PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "The CCLA is asking for a 10-day delay to prepare a legal risk analysis — which would mean the measure could not be approved during the current council session, effectively postponing it until after the fall election. Holding off on the vote “would also permit community feedback, and allow you to share the (Toronto police) case for this purchase, before the money is spent,” the letter states. “Now is the opportunity for the city to decide what kind of city we want to be,” said Bryant in an interview Sunday, saying citizens and politicians must consider if they want the ubiquitous surveillance that’s in, for example, London, England, where “you cannot be alone” in public due to cameras. “This is not a decision that ought to be made in haste. Period.”
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "So far this year, 27 people have been fatally shot, up from 17 this time last year, though comparable to 25 fatal shootings in mid-July 2016. Don Peat, a spokesperson for Tory, said as the city’s plan to address gun violence has been developed, Saunders “made it clear there are investments that could be made in technology that will help police keep Toronto safe.” (At least two more people have died as a result of a tragic shooting incident which occcured last night. HL);
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STORY: "Civil rights organization urges city hall to delay purchase of gunshot-location technology," by reporter Wendy Gillis, published by The Toronto Star on July 23, 2018. (Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing.)
GIST: "Calling the technology a “fundamental shift to state surveillance,” the Canadian Civil Liberties Association is urging city hall to delay the purchase of equipment that detects gunshot locations through a network of publicly placed microphones. In a letter sent to Mayor John Tory over the weekend, the civil rights organization criticized the Toronto police board’s last-minute decision Thursday to approve “privacy invasive technologies” — the “ShotSpotter” microphone system, as well as the purchase of 40 new surveillance cameras to be placed across the city. ShotSpotter is American proprietary technology that feeds police real-time information about the location of gunfire by installing a series of gunshot-detecting sensors in public places. According to a list of municipal clients on ShotSpotter’s website, the technology has never been used in Canada. Michael Bryant, executive director of the CCLA, said his organization is “waving a big red flag” about the technology’s potential to violate constitutional privacy rights, which would in turn waste policing and equipment costs and risk the admissibility of any evidence obtained. “Worse, if placed in poor or diverse neighbourhoods, the new technology may be an unconstitutional sucker punch to racialized communities of Toronto,” reads the letter, signed by Bryant and Brenda McPhail, director of the CCLA’s privacy, technology and surveillance project. The move comes as city council is set to vote on whether to approve the approximately $4-million cost, spread over two years, for the cameras and the ShotSpotter system. The Toronto police board unanimously approved the investment — contingent on funding — following the surprise motion brought forward by Tory, a board member, in the name of decreasing gun violence. Tory said he hoped the expenditure would be eventually covered by the provincial and federal governments, but he stressed there was an urgency to move ahead because council meets for the final time this week before December, due to the municipal election. The police board agreed there was a need for quick action due to the council schedule, and unanimously passed Tory’s motion — with the added requirement that police chief Mark Saunders report to the board in September about the technologies and what oversight is in place. “At the moment we need, right now, to get on with this,” Toronto police board chair Andy Pringle said during Thursday’s meeting. No information was provided at the meeting about the possible locations for either kind of technology. The ShotSpotter CEO told the Star last week the devices are usually placed in high-crime areas. The CCLA is asking for a 10-day delay to prepare a legal risk analysis — which would mean the measure could not be approved during the current council session, effectively postponing it until after the fall election. Holding off on the vote “would also permit community feedback, and allow you to share the (Toronto police) case for this purchase, before the money is spent,” the letter states. “Now is the opportunity for the city to decide what kind of city we want to be,” said Bryant in an interview Sunday, saying citizens and politicians must consider if they want the ubiquitous surveillance that’s in, for example, London, England, where “you cannot be alone” in public due to cameras. “This is not a decision that ought to be made in haste. Period.” Tory said police leaders recently requested the new technology at a meeting held to discuss ways to reduce gun violence, amidst a spate of shootings this summer. So far this year, 27 people have been fatally shot, up from 17 this time last year, though comparable to 25 fatal shootings in mid-July 2016. Don Peat, a spokesperson for Tory, said as the city’s plan to address gun violence has been developed, Saunders “made it clear there are investments that could be made in technology that will help police keep Toronto safe.” “Mayor Tory supports the chief and our frontline police officers and wants to make sure they have the tools they need to help them do their job,” Peat said in an email Sunday.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/
