Toronto Police Service Launches Four Additional Know Your Rights Videos

Toronto Police Service Launches Four Additional Know Your Rights Videos

Broadcast time: 11:00
Date: Monday, May 2, 2022
Unit: Corporate Communications
Phone: 416-808-7100
Case #: N/A

With the assistance of a dedicated group of community partners, the Toronto Police Service has launched four more videos as part of its Know Your Rights campaign. The videos, created in partnership with the Police and Community Engagement Review (PACER) Committee and young people from our communities, explain a person’s rights and a police officer’s responsibilities during Traffic Stops, Searches, Mental Health Calls for Service, and around the Service’s use of Body-worn Cameras.

“Building trust with the community requires that we listen to our advocates as well as our sharpest critics,” said Chief of Police James Ramer. “After launching our first Know Your Rights video, we heard clearly from community members, especially young people, that there were topics they wanted more information about when it comes to rights and responsibilities. Creating these four videos was a logical next step for TPS.”

“Creating this Know Your Rights campaign was unfinished business for our original Pacer Committee that disbanded in 2017. We knew the impact this would have in educating our community on their rights, which would then lead to better interactions with the police,” said Audrey Campbell, Know Your Rights Committee Co-Chair. “We are thankful to the young people in our community that trusted us enough to share their concerns and participated in the consultative process along with the officers that trusted us enough to assist along the way.”

Since 2012, the Toronto Police Service has worked collaboratively with the PACER Committee to review procedures and practices relating to interactions between police officers and members of the community.

In 2020, with the 81 recommendations contained in the Toronto Police Services Board report on police reform, Chief Ramer reconstituted the committee into PACER 2.0, to provide advice, support, and to hold the Service accountable throughout implementation.

ABOUT THE PACER 2.0 COMMITTEE

The PACER 2.0 Committee includes Co-chairs Audrey Campbell and Superintendent Stacy Clarke, Deputy Chief of Police Myron Demkiw, Staff Superintendent Pauline Gray, Inspector Kelly Skinner, Yvette Blackburn (Global Jamaica Diaspora Council, GJDC – Canadian Representative), Jennifer Chambers (Executive Director, Empowerment Council), Dave D’Oyen, Stephen Linton, Stephen McCammon (Legal Counsel, Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario), John O’Dell and Knia Singh (Principal Lawyer, Ma’at Legal Services).

The Pacer Know Your Rights Sub-Committee co-chairs Inspector Skinner and Mr. Singh, along with sub-committee members Ms. Blackburn, Ms. Chambers, and Mr. McCammon, took the lead in crafting and shaping the Know Your Rights campaign.

More about the campaign, and the new videos, can be found here: https://www.knowyourrights.to/

 

Stephanie Sayer, Corporate Communications