LETTER: Departing member says police board needs more diversity

SooToday received the following letter from Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board member Rick Webb who will leave the board at the end of this current term on Dec. 31.

"One reason I am stepping down is I believe that we need diversity to ensure people in the community remain confident that we have everyone’s interests at heart," Webb says. "It is my sincere hope, and it is my call to council that my replacement on the board come from the Indigenous community or is a person of colour."

Full text of the letter follows:

Open Letter to the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board and City Council:

My third term on the Sault Ste. Marie Police Services ends on Dec. 31, 2022 and will complete six years as both a member of the board and as chair of collective bargaining committee for the Service. 

I will not seek a fourth term on the board as I believe it is time for a new community representative to step forward with new perspectives on policing and governance for the city police service. It has been an honour and a pleasure to serve on the board. Policing in this community is vitally important and the work that officers perform is essential to our community’s safety and they should be commended for their hard work and professionalism that they display daily.

I also want to thank all of my fellow board members over the years for their counsel and wisdom as we navigated numerous challenges. I am proud of our many accomplishments and the professionalism displayed by those who I have served with on the board. I would also like to thank Chief Stevenson and Deputy Chief MacLachlan for their professionalism, wisdom and the hospitality they have extended to me during their tenure with the SSMPS. Their leadership has helped steer the service in the right direction.

While we have much to be proud of there are always ways to improve and we still have much work to do to in a number of areas. Our board, for starters, should be more diverse and representative of the community in which we serve. 

One reason I am stepping down is I believe that we need diversity to ensure people in the community remain confident that we have everyone’s interests at heart. It is my sincere hope, and it is my call to council that my replacement on the board come from the Indigenous community or is a person of colour. T

he service itself has been making strides in the diversity of its recruitment for constables and while more needs to be done I am encouraged with the work they are doing in this area. 

The other call to the mayor and council is the need to address the sad state of our Police Services Building. The headquarters on Second Line does not have enough space and may be as much as 30 per cent too small for the work that is done at the facility. It’s age and general state of repair require urgent attention. 

The location of this building is also not conducive to community policing, and one questions how it was ever determined to be a good location in the first place. A new building downtown needs to be on the short-term horizon as this is not something to be put off for another five or 10 years. 

A modern independent downtown facility would facilitate foot patrols, door knocking and community engagement by front-line officers and the leadership team where the city needs it most. It is my sincere hope that a new building will be completed before the end of the term of the newly elected council.

Finally, the Province should address the Police Services Act. Reforms have been suggested over the years and there is no need for me to repeat what has been widely researched and reported on. The Act, however, should include expanded powers to the Chiefs of Police. Chiefs are handcuffed in dealing with a few people who act inappropriately and members of the service should not have greater rights than other employees in other sectors. 

The chief should be able to decidedly deal with improper behaviour that violates the Code of Conduct so that the acts of a small few do not reflect on the majority of professionals working in policing. It is my hope that the board, council and police leadership will continue to lobby in this regard.

I close again with a sincere thank you to members of council, Mayor Provenzano, Mayor-elect Shoemaker and members the board. I wish everyone the best in the new term, and I remain available for any assistance anyone may require.

Sincerely,
Rick Webb, SSMPS community representative