Historical Overview of the CAC

Why this Community based Police Partnership?

• Provide a formal structure with support to take action on identified issues within each community
• Continue to build trust amongst diverse communities
• Work together in a collaborative effort on a number of key issues:
  • Training (new recruits/school resource officers)
  • Policy advice/change
  • Recruiting strategies
  • Unsuccessful community partnership = Unsuccessful Policing
  • Reporting and subsequent enforcement makes for a safer community
  • Familiarity with both communities leads to breakdown of barriers
  • Foster a sense of inclusiveness, trust, and the ability to work cooperatively on policing issues

How will this committee take action?

• Support and take action on issues raised by a wide variety of diverse communities in Edmonton
• Build through education and awareness, a safer Edmonton that values, rather than fears diversity
• Strengthen community liaison committees as the foundation for intelligence-led policing, relationship building, and bias-free policing through the creation of a formalized office through which diverse communities and community agencies and services, can coordinate their activities

How is this different than the work that is being done by the Hate/Bias Unit at the EPS?

The CAC is a open and inclusive forum for diverse communities to bring forward their issues related to dealing with the Police and how they are treated. What doesn’t exist is a structure and support to engage in educational and promotional activities to address the issues that have been raised.

Brief chronology of the genesis of the Hate Crimes Unit

2002

• Support from Canadian Heritage for funding to research and develop a full proposal to create a specialized hate crimes unit in Edmonton

2003

• Proposal approved with funding for 2-years
• EPS Hate and Bias Crime Initiative established

2003

• Hate crimes database established
• R1 Police Report Checkbox
• Street information reports
• Key objectives and outcomes identified:
• Partnerships with diverse communities
• Investigations on HBC (monitoring WEB; Propaganda; Extremists)
• Training for recruits & outside agencies

2004

• Chief Mike Boyd establishes Chief’s advisory committee to centralize the discussion and to engage a broader group of diverse communities.