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
B.C. seeks ban on using drugs in 'all public spaces,' shifting approach to decriminalization
The B.C. government is moving to have drug use banned in 'all public spaces,' marking a major shift in the province's approach to decriminalization.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
U.S. flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.