Thread by @DefundHPS

The @HamiltonPolice is meeting at 1pm this afternoon to discuss newly released data on use of force among other things. You can tune in here: pub-hpsb.escribemeetings.com/VideoStream.as…

Agenda can be found here: pub-hpsb.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ash…

We will be live tweeting the meeting.

#DefundThePolice

We broke down the use of force data report, here’s what we found:

They are currently discussing the HPS COVID response. Mayor Fred is thanking the Hamilton police for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic and for maintaining their service in a "professional" way.

They are currently giving awards of distinction. They have awarded the Leonard G Lawrence Award to the HPS social navigator program. This program has harassed and evicted unhoused residents all year. What are they being awarded for?

@HamOntESN

@HamOntESN The HPS ended the fiscal year with $2,128,405 ($2.13M), 1.24% surplus. During an earlier meeting with a budget deliberation, they decided to take money from a reserve to help mitigate budget increase.

The Hamilton Police cancelled 45,000 worth of training due to the pandemic.

@HamOntESN They are inquiring about whether or not those training will be occur once the pandemic is over. There will NOT be an increase in training.

@HamOntESN This is MORE than the projection in February. Even though they are at a surplus, they applied for $562,077 in COVID-19 restart funding. Those funds would be applied to the 2020 budget, thereby increasing the year-end surplus to $2.13 million.

They are recommending that $567,000 goes to the police tax stabilization reserve.

This is the first time the Hamilton police have had a surplus since 2014.

The police received an increase in their 2021 budget, and on top of that are moving the majority of the 2.1M surplus back into their reserve fund. Why can the police have both an increase in funding and an additional surplus?

Why are other services drastically underfunded, while the Hamilton police can received so much funding?

The HPS is requesting 60,000 to implement the recommendations for the pride board inquiry.

They are also requesting $35,000 to update their computers to Windows 10.

$60,000 of the surplus is being allocated to a consultation based on the pride report. Tax funds are being spent on a consultation that is meaningless-- the community has already spoken, harm has already been done. We don't need your consultations. We need you to be defunded.

HPS is proposing this is split between police capital and the Tax Stabilization Reserve. The Reserve is a surplus fund that can be accessed to continue covering police expenditures.

Chief Bergen is mentions the importance of community safety and well-being. He mentions that a core tenant is that the HPS is the only 24 hour service to help with mental health crises.

They are implementing a community safety wellbeing program. They are investing funding in a rapid emergency response team to deal with mental health crises in the city.

Do not be fooled by the use of this language, the police are allocating more money that will police and violate poor and disabled community members in Hamilton. This is akin to the new defunct action team. It's just a new name

HPS is putting lipstick on a pig by re-dressing armed officers as a emergency mental health crisis response team.

HPS is putting lipstick on a pig by re-dressing officers as a emergency mental health crisis response team.

HPS is creating a "Rapid Intervention and Support Team... This is a proposed model that would provide support to the most marginalized and vulnerable people in our community." Those people have repeatedly asked that police to NOT respond to mental health calls.

HPS proposes a "Rapid Intervention and Support Team...a proposed model that would provide support to the most marginalized and vulnerable people in our community." Communities with histories of police-related trauma repeatedly call that cops don't respond to mental health calls.

They are adding additional staff and additional hours to this service. A service that will only police poor and disabled peopled. They are expanding their services to 20 hours a day.

They are creating a mental health response team that will be active 20 hours a day.

Why is HPS talking about de-escalation? Use of force data published by HPS in 2020 shows increased numbers of weapons pointed and handguns drawn. The number of reported use of force cases is 85 counts higher than the 10-year HPS average.

As part of HPS community safety and wellbeing plan, “three Constables will be reassigned from the School Liaison Officer program to work with the [Social Navigator Program] to better serve the community.”

Police officers from the police liaison program are being moved into the RIST team. This team will police our community for 20 hours a day and are specifically being implemented to deal with mental health crises. We do not need armed officers dealing with our community members

The HPS launched a diversity and inclusion survey. Here’s what we found in the use of force data:

While the @HamiltonPolice use progressive language to confuse the community, they continue to disproportionately card and target Black people.

They are adding 1 officer to the payroll who will liase with the City's Encampment Taskforce, "ensuring consistent messaging and service.” @HamOntESN has been at evictions all year - what we need is not better coordination for evictions, but an end to encampment evictions.

SLOs moved into the Social Navigator Program as part of Phase 1, will be moved into the mental health response MCRRT program as part of Phase 2. Phase 3 involves the creation of the Rapid Intervention and Support Team (RIST).

The following agencies have signed on to confirm involvement in RIST: HPS, Hamilton Paramedic Service, Wesley Urban Ministries, St. Joseph’s, CMHA, Living Rock, YMCA, Provincial Crown Attorneys Office, Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre (social workers)...

...Hamilton Defence Attorneys (court mandated clients), Shelter Health Network, Mission Services of Hamilton.

Community has called for SLO program to be dismantled as part of the larger call for defunding HPS and investing in our community. In moving these officers around, this process for RIST ends up keeping all funding for SLOs within HPS and not re-investing salaries in the community

We do not want or need the police to be involved in any part of the process of responding to or 'supporting' what HPS is referring to as "the most marginalized and vulnerable in our community." The police are a tool used to marginalize these people to begin with.

SLOs were removed from school because they were harming BIPOC there. They should not be moved to causing harm to people who are mentally ill or in crisis.

HPS is now moving into use of force data. Between 2011-2020, the most use of force incidents were submitted in 2020. 431 incidents of use of force in 2020. There were 431 times that #HPS officers inflicted violence on people in our community.

They are now presenting the 2020 use of force report. This became a legal requirement in 2020, by the solicitor general. It is a provincial tool designed by the ministry with guidance from police.

This report requires race based data, this is gathered based on perception of race that is determined by the police.

A use of force report must be used when a conductive energy weapon or gun is used.

Here are the ways they track their tactic of violence in our community: Firearm Discharged/ Pointed, Hand gun drawn, Pepper spray or foam, Hard/Soft Impact with Baton, Empty Hands Hard and Empty Hands Soft, Taser displayed, Taser deployed.

Empty hands “hard” refers to the striking of a person. This would include punches, kicks, elbow strikes, knee strikes and grounding techniques where they force someone to the ground. These are the strikes that suffocate people.

Empty hands “soft” refers to the application of joint locks, some grounding techniques and/or pressure points to a person. These soft techniques look like this:

An officer is only required to submit a report for Empty Hands Soft if they “use physical force on another person that results in an injury requiring medical attention” therefore this data is not complete.

They are using flowery language when they are talking about tasers and pepper spray. Why is the Hamilton Police using flowery language to disguise their violent practices.

It isn't a conductive energy weapon. It's a taser.

There were 140 incidents where the police and/or civilian required medical attention.

Medical attention includes apprehension under the mental health act.

Officers are not allowed to ask what someones race is, they must make a choice based on interaction.

Breakdown of perceived race: White (294, 66%), Black (81, 18%), Middle Eastern (24, 6%), East/Southeast Asian (21, 5%), Indigenous (14, 3%), Latino (6, 1%), South Asian (6, 1%)

The UOF (Use of Force) report has a Length of Service section to be completed by the submitting officer. In certain circumstances, this section is not completed.

The most common reason for this area not being completed is when the ERU files a "team” report and the Years of Service area is not completed.

HPS is blaming frequency of use of force on a “violent” population. This is statistically incorrect as according to the @HamCommFdn, the violent crime rate in Hamilton is currently 34% lower than in 2006, and is only decreasing.

The violent crime rate in the Hamilton CMA is similar to provincial rates (790) and lower than the national rate for violent crimes (1,052). The number of youth involved in crime has fallen each year since 2009, mirroring the national trend.

The Hamilton Police have euthanized 25 animals. This is the first time they are showing any remorse for violence they have inflicted.

The government of Canada released a review and recommendations on systemic racism in policing. HPS claim that they have suspended carding. They claim to not collect racial data outside of what is "mandated by the ministry"

@HamOntESN To clarify: They are still holding the $45,000 that was not used for training, the trainings were not offered.

Why is $562k of federal funding for municipalities going to #HPS & not the priorities listed in the Safe Restart Agreement? #HamOnt communities need housing, PPE, safe transit, childcare and mental health services that are not connected to the police. #CdnPoli #OnPoli

Even without a surplus budget, they are not deserving of funding because of the violence and fear they inflict. Throughout this pandemic, most of them have not even worn masks in close contact with the public. We demand you #DefundThePolice and an investment in housing.

HPS has resumed recruitment of all civilian roles. Recruitment was suspended during the pandemic but now they are directing more funding to increasing the number of officers in #HamOnt.

The community has already stated the need for less policing and more investment in things like housing and food security.

They are dicssssuing a recent case of carding where a Black passenger was stopped because he seemed young, but was much older than the he seemed. Youth was searched based on “smell of marijuana” and a judge ruled that it was carding, violating section 8 charter rights.

There is no room for “growth” when cops historically and continue to card Black people in Hamilton. They are lying to our communities. No training can undo or prevent the violence that policing inflicts. “Progressive growth and learning” does not exist in policing.

This is not a “ learning opportunity”, these are real lives. Black people are not disposable for other people’s “ learning.”

They are now logging out for their in camera session. Why are they adjourning? Why is this not publicized?