• Are you interested in improving the relationship between the Ottawa Police Service and Indigenous, Faith Based or Racialized Communities in Ottawa?

• Are you part of an Indigenous, Faith Based or Racialized Community?

• Do you have experience in offering constructive feedback to organizations that are working toward establishing anti-racists practices, processes and approaches?

• Does your community have direct experience with the Ottawa Police Services that you could use to provide constructive feedback on how to improve relationships?

 

If you answered yes to any of these then we would ask that you consider this opportunity.

 

The Ottawa Police Services is looking for new community members for the OPS Community Equity Council. The CEC has 15 community members and three Indigenous Elders working with senior members of the Ottawa Police Service. The Council’s mandate is “to collaborate with the Ottawa Police Service to enhance their ability to work more effectively with Indigenous, racialized, and faith based communities in Ottawa."

 

The committee is looking for people who meet the following criteria:

 

a) Community Identity

• Indigenous status

• Faith Based community

• Racialized community

• Gender (recognition of gender fluidity)
   

b) You have some of these relationship/strategic skills

• Critical Thinking

• Communication Skills (Active Listening)

• Ability to Build Trust

• Cross sector skills working with a range of community members
   

c) Time

• CEC meets every second month for 3 hours

• Expected to also be on one committee that meets monthly or bi-monthly

• Learning opportunities, community and strategy meetings, as needed

 

The CEC is also looking for members to join CEC committees.

 

Community Equity Committees

 

Communications committee: This committee has three responsibilities:

• Review and ensure that the CEC website is up to date.

• Develop and update, as needed, a communications policy (including social media policy) for the CEC

• Review and summarize the Community Engagement feedback and present a report to the CEC on the issues emerging from the community.

 

Training and Recruitment: Track concerns and offer solutions related to training and recruitment in the OPS.   Specific focus is on training on better supporting OPS members to work effectively with Faith based, Indigenous and Racialized community members.

 

EDI: This committee is focused on providing input into the EDI plan, reporting and implementation within the OPS.  The committee also has responsibilities to review and work on recommendations that came out of the OPS reports relevant to the Faith Based, Indigenous and Race Based communities, including the Use of Force Report.

 

Anti-Racism Committee: This committee will look at ways that the OPS can work with communities who have identified the OPS as being racist or where incidents occur and racism is named as one of the dynamics in the situation; and guide and support OPS in Identifying common challenges and issues relating to anti-racism.  These will be opportunities to learn to deepen an anti-racism practice in OPS. Specific attention will be on the current training on anti-black racism.

 

Indigenous Relations Committee: This committee will work on areas that need strengthening between the Indigenous community and the OPS.

 

2SLGBTQQIA+: This committee will identify and work on areas that need strengthening between the LGBTQ2S+ community and the OPS that intersect sexual orientation, gender fluidity, faith, race and Indigeneity.

 

Trending Issues: This committee will review issues that come from the community.  This committee will support existing OPS processes to resolve the issue in a constructive and strength-based way while also providing recommendations for better or new processes.  

 

Neighbourhood Response Team (NRT) Committee: This committee will examine the NRT’s effectiveness in responding to Faith based, Indigenous and Racialized community members and offer suggestions for improvement.  The committee will be looking at ways to evaluate the work of the NRTs.

 

The Use of Force (UofF) Review Panel will review Use of Force case files and make specific recommendations on service delivery improvements to address systemic issues (for OPS and possibly other service providers). The panel will also have a role, with the CEC in the annual UofF data analysis, recommendations, reporting, and action planning. The Panel will have its own terms of reference and members of the panel will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement after being interviewed.

 

 As part of the application process we ask that you:

​

1. Submit a letter or e-mail of interest.

2. Fill out the application form

3. Provide a resume.

4. Go through an interview process with the Recruitment Committee

5. Provide references including a community-based organization reference.

 

The second stage of the process also includes a social media check and an interview. If you are successful in your interview process you will be required to do a police background records check and sign a confidentiality agreement. 

 

For people who are interested in the Use of Force Review Panel, there may be an additional confidential waiver as you will be reviewing police files.

 

We hope you will consider this opportunity.  Please submit your letter and resume to opscecinfo@gmail.com  

 

We look forward to receiving your application.

 

With respect

 

Sahada Alolo                                                                 Deputy Chief Paul Burnett

CEC Community Co-Chair                                      CEC OPS Co- Chair