Street checks: Saskatoon police say some officers confused about the rules
Saskatoon police use of street checks has fallen sharply since the adoption of a 2019 policy restricting the practice, according to a new board of police commissioners report.
Contact Interviews, also known as street checks, involve a police officer stopping a civilian for questioning unrelated to an investigation. Critics say the practice discriminates against the homeless and racialized communities.
The Saskatchewan Police Commission issued a provincial policy on contact interviews in 2018, with the Saskatoon police adopting the rules in March 2019.
The number of reported street checks has fallen steadily each year since.
Officers conducted just 16 contact interviews in 2022, down from 189 in 2021, according to the report from the city’s patrol division.
Saskatoon police are only allowed to conduct contact interviews under three conditions — there’s a lack of any apparent reason for the person to be in a particular area, the person’s actions or demeanor raise a concern regarding their purpose or safety, or the person appears lost, confused, frightened or in need of assistance.
Police aren’t allowed to question someone randomly, just for their presence in a high-crime neighbourhood, or because of their age, disability, socio-economic status, gender, religion or ethnicity.
This policy does not apply to interactions in the course of active investigations or in situations like a traffic stop, where officers have legal authority to question drivers.
Report author Tyson Lavallee, acting patrol inspector, says there still appears to be some confusion among officers about what constitutes a contact interview.
“Through the review process we continue to find inconsistency relating to officers submitting contact interviews when they have statutory authority, or are involved in an active investigation,” he writes.
A total of 59 reports were submitted as contact interviews by patrol officers in 2022, but the majority of contacts were made in the regular course of enforcing the traffic safety act, bylaws or the criminal code.
“This inconsistency can be attributed to the complexity of the policy [and] will be addressed in 2023 through an education component.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian former Olympic snowboarder wanted in Ontario double homicide: DOJ
A Canadian former Olympic snowboarder who is suspected of being the leader of a transnational drug trafficking group that operated in four countries is wanted for allegedly orchestrating the murder of an 'innocent' couple in Ontario in 2023, authorities say.
Ontario school board trustees under fire for $100K religious art purchase on Italy trip
Trustees with an Ontario school board are responding to criticism over a $45,000 trip to Italy, where they purchased more than $100,000 worth of religious statues.
A photographer snorkeled for hours to take this picture
Shane Gross, a Canadian marine conservation photojournalist, has won the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Tobacco giants would pay out $32.5 billion to provinces, smokers in proposed deal
Three tobacco giants are proposing to pay close to $25 billion to provinces and territories and more than $4 billion to some 100,000 Quebec smokers and their loved ones as part of a corporate restructuring process triggered by a long-running legal battle.
More Trudeau cabinet ministers not running for re-election, sources say shuffle expected soon
Federal cabinet ministers Filomena Tassi, Carla Qualtrough and Dan Vandal announced Thursday they will not run for re-election. Senior government sources tell CTV News at least one other, Marie-Claude Bibeau, doesn't plan to run again, setting the stage for Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet in the coming weeks.
Robert Pickton's handwritten book seized after his death in hopes of uncovering new evidence
A handwritten book was seized from B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton's prison cell following his death earlier this year, raising hopes of uncovering new evidence in a series of unprosecuted murders.
Former members of One Direction say they're 'completely devastated' by Liam Payne's death
The former members of English boy band One Direction reacted publicly to the sudden death of their bandmate, Liam Payne, for the first time on Thursday, saying in a joint statement that they're 'completely devastated.'
Israel says it has killed top Hamas leader Yayha Sinwar in Gaza
Israeli forces in Gaza killed top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a chief architect of last year's attack on Israel that sparked the war, the military said Thursday. Troops appeared to have run across him unknowingly in a battle, only to discover afterwards that a body in the rubble was Israel's most wanted man.
Indian government employee charged in foiled murder-for-hire plot in New York City
The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges Thursday against an Indian government employee in connection with a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader living in New York City.