Reading the Department of Justice Report on the Ferguson Police Department is a lot like reading a “How-Not-To-Do-It Guide” to law enforcement. The findings of the DOJ are shocking in the extreme. The report highlights so many violations of human and civil rights of the residents of Ferguson – mostly African Americans - that it... Read More
The recent admission by the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation that law enforcement officers are racially biased has been rightfully described as “unusually candid.” However, no-one has called James Comey’s remarks “original.” Comey, like so many before him, is calling for “honest and open conversations” about race and law enforcement. It seems after... Read More
[caption id="attachment_733" align="aligncenter" width="660"] Police wearing riot gear walk toward a man with his hands raised in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)[/caption] In his poem Dream Deferred, Langston Hughes asked: "What happens to a dream deferred ?" Sixty three years later, we have found an answer in Ferguson, Missouri. Some people say the anger of... Read More
Culture is defined as a system of values, beliefs, attitudes, traditions, and standards of behavior that govern the organization of people into social groups and regulate both individual and group behaviour. The unfolding events and the collective grieving of Americans (particularly those living in Tucson, Arizona) and Canadians (those living in Toronto), is a reminder... Read More
[caption id="attachment_158" align="alignleft" width="180" caption="Re-imagining the Future"][/caption] Looking into the future forces you to come to terms with the present. That's precisely what happened recently at a workshop with senior police executives and leaders from a variety of services from across Canada. The session, led by futurist and political scientist Sohail Inayatullah, was held at the... Read More
Racial profiling is one issue that can ignite emotions and inflame situations; partly because the allegations strike at the very core of our personal beliefs and partly because it is so difficult to prove or disprove. Who knows what runs through a cop’s mind when making split-second decisions to stop and/or detain someone? What role... Read More