 11th. And finally, I'm in the process of

[12:32] finalizing board member training. There'll be a session with legal

[12:36] counsel Linda Bordelo at our September 26 closed session. The

[12:41] topic. Of discussion will be centered around the board's legal

[12:44] responsibilities found within the community, safety and policing act. The

[12:49] next education session. Education and training session is tentatively set

[12:54] to take place in October and.

[15:30] Will be a half day board governance training session and.

[15:35] Communication spirit for hosting me. It was a couple of

[15:38] weeks ago. Are we submitting? An application. Is this something

[15:47] the service is going to be pursuing? Thank you, member

[15:51] Mennes and through the chair, thank you for, number one,

[15:55] spending time with our members and getting an understanding. As

[15:58] this board knows, PSAp is responsibility of the municipality. We

[16:03] are working with our city partners, we up till now

[16:06] have received several million dollars of funding as the PSAP.

[16:11] Improper. Yes. We will be actively engaged and are actively

[16:14] engaged in our submissions along with the city. And our

[16:17] deadline is recognized as the August the 23rd.

[16:33] Go ahead. Unless there's any

[16:42] member who have had items about the 7.4. Item 7.5,

[16:48] which was. On the. Communication. From Mr. George, executive director

[16:54] of Hamilton Age. Center. I note here specifically, of course,

[16:58] the names of this letter was June 18 and. We

[17:03] did discuss this topic a little bit when Kojo dante.

[17:09] Delegated to the board. But I wanted to highlight. A

[17:15] couple of points that he made here. Members of the

[17:18] public who are maybe watching this recording, or if we

[17:21] were able to live stream it. This is about the

[17:23] selection process for the hate crimes case review team and

[17:27] some concerns that he is raising about this process. And

[17:33] he spoke about how the selection process undermines collaboration, mutual

[17:38] understanding. It negates the fact that individuals can hold intersectional

[17:43] identities. And he recognized that some communities have expressed a

[17:48] willingness to follow. This outline procedure for the selection process

[17:54] for a crime case review. Team members. But just because

[17:58] that. Doesn't negate the concerns that he's raising. In essence,

[18:04] we shouldn't be assembling any team solely because all the

[18:07] individuals agree. With us, right? Like that. Diversity of opinions

[18:10] is really important for us to have a wholesome understanding

[18:13] of our communities. So my question relates to this is

[18:17] through the chair, in light of these concerns, and, of

[18:20] course, again, I note the date, but have any changes

[18:23] been made or planned to be made? To address. These

[18:29] concerns raised by. Our local content expert. Chief. Thank you.

[18:38] Member men and Asians through the chair. Yes. Let's acknowledge

[18:41] that this was received on June the 18th. It was

[18:44] on the eve of the actual closure of the community.

[18:47] Call out for the community advisory panel for the hate

[18:50] crime community Review team by way of some history, this

[18:53] has been something that. Has followed me from my tenure

[18:57] as being sworn in on May 2021. This was one

[19:01] of my goals is to have a hate crime community

[19:03] review team. We have worked with several community members and

[19:07] had more than three town halls specifically to hate crime.

[19:11] It also, at some times, had been confused with race

[19:13] identity based data. And that community advisory panel being made

[19:17] up of ten amazing community members who have already met.

[19:20] Now three times, and I'll just make sure that it's

[19:23] not four, it's. Three times, and already we're seeing the

[19:27] fruits of that amazing group of people and the labor

[19:30] that they're dedicating on race of an identity based data.

[19:33] That being said, with regards to the hate crime community.

[19:36] Review team. We actually. Had upgoing conversations and took the

[19:41] sage advice from our good friend Lyndon George from Hark.

[19:46] So I will let you know that the nuance in

[19:48] this letter was recognized, and as such. The actual expansion

[19:52] of the a crime community view team was by two

[19:55] additional members, and it is now I understand having 13

[19:58] members. 14 members. Do I hear 1514 members that had,

[20:03] in fact, put their hand up and that's the one

[20:06] thing, if I could. I want to thank our community

[20:09] that these are difficult conversations. It's a challenge and understanding

[20:13] in many cases. Being able to have that voice. So

[20:16] what I get in the texture of this is by

[20:19] having 14 people now, and that originally had been a

[20:22] goal of ten to twelve does speak to us. Being

[20:25] inclusive and making sure, recognizing that everybody has a voice

[20:29] within our community. So thank you, community. And we look

[20:31] forward to the advisory panels. Both making sure that our

[20:36] service can better meet the growing needs of our community.

[20:41] Thank you, chief. Thank you, chief. Through the chair. I'm

[20:48] very appreciative. Of the ability of the Hamilton Police Service.

[20:54] To respond to our community members, to understand the nuance

[20:58] of some of the concerns raised and I appreciate. All

[21:02] the work that was done to change processes. Thank you.

[21:06] Deputy chair. Through the chair. Thank you for the report.

[21:15] Okay. Here's the question. Those in favor?

[21:26] Carrie. Thank you. We now move on. To. We didn't

[21:33] have to. We didn't have to lift it. No.

[21:44] The consent agenda. May I please have a mover in

[21:48] a second? Or to approve items 8.1 through 8.9. Member

[21:53] menissus deputy chair, Robinson. Yeah, we're not two years yet.

[22:04] I didn't miss one. I didn't miss yours. Okay.

[22:17] Is there any discussion on the consent agenda? Yes. Thank

[22:25] you. And through the chair, I just would like to

[22:26] know. 8.6. The Hamilton Police. Service board budget committee. When

[22:31] will the next meeting be? Because we know that we

[22:34] seem to be all busy or we would like to

[22:37] know ahead of time. David's been said. When was it?

[22:42] September 26. What was the date? I missed that. I

[22:48] must have fall asleep there. Through you, Mr. Chair. As

[22:54] you know, the board is to hold a minimum of

[22:56] four budget committees meetings a year. The three remaining have

[23:01] been set up and should be in your calendars. I'll

[23:05] check my calendar. Then the next one is set for

[23:09] Monday, September the 9th, at 11:00 a.m.. Okay. Yes,

[23:19] ma'am. The 9th? Yeah, at eleven. Yes. Member minutes.

[23:31] I wanted to just simply quickly speak to item 8.7,

[23:35] which is outlining interest of the board's responsibilities related to

[23:39] the Community Safety and Policing Act. And. For folks in

[23:43] the community. Just. A quick reminder. This act came into

[23:49] place April 1. It has resulted in a huge amount

[23:52] of administrative burden that is primarily been worn by Christian,

[23:57] our administrative director, or. Ms. Stevens and Lucia. Thank you.

[24:06] Members of the public can be aware of the other

[24:08] pressures on the board and why some of our work.

[24:13] Has, like, we've prioritized changing our, you know, updating all

[24:17] of our policies. And that's the royal leaf. That's really

[24:20] Kristen. That's all of your. Work. So thank you. And

[24:23] so folks can follow online in terms of the, I

[24:27] think all of the high priority items have been addressed.

[24:31] And it's a congratulations and thank you so much for

[24:34] everyone behind all of this work. Thank you. Member. That

[24:39] is so true. Like Kirsten better not get sick or

[24:43] hired by another municipality. We're all in trouble. Thank you

[24:48] very much. That was eight points. If there's no further

[24:54] discussion. Here's the question. Those in favor? Opposed.

[25:04] Good. Now, are we ready for. Number nine, which is

[25:07] recommendations. Kristen. Oh, this is board schedule. Okay.

[25:19] I'm still right. I just don't want to get lost

[25:21] here. Okay. We're still in the right place. Okay. Sorry.

[25:26] You can speak to the meeting schedule if you wish.

[25:32] Nine one through you. Mr. Chair? Yes? I've just proposed

[25:35] a meeting schedule for next year. There were appropriate vacancies

[25:41] here in Councillor chambers at city hall. So as you

[25:44] can see. From the report. All of our meetings are

[25:46] going to be on Thursdays. And I did my best

[25:50] to stretch them out so there's adequate time in between

[25:52] meetings. For the service and the board to prepare reports.

[26:02] Any questions for Kristen? Okay. All those in favor? Thank

[26:11] you. Now we move. To. Year end report. Use crime.

[26:22] Chief. Thank you very much. Chair. And through the chair,

[26:26] I'd like to call upon acting deputy. Will mason to

[26:30] introduce our speaker. Yes, thank you. And through you chair.

[26:34] I'm just looking for a stop. Sergeant Dave McKenzie. To

[26:37] make his way down. And while he's doing that, And

[26:42] preparing to present, thanks very much to him for stepping

[26:44] in, Sergeant Jason Tattison, who is our youth services coordinator.

[26:50] Was unavailable for this meeting, but thanks to him, Under

[26:54] Dave's leadership and the leadership of Inspector Frank Messioni is

[26:58] seated behind me. As well as all of our youth

[27:01] engagement team, our school liaison officers, our community service officers,

[27:06] as a former youth services coordinator myself, I have a

[27:09] deep appreciation for the work that they do. And that

[27:14] focus on youth engagement, building those positive relationships. We've seen

[27:20] numerous benefits from that, both in terms of positive relationships

[27:24] being built at a young age that benefits as people

[27:28] move into adulthood. And selfishly, some of those people do

[27:32] become police officers, and we hear about that, and it's

[27:35] a great tool that we use and try to keep

[27:38] our youth engaged. There's also a great connection to our

[27:41] wrist program with a youth social navigator that we're starting

[27:45] to see tremendous benefit from. So with that, I'll turn

[27:48] it over to staff Sergeant McKenzie. Floor is your staff.

[27:55] Present the youth report for 2023. The youth engagement team.

[28:05] Is the community based approach that proactively addresses issues that

[28:08] involve youth age twelve to 26. On the criminal code

[28:13] side. In the YCGA, the youth is defined as somebody

[28:16] between the ages of twelve and 17. But because different

[28:19] community organizations, they have different age limits. We go from

[28:23] twelve to 26. So the youth engagement team. Proactively addresses

[28:29] issues. This is done by community engagement, safety, prevention, education,

[28:35] enforcement, and consultation, and this model supports our youth via

[28:40] community and family initiatives as indicated in the Hamilton community

[28:43] safety and well being plan. This model was presented to

[28:47] the Ontario. Association chiefs of Police. Youth.

[28:57] By our inspector Missioni and a lot of organizations are

[29:01] adopting this model. Switching from an enforcement to an engagement

[29:05] model. The youth services coordinator, the youth engagement team, the

[29:09] school liaison. Community service officers continue to develop meaningful community

[29:13] relationships with innovative and strategic approaches to assist our youth

[29:17] and families relating to safety, engagement, education and consultation. And

[29:23] the youth engagement team engages the community in many different

[29:25] ways. They do it through youth initiatives. Some of our

[29:30] peraction events, community events such as after school tutoring programs,

[29:35] prom patrol, prom patrol is where we collect. A bunch

[29:39] of. We go to our community members, our organization. Suits,

[29:43] dresses to donate. To schools across all the boards for

[29:47] their prongs, because not every. Kid can afford to dress

[29:50] up nice for their prom, so that's just something that

[29:53] we like to participate in. They engage in the community

[29:57] and police in the park and a lot of community

[30:01] presentations. We like to educate the community. Not everybody knows,

[30:05] especially newcomers. Many people don't know what they can. And

[30:09] can't do. In our country, and they reach out to

[30:13] our youth team for consultation. Youth consultations is a different

[30:18] thing. We connect with youth probation, so our youth team

[30:22] likes to engage with probation to engage the youth and

[30:26] sit down with a probation officer to ensure. That everyone's

[30:31] on the same page as far as helping them be

[30:35] acclimated back. Into society, or even if they're not in

[30:39] custody, help them get through. There's also violent threat risk

[30:44] assessments in which the youth engagement team sits with. Many,

[30:49] whether it's the education system, the health care system, the

[30:51] mental health system, and there's some youth that are high

[30:54] risk for violence, and these are usually referred to not

[30:57] by police, but by these agencies, because they don't know

[31:00] what else to do. So they like to loop in

[31:01] police. As far as what can we do? And we

[31:05] sit and we come up with a plan, and each

[31:06] plan is unique for each individual. There's also the youth

[31:11] complex suicide needs, which, again, we have external partners reaching

[31:15] out to. The police and the youth team through the

[31:17] youth sergeant will. Come up with. Unique care plans for

[31:22] these youth to ensure that their needs are met. When

[31:27] it comes to community crime prevention enforcement, the goal is

[31:30] not to criminalize youth. The goal is to rehabilitate and

[31:32] reintegrate youth, foster relationships, and prevent future offenses from occurring.

[31:40] The principles of the YCGA are to prevent crime, rehabilitate

[31:44] with meaningful consequences with timely interventions to promote the long

[31:48] term protection of society. The majority of incidents involving youth

[31:52] crime get resolved by extra judicial measures and in gain

[31:56] for our purposes the YCGA. A youth is defined as

[31:59] a person twelve to 17 and a child under twelve.

[32:03] There's no stats for that. And the reason being is

[32:06] we don't. Charge youth under twelve. In the Hamilton Police

[32:11] applies the spirit of the YCJ by having multiple responses

[32:14] to youth crime. The majority of youth crime gets resolved

[32:17] by extra judicial measures. And people ask, what does that

[32:22] mean? It's usually no further action, a warning, a police.

[32:26] Caution or diversion. And when officers are involved in these

[32:30] situations, they have to weigh factors such as the circumstances,

[32:32] the remorse and the severity and even victim participation. There

[32:37] would be times where something will happen and the person

[32:40] who is the victim will say, I don't want anything

[32:43] done to this youth. And they'll work with the officer

[32:46] to resolve the situation without being charged. And again, the

[32:51] goal is to rehabilitate and reintegrate and prevent future offenses.

[32:55] The objectives of the extrajudicial measures are effective and timely

[32:59] response, which doesn't wait. For the former court process. And

[33:04] by doing these judicial measures, we can encourage young persons

[33:08] to acknowledge and repair, har. Harm caused to the victim

[33:12] and the community. And we can also loop in the

[33:15] involvement of the family in the community and design the

[33:17] implementations of the measures victim participation in decision for measures

[33:22] respect the rights of the young persons and proportionality of

[33:25] the offense. The violent crime. In 2023, 462 youth were

[33:30] involved in violent crimes, with 135 youth being charged.

[33:41] 70%. Received an extra judicial measure. When it comes to

[33:46] property crime, 295 youth were involved and 63% were charged

[33:51] with 77%. Of those receiving an extra judicial measure. When

[33:57] it comes to controlled Drugs and Substances Act 22 youth

[34:01] were arrested. 18 youth were charged and four youth were

[34:06] diverted after arrests and received measures. The most common drug

[34:10] and offense. The most common drug offense was trafficking methamphetamine,

[34:15] followed by trafficking cocaine. And only one youth was charged

[34:21] under the provincial Cannabis Control act, and they received a

[34:23] provincial offenses notice. In total. In 2023 974 youth were

[34:33] involved in crime with 348 charge. The remaining 626 people

[34:39] received an extra judicial measure, which. Represents 64%. When comparing

[34:46] 2023 to the five year average. There was an increase

[34:50] of youth involved in crime by 1%. And if you

[34:53] look at this chart, these are the 15 offenses that

[34:57] constitute 79% of youth. Involved in crime. Then the top

[35:03] three. Criminal offenses were assault level one mischiev and uttering

[35:08] threats. Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we do have youth

[35:12] in our community who do not meet the criteria. For

[35:14] extrajudicial measures and despite formal charges, remain at risk to

[35:18] reoffend. The stop program is specifically directed at youth charged

[35:25] formally by the courts and are bound to abide by

[35:27] their conditions of release, such as curfew and house arrests.

[35:31] The program is an effective method for officers to attend

[35:33] the use of residence and to ensure they are compliant

[35:35] with a court imposed conditions. The youth are identified by

[35:39] courts, Ministry of Children, Community Social Services, Probation, Hamilton Police

[35:44] service. Engagement team in 20, 23 31 youth were identified

[35:51] for the program. And in 2023, as you can see,

[35:56] It's not just the youth engagement team that involves in

[35:58] stop checks. It's also divisional officers. Because the divisional officers

[36:03] take ownership of their division to ensure that youth are

[36:06] abiding by their conditions. But not only that, it gives

[36:09] them a chance to sit down at the kitchen table.

[36:12] With their families. A door knocked, they sit down, they

[36:15] have chats with them. And when you look at that,

[36:19] out of 332 stop checks, there are only 58 arrests.

[36:24] And of those 58 arrests, 37 were outside of residence

[36:28] where these youth may have committed other criminal offenses while

[36:31] not abiding by their conditions. So I know officers love

[36:35] doing these stop checks. Because it gives these youth the

[36:38] chance to see these officers, not after. An act. It's

[36:44] more of a drop in. And their families love to

[36:46] see sitting at the kitchen table having coffee with them

[36:50] in uniform. And the community likes to see the officers

[36:53] walking. Up to the house and everyone's like, oh, what

[36:55] do they do? Every nerdy know. What they did. But

[36:58] when the community sees the officers leaving laughing, they know

[37:01] that nothing serious is happening? And they know that the

[37:04] community likes to see that. And in 2014, the chief

[37:09] student advisory committee identified youth mental health as a critical

[37:13] concern and a coordinate approach was implemented in partnership with

[37:16] St. Joe's. Healthcare hps. M search coast and social navigator.

[37:26] And these agencies and programs continue to assist youth who

[37:28] experience mental health crisis in complex presentations. That's the presentation.

[37:36] Any questions? Thank you, Acting Inspector Mackenzie. Questions? For.

[37:47] Thank you, Inspector McKenzie. I wanted to highlight first off.

[37:54] I really loved the way you framed. The importance of

[37:57] having those interactions with youth outside of that high stress.

[38:04] Very intense environments. Of an arrest and actually being able

[38:08] to, outside of those conditions, meet individuals on a personal

[38:12] basis. And that's a really nice framing for the work.

[38:18] And the values that you put into your work, so

[38:22] thank you. I have a couple of questions. I'm going

[38:26] to ask a question about. Your slide first. And that's

[38:33] slide number nine. And this was just a note from.

[38:37] Is that okay? Yes, it is not on the big

[38:42] screen. I'm so sorry. Is that okay? Thank you. And

[38:47] this was. Yes. And this was. In the written report

[38:51] that was in the previous board meeting that I had

[38:54] highlighted a couple of things, and so it was really

[38:57] handy to have this on the screen, so thank you.

[39:01] And. I wanted to draw your attention to. The bottom

[39:06] three. First, right? And I thought that theft was motor

[39:11] vehicle. And I'm looking at percent change rather than overall

[39:14] numbers. And correct me if that is an unfair characterization

[39:19] and just for the public, just noting that the overall

[39:22] numbers. Are between 18 and 22. Right. But the percent

[39:26] change for theft of motor vehicles is it's? Increased by

[39:30] 22%. But then we say possession of weapons increased by

[39:34] 66%. And motor vehicle collisions, which was the one that

[39:38] really caught my attention. There's an increase by over 87%.

[39:44] And so we talked about, like, targeted interventions, and knowing

[39:48] that my knowledge. Of youth crimes is very limited. And

[39:54] you really are the expert here, but could you explain

[39:57] a little bit more about. What? Is your approach to

[40:04] handling some of the sort of hotspots just probably the

[40:08] wrong word? On this. So when you look at those.

[40:13] Thank you for that question. And through the chair. When

[40:16] you look at the denominator, the denominator is small and

[40:20] any sort of when you have a small denominator. One

[40:23] number change is a huge change. If the denominator was

[40:27] 1000 and it went up. By. Eight, it would be

[40:30] like less than 1% change. So a lot of people

[40:33] react to the percent change. But when you look at

[40:35] the overall, we live in a city of 700,000. People.

[40:39] And these theft of motor vehicles, possession of weapons. When

[40:44] you look at those numbers overall, most of these look

[40:49] at the youth that haven't been charged. So when we

[40:52] do these interventions, the goal isn't to charge these youth.

[40:55] These goals are to. Okay, is this a first time

[40:58] offense? And when you look at this, the 53% of

[41:01] possession. Of weapons, 53% or 53% weren't charged. So when

[41:07] you look at that, 15 youth into 2023 were involved

[41:13] in possession of weapons, but over half of them weren't.

[41:15] Charged. So the term weapons can mean a number of

[41:21] things. So, like I said in the previous slide, officers,

[41:24] there's a narrative that we're charging everybody that's false because

[41:28] this data says that we look at the circumstances, we

[41:31] look at the level of remorse, we look at everything.

[41:34] And a lot of times. It could be sheer nonsense.

[41:37] And when the officers see that it's sheer nonsense, it's.

[41:39] Not worth forming. Charging a youth. There are cases that

[41:42] we don't have a choice. Based on the circumstances that

[41:45] we do have to lay those charges. So, again, you

[41:47] see 66%. Overall, that number is glaring. But the reality

[41:53] is we're not out there to overly. Charge you. We're

[41:58] looking to intervene, and if we could intervene early, we're

[42:01] not going to. Have people returning to the system. I

[42:05] love that. And thank you. We were discussing a trauma

[42:09] informed approach to policing and speaking about context. Of each

[42:14] individual. Right. And tailoring that for restorative justice approach, I

[42:20] think. That is wonderful. And thank you for explaining that

[42:23] in a bit more detail. I had a question. That.

[42:29] Is related to. Page 14. For our agenda packages. If

[42:35] the pages are similar. Or the same. And. This is

[42:43] where. It was explaining a bit about. Referrals. To. The

[42:52] wording is if a youth was found to in contravention

[42:55] under the controlled drug. Substances act or the Federal Cannabis

[42:58] Control act met qualifications and extrajudicial measures Referral was forwarded

[43:03] to the John Howard Society of Hamilton, Burlington. An area

[43:09] in lieu of criminal charges. Right? So. Wonderful examples of.

[43:15] Not charging every use that you come into contact with.

[43:21] However, when I was looking at the numbers here, it

[43:23] seems like referrals to. The John Howard Society actually decreased

[43:29] by 22%. From 2022. The wording is. In 2023, the

[43:36] John Howard decided to receive 78 extraditional measures. Used precharged

[43:41] vibration referrals from the Hamilton Police Service, a decrease of

[43:45] 22% from the 100 froze in 2022, again noting that.

[43:50] Oh, wonderful. Again, noting that. The overall numbers, the absolute

[43:55] numbers. Are still small. And absolutely that percent changes. It's

[44:03] not a fair thing to hyper focus on, however. Many

[44:10] folks who may be skimming these agenda packages online are

[44:14] going to pick up on some of these numbers, and

[44:16] so having a bit more of an explanation of that

[44:18] would be really helpful. So John Howard isn't. So when

[44:22] we look at the referrals may go down. Because a

[44:25] lot of times we not may deal with it before

[44:27] we even get to that referral. Process, so. Within the

[44:32] number, people may say, yes, the numbers have gone down.

[44:35] But they had to be formally charged in order to

[44:37] be referred to John Howard. So if these officers are

[44:40] dealing with this at the front end, there's no reason

[44:42] for them to refer. Them to John Howard. And that's

[44:44] why by this community engagement and seeing youth out there,

[44:49] they realize that. You know what? Yeah. What I did

[44:51] was stupid, and we don't have to charge them, and

[44:53] that's our goal. So if. Somebody takes that perspective to

[44:57] say that. Yeah, we're not doing these referrals, dig? A

[44:59] little deeper because we are doing our job at the

[45:02] front end, so we're not. Dealing with them at the

[45:03] back end. That is perfect. Thank you. That is clarified

[45:06] a lot for me. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank

[45:09] you. Any more questions for the inspector? Yes, member. Thank

[45:14] you. And through the chair. Thank you, Inspector. Your sergeant

[45:20] or your inspector? Okay. Whatever. Thank you. I just want

[45:27] to ask. The question youth. And when you said twelve

[45:31] to 17 year olds to me. They're children. I just

[45:35] took the international children's game to Mexico. And they're for

[45:39] competition, and they're really children. And I'm just wondering. When

[45:43] I read 295 involve you, six to three of you

[45:47] were charged with property crime. And 228 received extra judicial

[45:52] measure. Then I read about the drug 22 youth were

[45:56] arrested under the controlled drug substance and 18 were charged.

[46:00] I'm just wondering. In your opinion? Taking the police laisson

[46:05] out of the school. Is that any relationship? That why

[46:13] we're seeing an increase of one. Excuse me. Member Paul?

[46:16] This was discussed, and the chief dealt with it at

[46:18] the last meeting, okay? We don't need to go down

[46:22] that road. Okay. I just want to say that I.

[46:25] Believe because of all the things we interact with children.

[46:28] It's important because I know. Your story, how you became

[46:31] a police officer. It's amazing. So I just wanted to

[46:34] bring. It out that it's important that these are children.

[46:37] Talk to 17, and we need to give them guidance

[46:41] as well. But my next question real quick, because I

[46:43] know we're in a hurry beside John Howard. Who else

[46:48] do we refer them to? There's a provincial contract. Through

[46:54] the chair. And correct me if I'm wrong, Inspector missioni.

[46:58] We have a provincial relationship through the chair spectator mission.

[47:03] Go ahead. Thank you. Into the chair. I was just

[47:06] going to mention I was trying to signal Dave here.

[47:08] That the YMCA is also another agency to refer our

[47:11] youth group. With that, the URS program to YMC. So

[47:15] high risk, high risk youth do get referred to the

[47:18] YMCA as well as John Howard society. Okay. Thank you

[47:24] for that. I know there's a lot. There's liberty for

[47:26] youth. And all different kinds of organization. The reason I

[47:29] brought up the other one is because when I look

[47:31] on page 95, it says all the places that we

[47:37] communicate with, and one of them is the Hamilton Police

[47:39] Service and the school board lays on committee, so. We

[47:44] do engage with school board, so I just want the

[47:46] public to know that. That's one of our engagement that

[47:49] we do and how much we need it. That's? Why

[47:51] I brought it up. Thank you. And thank you again.

[47:54] Thank you. Any more questions for the inspector. Thanks very

[47:58] much. That was an excellent. Presentation, inspector. Thank you. I

[48:05] now call the question. Those in favor of receiving this

[48:09] report. Opposed. Thank you. Now we move to ten one,

[48:15] which are motions. You'll see that there is a motion.

[48:19] To. We need to. It came out of our last

[48:22] meeting. There is a requirement to have. Us draft a

[48:31] policy with regards. To body worn cameras that give us

[48:35] appropriate direction to the chief. Hold on. Do we have

[48:42] a motion? I do believe the deputy chair has a

[48:47] motion. We have a motion, but I'd like to make

[48:57] a friendly amendment to it, if that's. Please do, Mr.

[49:00] Chair. Through the chair. Said that enough. That the administrative

[49:05] director ad be directed to prepare a draft board policy

[49:10] on the use of body worn cameras by the Hamilton

[49:13] Police Service and that the ad consult with the service

[49:17] when preparing this draft. Board policy and. That, dad. Include

[49:26] the draft board policy where police draft a board. Police

[49:32] how it aligns with. The 2021 Information or Privacy Commission

[49:36] of Ontario's model governance framework for body worn camera program

[49:42] in Ontario. Report and recommendations contained herein and that this

[49:47] draft board policy be presented to the board for their

[49:51] consideration. September 26, 2024, to regular board meeting. A second

[49:56] here, please. Thank you. Any discussion. I think it's fairly

[50:02] simple how we got to here. This is one of

[50:04] those policies that we don't yet have. We know there's

[50:07] some discussion as the chief tries to get ahead of

[50:10] a contractual challenge. This is the board policy telling him

[50:16] to have a procedure and he will come back to

[50:19] us. With an appropriate procedure that can assure us, or

[50:22] can assure us that he has one that meets in

[50:24] particularly these privacy requirements as outlined by the federal commissioner

[50:29] and the provincial commissioner. Yes, ma'am. Thank you. For all

[50:37] of the Hamilton public listening. So that was a discussion

[50:40] that we are having. As. The board about different reports

[50:45] about privacy concerns with body ward cameras, not negating the

[50:49] importance of them. But thinking about how do we incorporate.

[50:54] This innovation in a safe way. And. I wanted to.

[51:03] Add. One thing highlighting for the members of the public

[51:06] that this is going to be on the agenda. For

[51:07] the September meeting, then. My comments last meeting about having

[51:13] enough notice for members of the public to come and

[51:15] to raise any concerns, if they have them, or to

[51:18] engage with the board about this. There is also. An

[51:24] additional note in the privacy commission. Of Canada report about

[51:28] body wearing cameras. Was that 2017? I think was the

[51:34] year on that report. But it talked about. A privacy

[51:40] impact assessment. And I know that that was done. For

[51:45] the license plate. Car cameras. But can we have a

[51:51] privacy impact assessment done? In advance. I think that would

[51:55] help inform all of our decisions going forward, too. Chief,

[52:01] are you okay with that? I think you already. Absolutely.

[52:03] Thank you very much. And we have followed that procedures

[52:05] and all of our adoptions of the technology. And this

[52:08] is an outward facing as we have agreed at the

[52:11] board, that to improve public trust, Provide adequate and timely

[52:15] evidence, but also to have an unbiased record of our

[52:18] interactions to make sure we have community and officer safety.

[52:22] So, yes, we will achieve that with our report back.

[52:25] To the board. And once again, I just like to

[52:28] note the contribution of our administrator in this to get

[52:32] ready. For this. She's drafting minutes, drafting motions. She's also

[52:37] been on the phone confirming. What other of the Big

[52:42] twelve are doing in Ontario. Most have started the same

[52:46] process. We're down because we started down this road because

[52:50] there were grants available, so. They had access to the

[52:53] same grants for license, and that's where we're headed. But

[52:56] great work once again by Kirsten. And thank you for

[53:00] the positive input, all of you. Now. I'll call a

[53:03] question, if that's okay. Those in favor? Opposed. Passed. Thank

[53:09] you. Hold on. We got to go back

[53:19] to here. Okay. Number 13. Adjournment.

[53:29] Pardon me. You're right. I'm sorry. I did promise. Member

[53:36] Menace? She could have five minutes. I'd say three, because

[53:41] I really wanted to do this under 2 hours, but

[53:43] you can. Have five of something she wanted to bring

[53:46] up that a number of the board members were involved.

[53:48] And it's something we're going to deal with down the

[53:50] road. The floor is yours. Member Menesis? Thank you. And

[53:58] for members of the public. This was related to. Item

[54:03] eleven point ten from. The June board meeting. And I

[54:09] apologize that I didn't. Speak up in time. To outline

[54:18] a comment and a question or a clarification. And so

[54:22] this was regarding. The February 13 motions that. They emerged

[54:30] from our learnings, from the experiences from the February 2024

[54:33] special budget. Deliberations, right? And those learnings being that the

[54:41] budget recommendations should also be informed by the actual. Service

[54:45] providers. The police service. And that they should be made

[54:50] in collaboration with the service. And. That. Really? This motion

[54:58] included. An ask to report back. On certain policies that

[55:03] were in the budget. Motions that member Cretch and I

[55:09] had put forward. That included merging certain departments with city

[55:14] of Hamilton departments. And thank you for outlining a detailed

[55:17] report of that. That was very helpful. It included, like,

[55:21] clarification on reporting ratios. And so thank you for that

[55:24] clarification. It has really increased my understanding of reporting ratios.

[55:29] My visit with the communications team also helped increase my

[55:32] understanding of the complexities of reporting ratios in different departments

[55:35] in context, within the Hamilton Police Service. And then the

[55:39] last one was by talking about the mounted units. And

[55:42] I want to just highlight here that this was informed

[55:44] by the substantial like 10% of the over 100 written

[55:48] delegations. To the special budget meeting. Talked about. The mounted

[55:58] unit, right? And. This was not. A direction on an

[56:04] operational decision, but really. It was asking for a report

[56:07] on the feasibility or the unfeasibility of doing so. That

[56:13] the motion. When it was proposed at the board meeting,

[56:16] had the opportunity for the chief to speak to the

[56:18] feasibility. And you asked for a bit more time. To

[56:23] provide that report. The reason. Why a number of members

[56:30] of this board voted for this motion, even though we

[56:32] have very different views on this. Was to increase our

[56:37] communal understanding of the mounted unit, right? And to also

[56:42] increase the community understanding of the mantra units. So the

[56:45] way I see it is that was an opportunity for

[56:47] your expert opinion. On the operationals, on the operations side

[56:52] of the police service. To explain to us why he

[56:57] felt this unit provided a service that was invaluable. Right.

[57:00] That was more important than all the other member mannetsis.

[57:04] We're going far. Down a rabbit hole here again. You

[57:08] got 30 seconds. Okay. So for me, it was an

[57:12] opportunity to share your knowledge, to increase understanding, and to

[57:14] help bring our increasingly fractured communities together in finding common

[57:18] ground. And I will say that. I felt hurt by

[57:24] your response. That stated that this was an operational decision.

[57:30] At no point was the motion intended. To direct you

[57:34] operationally. But rather. To gain a better understanding from your

[57:40] point of view. I'm making one single comment on my

[57:43] feelings when I read this. That does not negate all

[57:46] of the rest of our positive interactions. I'm simply trying

[57:50] to be open, that I felt. A bit dismissed by

[57:54] asking for more information on the mount. Not receiving it,

[57:57] and I'm saying this in light of. The mirrored concerns

[58:03] or questions about the magic unit that informed this motion

[58:06] in the first place. If I have misread. Your response?

[58:14] I humbly ask for clarification. Thank you. Chief. Thank you

[58:22] very member mennas and through the chair. At no time

[58:26] would I want to diminish. Your opinion or anything, but

[58:30] I chose not to discern or make assumptions, I guess.

[58:34] In it. I went to the letter of. What is

[58:36] the request of the motions to be fair? Those motions.

[58:43] Are also on the heel of over 60 other questions

[58:46] that we have responded which had comprehensive responses. All in

[58:50] there, so. This was a response to the board specific

[58:54] to the motion language. Thank you.

[59:05] Thank you for clarification. And responding to the letter of

[59:09] the word. I suppose all that we can ask for.

[59:15] And. I would not be doing my job in terms

[59:19] of. Raising my voice and my concern as a board

[59:23] member. That I had questions about the mounted units, and

[59:28] thank you for clarifying for me. And the only thing

[59:32] I would ask, and through the chair is that anytime

[59:34] you can come to any of our operating. Operations units.

[59:37] As you've already availed yourself on some, I'm confident that

[59:40] we could encourage you to come to the mounted unit

[59:43] and see also what our marine unit, our k nine

[59:46] unit and all the other amazing units that we have

[59:48] in our organization, I welcome you to do that. Thank

[59:52] you. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. That completes the agenda

[1:00:00] for today. Kind of have a motion to adjourn, please.

[1:00:12] We did, so we didn't do bad. Thank you. And

[1:00:15] once again I will say, This agreement is not disrespect.

[1:00:20] That said, we're about to go into the budget. And

[1:00:26] a lot of this stuff is going to come up

[1:00:27] again. There's going to be ample time for you to

[1:00:30] be part because you're on the budget committee. There is

[1:00:33] ample time for you to look into these things and

[1:00:35] ask all the questions that you want and your number

[1:00:38] one target is sitting right up there. She's got her

[1:00:42] calculator out and her computer ready to go, so I

[1:00:45] encourage you to ask the questions. But just remember, when

[1:00:48] we come to the board. We're not going into individual

[1:00:51] items. That discussion is over, and we are moving ahead

[1:00:54] with. What we say that we want the chief to

[1:00:58] take to city Councillor because he has to go. And

[1:01:00] justify it. Can I have a motion to adjourn, please?

[1:01:05] Thank you, Mr. Deputy. All in favor. Thank you. We

[1:01:10] are done. We will meet again on the 26 September.

[1:01:13] Thank you.

Hamilton Police Service Board Meeting

Agenda

Transcript