Edmonton police commission to review police practice of street checks

The Edmonton police commission is reviewingthe practice of street checks, or carding, by city police, sayingit wantsto determine if itis "respectful of all the people served by the EPS."

The review comes after a series of investigative stories by CBC News into theEdmonton Police Service practice.

Dataobtainedthrough a freedom of information requestshowedthat Aboriginal women,black,and Middle Eastern peoplewere much more likely to bechecked thanwhite people.

• CBC INVESTIGATES Indigenous women nearly 10 times more likely to be street checked by Edmonton police, new data shows

The independent,third-party review will look atdata gathered since the current street check procedure was implemented in August 2016, said commission chair Cathy Palmer at a news conference Wednesday.

This will help measure accuracy and determine if the currentdata collection is in line with the existing policy, she said.

Respect for rights and freedoms

"The commission is committed to the safety of all Edmontonians," she said. "We want Edmonton to the safest majorcity in Canada and all residents and guests to feel safe and welcomed.

"For this to happen, we must ensure our police service has the tools to do their job but arerespectful of individual rights and freedoms at the same time."

The commission is looking outside the province for a consultant to dothe review.

It will also put together an advisory committee of community representatives that will oversee the work of the consultant.

The commission is hoping to have the review in place bythe end of August, with an optimistic deadline of Dec. 1, Palmer said.

The report will be made public, she said.

Chief supports review

While both the EdmontonPolice Association and Chief Rod Knechthavedisputedthat cardingis based on race, Palmer said Knechtsupports the review.

• Edmonton police defend street checks, reject allegations of racial profiling

Bashir Mohamed with Black Lives Matter Edmonton said the commission's review will notchange their calls for an outright ban on street checks.

"We don't see what else it will add," Mohamed said. "Our numbers don't lie.We have case studiesin Ontario, Toronto."

Mayor Don Iveson said he supports the review.

"Everyone in our city deserves to feel safe and respected and police need clarity to be able to do their work," he said in a news release.

Alberta Justice is conducting its own review of street checks with the goal of developing guidelines for police across the province.

• Alberta Justice developing street-check guidelines for police