tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34448838110799672452024-09-11T08:22:57.847-04:00Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comBlogger129125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-53752615532209979592014-05-23T13:00:00.004-04:002014-05-23T13:08:07.405-04:00

On April 24, 2014, the Toronto Police Services Board approved an innovative and wide-ranging policy on Community Contacts (also referred to as “street checks” or “carding”).  This policy provides a rights-based approach to police-community conversations with significant Board oversight and accountability mechanisms.  The policy, developed after extensive public consultation, can be

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-17025457852837706402014-04-22T12:23:00.003-04:002014-04-22T12:24:57.881-04:00

The Toronto Police Services Board has been reviewing the issue of “street checks” conducted by the police (also referred to as “carding” or community contacts) and has heard concerns raised by the community about racial profiling related to this practice. On April 8, 2014, the Board held a special meeting to solicit input from the public on a draft policy on community contacts that had been

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-78671576920138039232014-03-27T14:19:00.001-04:002014-03-27T14:41:37.085-04:00

  At its meeting of November 18, 2013, the Board considered the issue of “street checks” conducted by the police (also referred to as “carding” or the provision of contact cards) and heard concerns raised by the community about this process. In particular, the Board agreed that the potential for racial profiling associated with this practice is a significant issue that demands urgent

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-69304715499416642682013-11-13T10:11:00.000-05:002013-11-13T10:11:16.991-05:00

Dear Stakeholders: The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services (MCSCS) is working with its inter-ministerial and policing partners to develop a provincial crime prevention strategy.  The first phase of this process included the development of the Crime Prevention in Ontario: A Framework for Action booklet, which is intended to raise awareness and to promote the benefits

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-53980685132775125692011-05-20T11:18:00.000-04:002011-05-20T11:18:52.657-04:00

For me and the Board, one of the highlights of the year for policing in Toronto is the Police Officer of the Year Awards. This award "honours officers of the Toronto Police Service who have demonstrated exceptional skills, bravery, compassion and a deep commitment to making Toronto one of the safest cities in the world." I believe that the vast majority of our police officers are

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-23176923894655631242011-05-10T14:40:00.000-04:002011-05-10T14:40:56.773-04:00

Dear Premier McGuinty, I have read with great interest your public comments relating to the tentative agreement reached between the Toronto Police Association (TPA) and the Toronto Police Services Board (TPSB). With great respect, I must say that decisions made at the provincial level are largely responsible for this deal. The province makes the rules under which municipal police services

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-51421849910419067632011-05-02T17:23:00.000-04:002011-05-02T17:23:35.036-04:00

We are pleased that yesterday we reached a tentative agreement with the Toronto Police Association.  You can read our joint statement here.

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-4571756359678976022011-04-05T18:36:00.000-04:002011-04-05T18:36:33.164-04:00

That is how many days we have been in face-to-face contract negotiations with the Association. We exchanged proposals in the context of: • The Board’s accountability to the residents and taxpayers of the City of Toronto (the people who pay for policing), • The fact that the City of Toronto is facing a nearly $800 million budget shortfall in 2012, and • That about 90 percent of the Toronto

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-85245850459554508052011-03-26T17:21:00.000-04:002011-03-26T17:21:18.317-04:00

Here is the statement from Director of the Michigan State Police and the USA Today story on the Michigan State Police's plan to close 21 posts across the state.

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-43401868771503146662011-03-15T10:49:00.001-04:002011-03-15T10:55:47.399-04:00

Police wages continue to be a topic of conversation in countries around the world, including Australia.

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-1610701049517342042011-03-13T15:37:00.000-04:002011-03-13T15:37:51.487-04:00

As the British author Norman Douglas once said, “How reluctantly the mind consents to reality!” As I sit here in my seventh day of face-to-face contract negotiations with the Toronto Police Association, where we have made negligible progress, I cannot help but wonder if they were speaking about Mike McCormack, TPA President. Around the world, communities are adapting to some harsh fiscal

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-76463598545761832452011-03-10T16:33:00.000-05:002011-03-10T16:33:04.798-05:00

The issue of police wages are top of mind for the British home secretary, Theresa May. She recently said that pay cuts for police officers are essential in order to minimise front line job losses at forces in England and Wales. She went on to say that "There's no question that pay restraint and pay reform must form part of the package.  If you are going to find savings, pay is a good place

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-71180321055656324692011-03-08T08:46:00.000-05:002011-03-08T08:46:01.783-05:00

Today's Toronto Star editorial focuses on Ontario's arbitration system. Here is an excerpt: "Labour relations can be extraordinarily complicated and there are variations on the final offer concept. How it should be applied to essential workers in Ontario’s public sector warrants extensive debate. But Queen’s Park should start that discussion. With 10,000 transit workers about to be declared

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-61218423196357841522011-03-07T10:44:00.000-05:002011-03-07T10:44:49.717-05:00

Across Ontario's emergency services sector there seems to be increased talk and media coverage on the issue of arbitrated awards.  You can read the stories here,  here,  here,  here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here. 

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-75776721695846183592011-02-27T13:50:00.000-05:002011-02-27T13:50:27.464-05:00

As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “patience and fortitude conquer all things”. This could not be clearer than in the current round of contract negotiations between the Toronto Police Services Board and the Toronto Police Association. The Bargaining Committees met for four days this past week. In this time, we went back and forth on a number of non-monetary items from our proposals. Anyone who

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-31396240825403734492011-02-18T09:56:00.000-05:002011-02-18T09:56:50.187-05:00

Across the province, municipalities are at various stages of the budget process. For some, the process is complete and, for others, the process is only beginning. What remains consistent is that whether the municipality has its own police service, like Toronto, is part of a regional service, like Mississauga or uses the Ontario Provincial Police, like Thunder Bay, the cost of policing and the

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-21632776048992863792011-02-11T15:49:00.000-05:002011-02-11T15:49:44.221-05:00

Over the last few weeks there has been much discussion throughout the City regarding collective bargaining. The Police, the TTC and the City’s outside workers are all scheduled to be in collective bargaining at some point this year.  You can read about it here.    The Toronto Police Services Board (the Board) has already commenced collective bargaining with the Toronto

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-42692075952265697552011-02-10T16:29:00.000-05:002011-02-10T16:29:07.999-05:00

An interesting article on police bargaining from the Windsor Star. 

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-64993224170661921932011-02-07T15:48:00.002-05:002011-02-08T11:03:02.609-05:00

Suddenly, it seems as though all the world's a-twitter. - Newsweek Blogging and Tweeting. In 2007, we launched this blog with the intention of providing readers with information on the Board, what we do and events related to policing. Since then we have posted over 100 blogs ranging from bargaining, to the United Way campaign and to the long gun registry. Today, we join 190 million people

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-85430438932307103112010-11-01T08:23:00.001-04:002010-11-01T08:25:58.679-04:00

Throughout our city, there are a number of great organizations that you may never have heard of that do important work in partnership with the TPS.These organizations support our community policing model, where the community is a vital partner in our efforts to build safe and healthy neighbourhoods. One of these is The Gatehouse, a Toronto support centre that provides a

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-48499051746378269282010-09-23T09:18:00.004-04:002010-09-23T14:45:46.900-04:00

Earlier today, the Toronto Police Services Board approved the retention of The Honourable John W. Morden to conduct the Independent Civilian Review of the policing of the G20 Summit. You can read our news release here.Mr. Morden has vast experience in matters of public law and civil rights. He also spent considerable time on the bench, including as Associate Chief Justice of Ontario.In addition,

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-27174652597549113552010-09-22T18:50:00.002-04:002010-09-22T18:55:14.047-04:00

This evening, a majority of the Members of the House of Commons voted to maintain the long-gun registry. You can read the stories here, here and here.This is great news.Never before have police boards, police chiefs and police associations come together in such a concerted manner. This cohesiveness has been critical during the drive to educate voters and parliamentarians on why the long-gun

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-27428102247305081502010-09-16T09:55:00.002-04:002010-09-16T10:07:32.911-04:00

As I read the papers this morning, I was taken by what is a seemingly unprecedented level of media coverage on an issue that has police boards, police services and police associations working together for a common goal.That is, of course, to save the long-gun registry; a critically important tool in both the prevention and investigation of crime.I found this letter from the Halifax Chronicle

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-69849850384960026292010-09-15T11:37:00.006-04:002010-09-15T11:55:08.352-04:00

It is on a very rare and important occasion that the Board, the Service and the Association issue a joint statement.The National Day in Support of the Gun Registry is one of those occasions.As I have said previously maintaining the long-gun registry is critical to the safety of our officers and our communities.Why, I ask, would anyone be interested in disabling such an effective preventative and

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3444883811079967245.post-60875090934551800742010-09-09T21:15:00.002-04:002010-09-09T21:20:25.128-04:00

On Tuesday, September 14th, 2010 at 4:00PM, the Board will be holding a special meeting to consider the Terms of Reference for our Independent Civilian Review of the Policing of the G20 Summit.These Terms of Reference were drafted by Doug Hunt, who employed an inclusive, consultative process, incorporating the input from the community as well as key stakeholders and will be used by the

Alok Mukherjeehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00340267094138536709noreply@blogger.com