Advertisement

News

Police chief ordered to review mental health response

The Toronto Police will conduct an internal review of how the force responds to people with mental health issues, following public outcry over a series of deaths caused by officers in recent months.

At a meeting of the police services board Thursday, vice-chair Councillor Michael Thompson moved a motion directing Chief Bill Blair to assess the current model for dealing with what the force calls “emotionally distressed people.” The review will include an analysis of successful policies of other forces, and consultation with medical experts and other stakeholders. The board’s mental health subcommittee, which includes psychiatric survivors, will also be asked to weigh in on reforms.

“We’ve heard from the public… that [the current model] isn’t working. We need to review and we need to assess it,” Thompson said after the board adopted his proposal. “People obviously don’t want to see any more citizens get killed by police.”

Whether the exercise leads to changes in police policy is now largely up to Blair, and on Thursday at least he showed little enthusiasm for the project, declining an opportunity to speak on the issue and asking no questions of the several members of the public who made deputations.

The review was spurred on by public reaction to the deaths this past year of Charlie McGillivary, Sylvia Klibingaitis, and Michael Eligon. The latter two victims had history of mental health issues and were fatally shot by police. McGillivary, who had an intellectual disability, died while being taken into custody after police mistook him for a mugger.

Shortly before the meeting at police headquarters, two dozen protesters from the Never Again Coalition gathered to demand an end to police violence. They donned hospital gowns in honour of Eligon, who was wearing one when he was shot in February after fleeing the Toronto East General Hospital.

Several protesters spoke at the meeting and told the board the deaths have sent a chill through the mental health system and terrified those whose loved ones have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Cindy Rose said her son is schizophrenic, and has had several interactions with police. She’s shaken up every time she hears of cases like Eligon’s and Klinigbaitis’.

“It tears a piece of my heart out,” she said. “All I’m able to think is, that could have been my son.”

Jane Pritchard, a community physician who works with homeless people, said that she’s become reluctant to contact police for help with her more troubled clients.

“I now fear that if I call the police to deal with an agitated mentally ill patient, I am putting that patient at risk,” she said. “God forbid that a suicidal person or even a paranoid person who has not harmed anybody should end up shot.”

Many deputants suggested specific reforms be examined, including placing more emphasis on de-escalation techniques during training, having recruits complete mandatory placements in mental health facilities before joining the force, and instituting education programs to reduce the stigma around mental illness.

Most called on the board to expand the use of Mobile Crisis Intervention Teams, the two-person units comprised of an officer and mental health nurse that have proved effective in responding to those in distress.

In a presentation at the start of the meeting, Deputy Chief Mike Federico said he would like to expand the program, but doing so is dependent on hospitals supplying the force with more nurses, and many health facilities can’t spare them.

The force currently has four MCITs active in 11 police divisions, and they’re only available for 10 hours a day. Federico stressed that regular officers receive mental health training on a yearly basis.

As per Thompson’s motion, all the deputants suggestions will be studied by Chief Blair and the board’s mental health sub-committee, who will then make any necessary recommendations to the board.

While it falls short of the full public inquiry into police killings that some were seeking, Doug Pritchard, a protester who spoke at the meeting, was optimistic the review will lead to safer interactions between officers and those in mental distress. But he warned his group will keep pushing if the exercise doesn’t result in real change.

“If it just becomes a blind alley to bury these recommendations, then we’ll be back,” he said.

Interactions with “emotionally distressed persons” make up a small fraction of police responses, but occur dozens of times a day. Last year, out of 2 million calls placed to 911, 17,000 involved people with mental health issues. Sixty-four of those incidents resulted in serious injuries.

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

Recently Posted