BRIEFING NOTE FOR THE MINISTER
REGARDING
R v Nyznik, Kara and Cabero
PURPOSE
• The purpose of this Briefing Note is to inform the Minister about the current misogynistic environment that plagues policing, specifically looking at the case of R v Nyznik, Kara and Cabero, and exploring options for its mitigation.
CURRENT SITUATION
• The accused, Joshua Cabero, Leslie Nyznik, and Sameer Kara, are officers with the Toronto Police Service.
• The three officers were accused of sexually assaulting a Parking Enforcement Officer (PEO) in January of 2015
• On the night of the incident, the PEO and the three officers were attending a “Rookie Buy Party”
• The three officers convinced the PEO to come with them on a bar crawl ending up at the Westin Harbour
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• Criminal incidents involving police often go unpunished as indicated by the SIU’s conviction rate of 6%. Thus, the officers in this instant are less accountable to their actions as their possibility of conviction is less likely.
KEY CONSIDERATIONS
• Historical, underrepresentation of women in policing and the oppression these women face has been continuous and is still an issue that exists today.
• Thus, for the issue to be eradicated, responsibility for the solution needs to be shared between both male and female officers as well as lower and higher ranks individuals.
OPTIONS
Option One:
• Increase hiring of female officers and help facilitate promotions of female officers to higher ranking positions.
Option Two:
• Create a division of Professional Standards to deal with issues of this nature specifically.
• Create stricter professional conduct policy off and on duty.
• Review misconduct allegation with a high degree of proficiency
• Insure that the officers accused are dealt with formally and publicly so as to deter others from participating in this type of behaviour.
Option
On Wednesday 10-14-15 at approximately 1700 hours I Officer Hildebrand and Sgt. Hard were advised by dispatch that Debra Vanblaricom was at the station asking to talk to an officer. Debra wished to report an assault on her granddaughter. We met with Debra in the Police Department to speak with her. Debra stated that she feared for her granddaughter 's safety.
The authors this week all proposed the fundamental issue with current theories as the ignoring of the female gender and how current theories assume motives for crime to be equal across genders. Simpson (1989) and Chesney-Lind (2006) take the biggest stance on how not only gender influences criminal perspectives but race as well. This is an extremely important notion. Colored women do not experience the chivalry that white women are often afforded under the system. While the current belief is that women in general are subjected to less harsher punishments than men, this is simply not the case.
To begin the essay, it is best to look at the general concept of women policing according to an article called Policing Women/Top Cops/Triumph of Spirit, the history and current status of women in law enforcement is a topic of interest for women who wish to enter the profession (Rienerth, 2001). It through this article, that women were first used in the criminal justice system in the 1800s to deal with female prisoners as they were matrons in jails and prisons (Rienerth, 2001). Early female police officers often came from the ranks of social work and were located in separate department, had separate outfits, pay scales and duties from the male officers (Rienerth, 2001). Often times because of the female officers’ social work experience it was
The “Peace Officer’s Bill of Rights” provide law enforcement officers many of the same rights and privileges of that of the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights. The officers require more protection to prevent coercion from internal investigations that they could easily face during their career. The peace officers bill of rights stemmed from officers wanting a little greater safeguard that protects them from “perceived arbitrary infringement of their rights (Peak, Gaines, & Glenson, 2009, p. 246). According to our text, these statutes identify they type of material that must be afforded to the officer, as to their responsibility to cooperate during the investigation, the right to representation, and the rules and procedures concerning the gathering evidence, especially the interrogation of the officer” (Peak et al., 2009, p. 246).
Police officers constantly at risk for becoming victims of physical and psychological violence (Gutierrez, 2013) in the line of duty. In serving and protecting the people, the deal with criminals, murderers, domestic dispute, negative portrayal in the media, civil unrest, and organizational challenges (Karaffa, 2012; Gutierrez, 2013). Police officers often feel misunderstood and unappreciated by the general population despite their efforts to protect and serve, as a protective measure, they form bond with each other and develop ways to effectively cope with the challenges unique to the job as a group. Police officers had a distinct set of norms and values and as a result of their shift work officers tend to socialize with each other (Karaffa, 2012). The predominance of males in the police force (80%) has fostered masculine values such as toughness, aggression and machismo by reinforcing emotional control and toughness even in the light of danger.
“To What Extent does Police Occupational Culture Impact on the Social and Domestic live of Police Officers?” Plymouth Law and Criminal Justice Review. (2013): 229-247. Google Scholarly. Web.
Thesis statement: Police should wear body cameras because playing body cameras could improve the public’s view of police by showing the human side, help to provide evidence when a person may not be able to, and it protects the officers and public both. Cameras Imagine there is a huge case going on where a police officer is coming under question on if dealt with a potential suspect in the correct way. Now think about the money being used to provide lawyers, a judge, a jury, etc., to handle the high profile case.
Sadly a study noted that officers only take proper documentation in about 50 percent of cases, especially visible injuries. In conclusion, these agencies are predominantly male and they are not being trained in regards to handling an excessive amount of female victims. There are still numerous officers that are not ready to accept how society operates; they still abide by gender roles (O’Dell,
One way that the military could combat this would be a stricter screening process to get into the Navy. The military already screens for criminal backgrounds so they could also screen for sex crimes. Legal change must take place for widespread change by changing negative normative beliefs in the Navy such as beliefs about gender, sex, and culture. This cultural issue that has been perpetuated by an “annual tradition… to harass women physically and verbally” (Violanti, 1997). It has allowed for the demeaning behavior and attitudes towards women in uniform to exist.
Const. Brian Davy Toronto police officer linked to a highly-publicized case involving a group of officers who have allegedly perjured themselves. Const. Brian Davy plead guilty to the charge of professional misconduct because he knew of the fabricated lies his partner told in a court testimony and did not report it. The fabricated testimony secured a guilty plea in the matter and resulted in the accused being incarcerated for a period of time.
Male officers have also stated negative remarks about female officers who work in Law Enforcement. These barriers have caused female police officers to resign from their positions to avoid any issues and because gender discrimination and the other complaints aren’t taken seriously in Law enforcement. By the females constantly compared to the male police officers has caused stress on them. It’s much harder for woman to advance in Law enforcement than men and when interviewers make their decisions they are more than likely choose men over women. It is important to think critically when dealing with the barriers discussed above because it can be challenging and cause someone to give up and quit.
Consequently, there is evidence from studies that draw conclusions that there is gender bias in sentencing for both women and men. On the surface there appears to be a degree of preferential treatment or leniency in the criminal justice system. However, there are other factors that enshroud the whole aspect of biases that include class, race and the offence in question among others. There is need for the justice system to understand female offenders in order to be able to address it effectively and avoid the perpetual claims of bias which only signifies the
Part of a larger police matron movement in the United States that began in Portland, Maine, in 1878, Matron Hill worked for 27 years to care for female criminals and their children. Police matrons duties varied, but they included sheltering and protecting women and children in custody (“The Beginning”). Women did not achieve full recognition in law enforcement for decades. By the 1970s they still made up
Although some people may challenge that diversifying police officers will not make a difference in the relationship with communities, police departments mirroring the diversity of communities may mend tension. Notably, the lack of minorities in law enforcement derives from distrust between minorities in communities and law enforcement. In detail, with more policing predicaments emerging, such as police brutality over the recent years, minorities have been more hesitant to join police force due to their
Police Officers are a big and small part of the community whether you see them or not. Police Officers patrol various parts of the cities or towns they are in, but I decided to watch them where ever I could over spring break. I kept a journal in my car and sat at various places I knew police officers in Sapulpa would like to go, and I also took note of previous experiences and encounters with the police. I did not interview or survey any police officers in my research. I decided to observe Police Officers because their views on police brutality would have extreme bias.