Calls increase for Calgary Police to release race-based data
The daughter of a Calgary man shot and killed by police earlier this year is calling for details regarding data the service is collecting about interactions between police and people of colour.
Nyalinglat Latjor called into this month's meeting of the Calgary Police Commission (CPC) from her B.C. home to ask questions about race data.
On Feb. 19 her father, Latjor Tuel, was fatally shot during a confrontation with police.
CPS say officers were called to Forest Lawn for a man in distress, and add he assaulted a police dog moments before the shooting took place.
Since the incident, Tuel's family and friends say he suffered from mental health struggles and have criticized the lethal use of force by police.
His daughter says data about police interactions broken down by race will reveal systemic racism within CPS.
"You can't even begin to change anything without admitting there's a problem first," said Latjor.
She says Calgary should follow Toronto Police Service's lead, which has been required by provincial legislation to collect race-based data for 2020.
The report released earlier this month found 39 per cent of people Toronto police used force against in 2020 were Black.
It also found Black residents were more likely to have a police officer point a firearm at them when they appeared to be unarmed than white people.
Toronto's police chief publicly apologized.
Police Chief Mark Neufeld said CPS is collecting data is being collected as a moral responsibility, and is working with the Canadian Association of the Chiefs of Police and Statistics Canada to collate the data being collected; and requires intense processing before it can be released.
"I look forward to being able to see what comes of that down the line and be able to work with that data and within the community and to improve the broader system," said Chief Neufeld.
When CTV News asked Latjor on Thursday for her response to the chief's comments, she says she wants to see immediate action.
"I felt like that was sticking a Band-Aid on a gaping wound. I felt like that was just empty words," said Latjor.
The chief was also asked about any reports of non-compliance from officers wearing thin blue line patches or badges since they were banned May 31.
Thin blue line patches have recently become associated with white supremacy by critics, while supporters of the symbol say officers wore them to honour fallen service-members.
Neufeld said he hadn't heard any complaints since then, and any modifications to uniforms or police cruisers are not allowed.
As for the race data Latjor is looking for, he says preliminary data will be released later this year. No specifics will be released at this time.
The CPC chair said work is underway and the commitment to anti-racism continues.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team is still investigating the incident.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
Have you been removed from your family doctor’s patient list for visiting an Ontario walk-in clinic?
Some Ontarians are expressing frustration after they said that they were removed from their family doctor’s patient list for visiting a walk-in clinic in a process being called “de-rostering.”
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Canadian government proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.