TO THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF OTTAWA
26
MARS 2008
The POLICE SERVICES BOARD met on 25 FEBRUARY 2008 and submits the items
contained in this Report for the information and/or approval of Council at its
meeting of 26 MARCH 2008.
La COMMISSION
DE SERVICES POLICIERS s’est réuni le 25 FÉVRIER 2008 et soumet les
articles du présent rapport au Conseil pour information et/ou approbation lors
de sa réunion du 26 MARS
2008.
Present
/ Présences :
25
Feb. 08
Vice Chair /
vice-président : J.
MacEwen
Members / Membres : D. Doran
D.
Guilmet-Harris
M. McRae
B. Monette
INDEX |
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NO./NO |
ITEM |
PAGE |
ARTICLE |
|
Police Services Board |
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Commission de Services
Policiers |
1. |
POLICE SERVICES BOARD ACTIVITY,
TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE ANNUAL REPORT
– 2007 ACS2007-CCS-PSB-0012 |
01 |
RAPPORT ANNUEL
SUR LES ACTIVITÉS, LA FORMATION ET LE RENDEMENT DE LA COMMISSION DE SERVICES
POLICIERS - 2007 ACS2007-CCS-PSB-0012 |
2. |
OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY ACS2007-CCS-PSB-0013 |
14 |
STRATÉGIE
D’ENGAGEMENT COMMUNAUTAIRE DE LA COMMISSION DE SERVICES POLICIERS ACS2007-CCS-PSB-0013 |
1. POLICE
SERVICES BOARD ACTIVITY, TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE ANNUAL REPORT – 2007 RAPPORT ANNUEL SUR LES ACTIVITÉS, LA FORMATION ET LE RENDEMENT DE LA
COMMISSION DE SERVICES POLICIERS - 2007 |
BOARD RECOMMENDATION
That Council
receive1 this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION DE LA
COMMISSION
Que le Conseil prenne
connaissance du présent rapport à titre d’information.
DOCUMENTATION
1. Executive Director’s report
dated 8 February 2008.
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 25 February 2008.
OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD REPORT
COMMISSION
DE SERVICES POLICIERS RAPPORT
Your File/V/Réf.
DATE 8
February 2008
TO/DEST. Chair and Members,
Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM/EXP. Executive Director, Ottawa
Police Services Board
SUBJECT/OBJET POLICE SERVICES BOARD ACTIVITY,
TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE ANNUAL REPORT - 2007
That the Ottawa Police
Services Board receive this report and forward it to City Council for
information.
In December 2005 the Ottawa Police Services
Board received a report from the City of Ottawa Auditor General on the Board’s
governance practices. Among the Auditor
General’s recommendations were the following:
a) That the Board specify training requirements and report
annually (and publicly) on individual member training, and training of the
Board as a whole.
b) That the Board determine performance evaluation measures and
conduct a formal Board evaluation annually.
c) That the Board report the results of the performance
evaluation in a board activity report … (including) information on such things
as:
-
number
of board meetings held
-
number
of community meetings held
-
ceremonial
events attended
-
number
of Council presentations
-
hours
of commitment
-
board
training.
In
March 2007 the first annual report on Board Activity and Training was submitted
to the Board and Council, as well as a separate report on the results of the
Board’s first formal performance review process. Following receipt of the Auditor’s recommendations, the Board
decided to conduct formal evaluations every four years and less formal
evaluations in other years. As a formal
evaluation was conducted in 2006 this year’s review is less formal and consists
of measuring the Board’s performance against its 2007 workplan.
This
report and the data contained in Attachment 1 constitute the second annual
report on the Police Services Board’s Activity, Training and Performance,
covering the period from January 1 to December 31, 2007.
At a meeting in February 2006, the Board
approved the following activity indicators that would be tracked throughout the
year and be reported on in the annual report:
1. Board
and Committee Meetings
The volume of work associated with board and committee meetings on a monthly basis demonstrated by:
·
Number
of meetings, including all board meetings (public and in camera), meetings of
board’s standing committees (Complaints Committee, Finance & Audit
Committee, Human Resources Committee, and Policy & Governance Committee),
and other committees on which board members serve (Citizens Advisory Committee
on Performance Measurement, Community Awards Selection Committee, Police
Scholarship & Charitable Fund Board of Trustees)
·
Hours
spent at meetings
·
Number
of items on agendas (public and in camera)
·
Number
of pages of agenda material reviewed.
2. Community Meetings
In accordance with the Auditor’s recommendations, the number of community meetings is identified separately from other board meetings and includes statistics on:
·
Number
of meetings
·
Hours
spent at meetings.
3. Other Functions & Events
Members of the Police Services
Board attend a wide variety of other business functions and ceremonial events
outside of board and committee meetings each year, such as: business meetings (OAPSB Board of Directors,
Big 12 boards, meetings with city or provincial officials); collective
bargaining and other meetings related to labour relations; Ottawa Police
Association functions; Senior Officers’ Association functions; media
conferences; briefings; Police awards ceremonies; recruit badge ceremonies;
community events; and meetings with other City stakeholders. This category records the following
statistical information related to these other functions:
·
Number
of events
·
Hours
spent at them.
Additional Workload for Board Chair
The indicators tracked and reported on in Attachment 1 do not reflect
the additional time the Chair of the Board spends dealing with emails and phone
calls on matters related to the work of the Board. The Board Chair in 2007 estimated that on average 10 hours per
week was spent on emails, phone calls, preparing for meetings and media
inquiries. Meetings attended by the
Board Chair are captured in the statistics contained in Attachment 1.
Number of Council Presentations
Among the activity indicators included in the Auditor General’s
recommendation was the number of presentations made to Council. As the Police Services Board has not in the
past made presentations to Council, this indicator was not adopted by the
Board.
Other Presentations
In 2007 the Board was asked to speak at the Ontario Association of
Police Services Boards (OAPSB) Annual Spring Conference about its experience
going through an audit of its governance practices, and was also asked to speak
at the OAPSB’s Fall Seminar about its Performance Review Process.
The Auditor General’s report emphasized the importance of board member orientation and training as essential elements of good governance. To assist the Ottawa Police Board in ensuring its members make the commitment to ongoing learning, the Auditor General recommended that the Board specify training requirements for its members, and report annually and publicly on training for the Board as a whole and for individual members. In February 2006 the Board adopted the Training Policy in Attachment 2. Statistics for 2007 are contained in Attachment 1.
Indicators
pertaining to board training include:
·
Ministry
training attended by board members either individually or as a group
·
Other
training/education sessions attended by the Board as a whole
·
Other
training/education sessions attended by each individual board member
·
Hours
spent in training by the Board as a whole and by individual board members.
If the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services offered no training in the year being reported on, the Activity Report will indicate that. Similarly, if there were no members serving their first year on the board in the year being reported on, the report will indicate that the required orientation training for new members was not applicable for that year. In 2007, there were new Board members and orientation training was offered by the Ministry and taken by the new Board members, as illustrated in Attachment 1.
Board Training as a Whole
As referenced in the Training Policy, it is the Board’s intention to
periodically invite guest speakers to deliver presentations or workshops to the
Board on issues pertinent to board governance, board responsibilities, or
emerging trends in policing, with an emphasis on issues of a strategic
nature. In 2007 the Board invited Ms.
Connie Phillipson, Executive Director, York Regional Police Services Board, to
make a presentation to the Board and OPS Executive Team on the unique Public
Interest Governance Model practiced by the York Board. This presentation took place on 22 October
2007. A series of special presentations
are planned for 2008 pertaining to operational issues and public safety
concerns.
BOARD PERFORMANCE
For 2007, the Board undertook a less formal performance review in
keeping with its decision in July 2007 to conduct formal reviews every four
years. The 2007 review consisted of
measuring the Board’s performance against its approved workplan for the
year. The 2007 Workplan is at Attachment
3. All tasks were completed with the
exception of:
·
Review of the Finance and Administration Procedure Manual; this is
scheduled to be completed in first quarter 2008.
·
Review of the Board’s Complaints Procedure Policy; this cannot occur
until the Province implements Bill 103, which has not yet happened.
·
Review of 2007 performance of Chief of Police, Deputy Chiefs of Police,
Director General and General Counsel; performance reviews for the Deputy Chiefs
and Director General were completed in January 2008 and the Chief’s is
scheduled to occur in second quarter after he has completed one year on the
job.
In addition to the Board’s regular business meetings each month and the
four community consultation meetings it held to gather input on the 2007-2009
Business Plan, significant tasks completed in 2007 included:
·
Hiring of a new Chief of Police and Deputy Chief of Police.
·
Approval of 2007-2009 Business Plan.
·
Completion of a comprehensive review of both the model and content of
the Board’s Policy Manual.
·
Development of a policy on Succession Planning.
·
Development of a policy on Acting Pay for Senior Executive Positions.
·
Began work on the development of an enhanced Board community engagement
plan, to be completed in 2008.
Consultation was not applicable.
While there are financial implications
associated with Board members fulfilling their educational requirements, there
are no costs directly associated with this report.
This report addresses the City of Ottawa
Auditor General’s recommendation to report annually and publicly on the
activities, training and performance of the Ottawa Police Services Board. Statistical information was collected
throughout 2007 on the number of meetings and other functions attended by Board
members and the hours spent at them, as well as training or educational
opportunities in which Board members participated. This report also provides a summary of the Board’s performance in
meeting its workplan in 2007. In
accordance with the Auditor General’s recommendation, this report will be
forwarded to City Council for information.
Wendy Fedec
Attach.
(3)
ATTACHMENT
2
Policy
Number: Policy Subject: |
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GA-3 BOARD
TRAINING
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LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE / AUTHORITY |
Police Services Act, section 31(5) |
APPROVED |
27 February 2006 |
REVIEWED |
September 2007 |
NEXT REVIEW |
2010 |
REPORTING REQUIREMENT |
Annual Report to Board |
LEGISLATIVE
REFERENCE / AUTHORITY
Section 31(5) of the Police Services Act requires
the Police Services Board to ensure that its members undergo any training that
the Solicitor General may provide or require.
The Ottawa Police Services Board recognizes the
importance of pursuing excellence in governance through
an ongoing commitment to training, education and development, and has adopted
this policy to formalize training and ongoing learning requirements for its
members.
REQUIRED
TRAINING
1. Each member of the Ottawa Police Services
Board during his or her first year of appointment is required to attend:
a)
Any
training sessions provided or required by the Ontario Ministry of Community
Safety & Correctional Services.
b)
Any
orientation sessions for new members provided by the Chief of Police and Board
Executive Director
2. Within the first three years of being
appointed to the Board, each member is required to attend the annual
conferences of both of the following organizations at least once:
a)
Ontario
Association of Police Services Boards (OAPSB)
b)
Canadian
Association of Police Boards (CAPB).
3. The Board shall be represented by at least one member at each of the following:
a)
meetings
of OAPSB Zone 2 boards;
b)
annual
OAPSB conferences;
c)
annual
CAPB conferences;
d)
meetings
of Ontario large boards (“Big 12”).
4. Having satisfied the requirements set out in
1 and 2 above, and provided sufficient funds remain in the annual budget, board
members are encouraged to attend other learning opportunities related to
governance or policing such as those offered by (but not limited to):
a)
the
Canadian Police College
b)
the
Police Association of Ontario
c)
the
Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
d)
the
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police
e)
the
Canadian Professional Police Association
f)
the
Canadian Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement.
5. Board training as a whole will take place
through inviting guest speakers to make presentations or deliver workshops on
issues pertinent to board governance, board responsibilities or emerging trends
in policing, with an emphasis placed on issues of a strategic nature.
ANNUAL REPORTING
6. Individual Board member training and Board
training as a whole will be reported on as part of an annual report on Board
Activity and Performance in the first quarter of each year.
OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD
The
Ottawa Police Services Board is responsible for the provision of adequate and
effective police services in the municipality.
For 2007, its workplan consists of the responsibilities listed below. In addition to the duties noted, the Board
holds regular meetings on the fourth Monday of each month except August when
there will be no meeting, and in months when the fourth Monday falls on a
holiday, in which case the meeting will be on the third Monday. The Board also holds up to four community
meetings each year.
RESPONSIBILITIES |
Jan. |
Feb. |
March |
April |
May |
June |
July |
Aug. |
Sept. |
Oct. |
Nov. |
Dec. |
Establishing
Expectations
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1. Develop Annual Calendar of Monitoring
Requirements |
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2. Review & approve 2007 OPS budget |
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3. Review Board Committee membership |
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4. Provide input into 2007-2009 Business Plan |
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5. Approve 2007-2009 Business Plan |
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6. Develop 2007 & 2008 Board &
Committee workplans |
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7. Board Strategic Planning Exercise for 2008 |
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8. Determine
2008 OPS budget guidelines |
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9. Community
meetings |
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10.Develop policy on Succession Planning
(P&G) |
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11. Develop
policy on Acting Pay for Chief & Deputy Chief positions (P&G) |
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12. Review & approve 2008 OPS budget |
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Evaluating & Monitoring Performance |
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1. Track
activities of Board |
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2. Report
on 2006 Board Activities & Training |
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3. Report
on Board Performance Evaluation |
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4. Review
of Board Policy Manual (P&G) |
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5. Review
of FAP Manual (F&A) |
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6. Review
Performance Evaluation Tool (P&G) |
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7. Review
Complaints Procedure Policy – timing dependent on Bill 103 roll-out
(Complaints Cte) |
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8. Review
performance for Chief, Deputy Chiefs, Director General & General Counsel
for 2007, and set 2007 and 2008 remuneration for all except the Chief
(remuneration for the Chief to be determined for 2008 only). |
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9. Review
performance in achieving 2004 -2006 Business Plan. |
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10. Review
activities of Police Service (Annual Activity Report). |
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11. Receive
quarterly reports on the administration of the complaints system. |
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(4Q-06 & 1Q-07) |
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12. Review
annual report on administration of the complaints system. |
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13. Receive
quarterly reports on the finances of the organization. |
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(4Q-06 & 1Q-07) |
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14. Review
annual report on finances of the organization. |
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15. Review
compliance with Ministry standards and Board policies. |
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16. Receive
report on Senior Officers’ Assignments & confirm appointment of new OPS
members |
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17. Review
annual report on board discretionary funding |
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18. Review
report on Donations, Loans & Sponsorships |
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19. Review
annual report on Secondary Activities |
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Miscellaneous |
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1. Recruit new Chief of Police |
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2. Orientation for new Board members |
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3. Attend OAPSB Conference |
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4. Attend CAPB Conference |
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5. Attend Zone 2 Fall meeting in Ottawa |
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6. Negotiation of Collective Agreements |
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3. POLICE SERVICES BOARD ACTIVITY,
TRAINING AND PERFORMANCE ANNUAL REPORT
– 2007
Executive Director’s report dated 8 February 2008
That the Ottawa Police Services Board receive this report and
forward it to City Council for information.
CARRIED
2. OTTAWA
POLICE SERVICES BOARD COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY STRATÉGIE D’ENGAGEMENT COMMUNAUTAIRE DE LA COMMISSION DE SERVICES
POLICIERS |
BOARD
RECOMMENDATION
That Council
receive this report for information.
RECOMMANDATION DE LA
COMMISSION
Que le Conseil prenne connaissance
du présent rapport à titre d’information.
DOCUMENTATION
1. Policy and Governance
Committee’s report dated 12 February 2008.
2. Extract of Draft Minute, 25 February 2008.
OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD MEMORANDUM
COMMISSION
DE SERVICES POLICIERS NOTE
DE SERVICE
Our
File/N/Réf.
DATE 12 February 2008
TO/DEST. Ottawa Police Services
Board
FROM/EXP. Policy and Governance
Committee
SUBJECT/OBJET OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
That
the Ottawa Police Services Board:
1.
Endorse
the implementation of a community engagement strategy as outlined in this
report.
2.
Delegate
responsibility to the Policy and Governance Committee, in collaboration with
the Executive Director, to implement the strategy.
3.
Delegate
authority to the Policy and Governance Committee to retain a consultant to
assist in the development of a communications policy/plan if deemed necessary.
4.
Request
that the Policy and Governance Committee report back in January 2009 with an
assessment of the strategy to date and a proposed plan for 2009.
5.
Forward
this report to City Council for information.
During the Ottawa Police Services Board’s
performance review, one of the priorities identified as requiring improvement
was the Board’s relations with the public and other stakeholders in the broader
community. In addition, various Board
members have expressed the desirability of pursuing better relations and
communications with City Council. In
general there is a sense that the Board could do a better job communicating its
messages and educating others about the work of both the Board and the Police
Service. The Board’s 2008 workplan
approved on 28 January 2008 includes the development of a community engagement
strategy to address these objectives.
A first step toward this goal was taken when the Board and OPS Executive Team received a presentation from Ms. Connie Phillipson, Executive Director, York Regional Police Services Board on the innovative Public Interest Governance Model practiced by the York Board. This
model of governance is designed to maximize public engagement by holding Board meetings on topics of significant interest or concern to the public. The meetings serve as educational opportunities to increase public awareness and understanding of the Board and the challenges facing the Police Service, and provide a means for Board interaction and engagement with the public. The strategy outlined in this report contains a version of the Public Interest Governance Model.
A second step in addressing the need for
a community engagement strategy was taken by the Policy and Governance
Committee when it held a day-long workshop on 19 December 2007, facilitated by
consultant B. Hume-Wright of Herne Company Limited. Chief White and D. Pepper, Director of Community Development
and Corporate Communications were also in attendance for the discussion. Their input was valuable in exploring ways
that the Board might link with existing successful Police Service community
outreach efforts and mechanisms already in place to liaise with community
groups. The Committee’s suggestions for
first steps in a strategy to enhance the Board’s linkages with residents,
community groups, and other partners such as City Council, school boards and
businesses are set out in this report for the Board’s consideration.
The Policy and Governance Committee is
recommending the following initiatives as part of a Board community engagement
strategy. Some of the recommendations
can be implemented immediately or over the short term, while others require
further examination as to their feasibility, timing and best way to
implement. In the latter cases, the
Committee is requesting that it be delegated responsibility for further
exploring and implementing those proposals.
The intent is to introduce the various components of the strategy
incrementally, with the expectation that additional initiatives can be added in
future years. It is also the
Committee’s intent to report back to the Board in the first quarter of 2009
with an assessment of the success of the initiatives launched in 2008, and
proposed amendments or additions for 2009.
The Committee recognizes there may be a need to review the Board’s
resources in light of this new initiative and to obtain additional resources to
ensure the proposals can be effectively implemented and sustained.
1. Public
Interest Agenda
The cornerstone of the engagement strategy is to adopt a
Public Interest Agenda, similar to that used by the York Regional Police
Services Board, which would consist of holding four special "public
interest” meetings each year with the following guiding principles:
a) Each meeting will be on a topic of
Public Interest - an issue of broad community concern, taking into
consideration findings of the most recent OPS public survey, Business Plan
priorities, and recent high profile issues of concern to Ottawa residents. Topics for each year will be determined at
the beginning of each year, but flexibility will be maintained to replace
topics should an issue of significant public interest arise during the year.
b) Public Interest meetings will be held in April, June,
September and October.
c)
Two
meetings a year will be held at Ottawa City Hall and two meetings will be held
in other locations outside the downtown core, all from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.
d)
In
planning each meeting, organizers will consider keynote speakers and whether
the topic would benefit from a panel discussion. Guest speakers outside of the police sector can be invited to
participate when appropriate. Community
members attending will be provided an opportunity for a question and answer
period with guest speakers and police personnel. The Police Service will be involved as appropriate, as determined
by the Chief.
e)
The
meetings will be promoted and advertised to the media and to community groups,
school boards, business groups, City Councillors, and other stakeholders,
drawing on existing OPS circulation lists whenever possible. Specific groups within the community can
also be targeted depending on the subject matter.
The Committee is recommending
the following meeting schedule for 2008; all meetings will take place from 5:00
to 7:00 p.m.
|
Topic |
Month |
Location |
1. |
Drugs |
April 21 |
City Hall |
2. |
Youth Issues |
June 12 |
Ben Franklin Place |
3. |
Emergency Preparedness |
September 8 |
City Hall |
4. |
Safe Communities |
October 20 |
Orleans Theater |
2.
Communications
Policy / Plan
As discussed at recent
meetings, the Board recognizes the necessity of making efforts to better inform
the media, City Councillors and the public about Board and Police Service
initiatives, and the rationale for them.
The annual Budget is an example of where enhanced communication efforts
would be helpful. It is recommended
that the Board develop a comprehensive communications policy/plan in
conjunction with its efforts to improve community relations. It may be necessary to retain external
expert assistance in the field of communications to assist in the development
of this critical policy and plan and it is recommended that the Board delegate
authority to the Policy & Governance Committee to retain such assistance
should the Committee feel it is required.
The policy/plan will come back to the Board for input and approval
before being finalized. Police staff
will also be consulted during the development of the policy/plan.
3. Review
of Related Existing Board Policies
Existing Board
policies that contain elements of community engagement or that would help to define
the Board’s community engagement framework should be reviewed, with a view to
either updating them or consolidating them with the new communications
policy. The Public Consultation Policy
(#CR-6), and the Protocol for Sharing Information with Council (Policy #GA-6)
are the two existing policies that require review.
4. Regular
Communications from the Board
As noted previously, the Board recognizes that the
adoption of proactive media relations would be helpful in educating and
informing the media, Councillors and the public about the work of the Board and
Police Service, and the rationale behind key decisions such as the annual
budget. To achieve this, it is proposed
that the Board publish information about key decisions and activities on at
least a quarterly basis or more frequently as warranted. The document would be targeted at the media
and community leaders such as City Councillors, and would also be sent to
community stakeholders such as Neighbourhood Watch groups, community safety
committees, community associations, business groups and school boards. It could also be shared with established
Ottawa Police networks such as COMPAC, the Liaison Committee for GLBT
Communities, and women’s serving organizations through OPS members on the
Ottawa Coalition to End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW). It would also be posted on the Board’s
section of the website.
5. Presentations
at Regular Board Meetings
The Committee recommends making time at regular Board
meetings on a quarterly basis to receive presentations from members of the
Ottawa Police Service on specific areas of activity or work units. The presentation from the Partner Assault
Unit at the January 2008 Board meeting is an example of the type of presentation
envisioned. They would be fairly brief
at approximately 15 minutes in length, and would serve to educate the public
and Board members about the work of the Police Service. In addition to the regular advertising done
for Board meetings, notice of the presentations could be given in advance to
segments of the community that might be particularly interested in a specific
topic.
6. Updates
to Council
To improve communication and understanding between the
Board and City Council and to keep Councillors better informed about the work
of the Board and the Police Service, it is proposed that the Board ask to
periodically appear before Council, accompanied by the Chief of Police, to
provide updates on activities and to respond to questions. To begin with, it is recommended these
updates take place two or three times a year.
The exact format and timing of these updates will have to be worked out
with the City.
7. Leveraging
Community Partners
Consideration should be given to identifying key partners
within the community who could assist the Board in furthering its community
engagement strategy. This could begin
with one or two partners and be expanded to others if the experience proves
successful. When determining potential
partners, consideration should be given to those whose goals are aligned with
or supportive of the Board’s, and those with networks that will enhance the
Board’s outreach or help further the Board’s priorities.
8. Presentations from Other Organizations
Another area of potential development is to encourage
presentations to the Board during the ‘public delegations’ portion of its
regular meetings from groups affiliated with the OPS or with an interest in
public policing issues. For instance,
invitations could be extended to community groups, business groups, health care
agencies, school boards, and other organizations concerned with crime
prevention and public safety.
9. Brochure about the Board
A brochure could be developed about the Police Services
Board that outlines its roles and responsibilities, and provides short
biographies about each Board member.
The brochures could be made available at Board meetings, community
events and community police offices.
The information could also be posted on the website.
10. Chief’s Video Messages
Chief White has offered to occasionally include
information about the Board and its activities in his regular video messages to
OPS members as a way of improving the level of understanding about the Board’s
role within the Service.
11. Improving the Board’s Web Page
It is suggested that the Board look at ways to improve
and add value to its presence in both official languages on the OPS
website. Currently the website contains
information on the role of the Board, Board members, Board policies, and the
dates of Board meetings. The site could
be enhanced with regular updates such as the quarterly updates from the Board
discussed earlier, invitations to upcoming public interest meetings, and other
news of interest to the community.
12. Community Event
Looking forward to 2009, the Policy & Governance
Committee would like to consider having the Board host a community event that
would be used to raise awareness of the Police Services Board and perhaps also
a particular community safety issue. It
could also possibly be used as a means to raise funds for a community
organization the Board wishes to support.
The Committee will further explore this idea during the course of the
year.
Consultation
has taken place with Chief White and members of the Ottawa Police Service,
particularly those in Corporate Communications and Media Relations. No public consultation has taken place to
date. Once some of the components of
the strategy outlined in this report have been implemented, it would be useful
to conduct a survey of community stakeholders targeted by the strategy to
solicit feedback and suggestions for further enhancement of the Board’s
community engagement efforts going forward.
The
cost of holding four public interest meetings in 2008 has been incorporated
into the Board’s 2008 Budget and there should also be sufficient funds in the
existing budget for advertising, translation and printing costs associated with
some of the other initiatives.
As
noted in the report, upon further review it may be necessary to retain the
assistance of a consultant in the area of communications to assist in the
development of a communications policy and plan. Should that be necessary, the Board is asked to delegate authority
to the Policy & Governance Committee to retain such consulting
assistance. There are sufficient funds
in the Board’s “Professional Services” cost element to cover this expense.
The Board has identified community
relations as an area it wishes to work on improving. It has also recognized that it needs to make greater efforts in
educating and informing key community leaders who inform and influence public
opinion. The Policy & Governance
Committee hopes that the initiatives described in this report will help the
Board achieve its goals of enhancing relations with the public, community
stakeholders, City Council and the media.
An incremental approach will be taken in implementing the proposed
initiatives. The Committee will
undertake a year-end assessment of the projects introduced in 2008 so that
further refinements and enhancements can occur in 2009.
____________________________________________
Submitted by the Policy & Governance
Committee:
Des Doran, Chair
Henry Jensen
Jim MacEwen
4. OTTAWA POLICE SERVICES BOARD COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT STRATEGY
Policy and Governance Committee’s report dated
12 February 2008
Member Doran thought that a public engagement
strategy would help the Board to demonstrate that it is not just a
rubberstamping body, by engaging stakeholders and residents of the City of
Ottawa in discussions on issues of great significance.
Acting Chair MacEwen extended his thanks to the
Executive Director for all the work she has done on this strategy and commended
her on the organization and quality of information contained in the
report. He felt that members of the
public do not understand the Board’s purpose, and the thrust of this strategy
is to inform and engage the community in order that they can help to advance
the Board’s work. Member Doran echoed
the Acting Chair’s comments about the exceedingly well-prepared and timely
piece of work.
That the Ottawa Police Services Board:
1.
Endorse
the implementation of a community engagement strategy as outlined in this
report.
2.
Delegate
responsibility to the Policy and Governance Committee, in collaboration with
the Executive Director, to implement the strategy.
3.
Delegate
authority to the Policy and Governance Committee to retain a consultant to
assist in the development of a communications policy/plan if deemed necessary.
4.
Request
that the Policy and Governance Committee report back in January 2009 with an
assessment of the strategy to date and a proposed plan for 2009.
5.
Forward
this report to City Council for information.
CARRIED