Police encounters with people in crisis

Chapter 4 deals with the mental health system and Toronto Police Service, and underscores the reliance placed on the TPS as a part of that system to deal with the people in crisis and the numerous issues that arise. [...] Chapter 12 examines the different types of equipment used by the TPS in encounters and the debate over them as well as the procedures to regulate the use of the equipment. [...] The premise of the Report is that the target should be zero deaths when police interact with a member of the public—no death of the subject, the police officer involved, or any member of the public. [...] Recognizing the TPS for taking this initiative is important, but the real work remains to be done, and the true test of the TPS and those organizations with which the TPS interacts will be what changes they make and the approach they take to the task. [...] Research and curriculum design RECOMMENDATION 22: The TPS collaborate with researchers or sponsor research in the field of police education to develop a system for collecting and analyzing standardized data regarding the effectiveness of training at the TPC, OPC and the divisional levels, and to measure the impact that improvements in training have on actual encounters with people in crisis.