Results tagged “torontopoliceservicesboard”

The above video—not safe for work unless you're using headphones—was shot by the late Peter Walker and is a clip from Min Sook Lee's documentary Hogtown: The Politics of Policing (winner of the best Canadian feature prize at Hot Docs 2005). Uploaded to YouTube fewer than three weeks ago, it's been passed around online over the last few days, since being linked to by Toronto Life's Philip Preville in a Friday blog post.

When the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Ontario published its guidelines for the use of video surveillance cameras in public places back in October 2001 [.PDF], it summarized that institutions considering their use "must balance the benefits of video surveillance to the public against an individual’s right to be free of unwarranted intrusion into his or her life. Pervasive, routine and random surveillance of ordinary, lawful public activities interferes with an individual’s privacy."

Whether public surveillance cams make you feel all safe n’ cosy, or whether you find them an egregious infringement on your right to litter, tag, and engage in other anti-social behaviour, the Toronto Police Services Board wants to talk to you about it.

We're experimenting with a new daily photo posting. Each weekday morning, we'll pick a recent image from the Torontoist Flickr Pool and feature it here on the site. It's our way to give the many excellent photographers in our pool the attention they deserve!

It appears that most members of the Liberal caucus will support Stephen Harper’s resolution that Quebec be considered a “nation” within Canada.

If you're even a casual viewer of Cops, you'll know how spectacular a TASER takedown can be. Looking straight out of a Star Wars flick, this bug-zapper-for-people sends a whole whack of electricity into the body, disrupting muscular and nervous function and rendering the target helpless. The charge is meant to be non-lethal, and the various incarnations of the weapon have been widely adopted by police forces who enthusiastically hail their effectiveness.

Not only did the Toronto Police Services Board unanimously approve a decision to hire 150 new officers, but they also accepted a decision to force all officers, including big chief Blair, to wear name tags. Somehow, the nametags will cost $142,000. Perhaps they are made of gold, to give the officers a bit of style. If they're going to cost this much though, then TOist suggests they opt for those hoop earrings for the ladies, the ones that reveal their name in gold script in the hoop. Then, approaching civilians could know their names even from profile.