Community council backs police 'transformation,' but seeks clarity

The co-chair of a community-based consultative committee that provides advice to the Ottawa Police Service says it wants to see a "transformation" to endsystemic racism within the force's ranks, butfirst wants input from the community on how that would work.

Sahada Alolo, co-chair of the Community Equity Council and an executive member of the African-Canadian Association of Ottawa, said the discussion revved upin the wake of the No Peace Until Justice March in Ottawa earlier this month.

Organizers of the march expressed support for the concept of defundingpolice, which they defined as moving funding for the police department to groups that empower the Black community.

However, Alolo said people have been using the termto describe an array of options for policing and the delivery of social programs.

"It is a bandwagon, and everybody is sort of getting on board.However, the meaning of the phrase differs," Alolo said.

More work needs to be done

Alolo said the Community Equity Council met with Ottawa police representatives Tuesday and, while she found them receptive to exploring options, she said there needs to be more work on defining the change people want.

What would defunding the police look like in Ottawa? Its unclear, co-chair of equity council says

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Sahada Alolo, co-chair of the Community Equity Council for the Ottawa Police Service, says shes hesitant to advocate for defunding because such a move may affect community policing, which advocate groups fought hard for.

Alolo has previously welcomed news that the police were reinstating their hate crime unit, and has advocated forthe return of community policingto build trust and relationships between police and marginalized communities.She said she doesn't want to take resources away from that kind of work.

"We want community policing. Right now we have community policing happening in different areas, [but] we don't have it citywide. We're looking for it to expand and be in all of the communities that need it. We don't have those resources yet," Alolo said.

Getting youth involved

Alolo said the Community Equity Council wants to facilitate a discussion, particularly among young people,to identify proposals that can be taken to police and eventually implemented.

"We definitely want transformation. If defunding the police means extreme transformation, where we get to the root of the culture that allows systemic racism to thrive in the police, then I'm all for it."

She pointed out thediscussion comes as the Ottawa Police Service Board begins work on itsnext strategic plan for the police service.

Ottawa police said no one was available for an interview Wednesday.

Chief Peter Slolyhas told CBC Radio's The Current thathe's open to adiscussion about defunding, but not if changes are simply made "out of retribution."