Jeffrey Michael Reodica Inquest JURY RECOMMENDATIONS

Jeffrey Michael Reodica Inquest JURY RECOMMENDATIONS

These recommendations are not necessarily in order of priority

1. The Toronto Police Service should study and determine whether outfitting unmarked police service vehicles with sirens, and/or “cherries”, and/or Public Address System and/or “Police” raid jackets, and/or “Police” arm bands would be useful, cost effective and practical means to enhance identification of plain clothes officers, when required. The item(s) should be installed in such a way as to keep the undercover officers safe, secure an subversive.

RATIONALE:

Testimony has shown that there was great controversy surrounding the attending officers identifying themselves.

2. The Toronto Police Service should require all plain clothes officers when responding to calls for service, now taking the role of “uniform officers” to take with them by whatever means possible, all use of force options when exiting their vehicles.

RATIONALE:

When the plain clothes officers respond to a call for service, if they have all of their use of force options on them, it will give the officers greater flexibility in their choice of options to accomplish the task at hand.

3. Parents or guardians of youths, who are being detained for the purpose of an interview by the police and/or SIU, should be notified as soon as practicable.

RATIONALE:

Testimony has shown that most of the youths, aged 12 to 16 years, were detained by the police to be interviewed by the SIU. Some of youths were at the police station for over 8 hours (approximately from 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.) feeling tired, scared and hungry. As a result of this, it could have affected their statements.

Parents or guardians should be notified where the youths are and why they are being detained.
4. Community Liaison Officers should continue their practice of building up relationships and establishing trusts between themselves and the communities.

RATIONALE:

This established relationship/trust should encourage the community to approach the police for help. The communities will work with the police resolving problems/conflicts occurring within the community before they escalate.

5. All maps and charts produced for the benefit of the participants of a coroner’s inquest should be such that their scale measurements are reliable, accurate and precise.

RATIONALE:

The graphics in the exhibits were not to scale, therefore, witnesses were confused and their testimony may have been affected. It also caused some confusion for the jury.

6. The 911 transcript should provide the precise time of the calls made when introduced at a coroner’s inquest.

RATIONALE:

It was extremely confusing for the jury and some of the participants for not having the “precise time of calls” on the 911 transcript.

7. The Ontario Police College should reinstate control training in their curriculum with regards to the expandable baton.

RATIONALE:

It has been mandated that all police officers must be issued, amongst other items, expandable batons and as such they should have the required training to understand when and how to use it, along with the striking option.