McGrogan defends police use of street checks

By Peggy Revell on March 17, 2018.

As criticism of carding and racial bias ramps up across Canada, Medicine Hat Police Chief Andy McGrogan is defending the local practice of street checks.

The critiques toward policing have been “actually very valuable,” said McGrogan, who made a presentation on bias-free policing at Thursday’s police commission meeting. ”We’ve actually really taken some time to look at our policy, look at our training, look at our practices and do a better job on reporting, auditing, training. This has been a good experience.”

“Carding” has been a long-standing issue in Toronto, where police are accused of disproportionately targeting black people and other minorities. Concerns of this have spread across the country.

Carding is different than “street checks,” said McGrogan.

“Carding is a random check of people for no particular purpose other than to gather information,” he said. This is done, even if no offence has been committed or even suspected. “Street checks are intelligence led. They’re not random in nature.”

Street checks are used, for example, in crime “hot spots” like downtown — or when monitoring people coming and going from a known drug house. They’re used if “somebody seems out of place,” he said, such as being on foot in a light industrial area, or with a backpack and hoodie walking down an alleyway.

This information could be helpful if break and enters in those areas are later reported, he said.

Street checks are also for individual safety, he said, such as checking in on those who live high-risk lifestyles.

“I think the whole issue is not so much about carding or street checks, it’s really about bias-free policing. I don’t hear anyone saying street checks are wrong. It’s wrong that racial minorities are being targeted,” said McGrogan.

According to 2016 data from police, a total of 653 street checks were conducted. Of those, 82 per cent were Caucasian, 11.18 per cent were aboriginal, and 3.68 per cent African American.

The statistics are “pretty much in line with general composition of general population,” said McGrogan. But the stats can be skewed, he said.

For example, one aboriginal woman was checked 13 times as she leads a high-risk lifestyle, he said. This sort of adjustment makes the numbers align more with the 6.4 per cent of people in Medicine Hat who self-identify as being Aboriginal.

“There’s nothing in that information that to me demonstrates that we’re targeting a specific racial group,” he said.

McGrogan said they are working to improve the statistics gathered — for example, the current classifications don’t match those used by Census Canada on how people identify themselves.

“The biggest thing is an audit system. Being able to audit street checks, first when they’re submitted by the supervisor, and then our community intelligence team looking at them from a bigger view, and saying ‘Are we applying bias-free policing in how we conduct our business?”

The review also includes going over training around such things as bias-free policing, human rights legislation, ethics and cultural relations.

Unless legally detained or arrested, McGrogan reminded people they have the right to not give their information to police officers.

He understands that there’s a perception police hold the power balance in this sort of situation, but stressed that police are public servants.