New Westminster police officers can still handcuff kids and let them into police vehicles for demonstration purposes – provided certain conditions are met.
At its Oct. 17 meeting, the New Westminster police board consider proposed revisions for policy and procedures regarding use of force options on members of the public. The policy relates to the use of handcuffs on children and youth for demonstration proposes, such as while officers are attending community events, the student police academy, education events or the police department’s annual soccer school.
“I don't think we need to do it ever as a demonstration. It's not a fun thing,” said board member Mary Trentadue. “We shouldn't portray it as something fun or 'do you want to know what it feels like to be handcuffed?' I don't know why people do it. My kid, when he was six, probably wanted to be handcuffed; I don't get it. But I just don't think that we ought to do it ever.”
In July, the board considered the issue and asked New Westminster Police Department staff to revise the proposed changes and submit another recommendation to the board. At that time, the policy and procedures stated members could not handcuff a child who is under the age of 12.
Trentadue thanked NWPD staff for changing the age in the policy and procedures, but said she still couldn’t support allowing children to be handcuffed or getting into police vehicles for demonstration purposes only.
“I've thought a lot about it, and I just don't think it makes sense ever to handcuff a person for demonstration purposes,” she said. “I think asking a parent or guardian for consent will complicate things. … I just feel like it's a complication that we don't need. I don't see any value in handcuffing someone outside of your regular policing duties.”
Under the New Westminster Police Department’s revised policy for use-of-force demonstrations for the public, members won’t use “force options or physical control tactics and/or restraint devices” involving a person under the age of 19 unless certain conditions are met. This includes having consent of the child’s parent/guardian during an event, which has been approved by that officer’s staff sergeant, divisional manager, deputy chief constable or chief constable.
Giving kids under 19 access to the prisoner transport areas of police vehicles is also covered by the department’s policy and procedures.
“I know that you are the people on the ground that are being asked to handcuff children or asked to have kids be put in vans or the back of cars and it puts you in an awkward position,” Trentadue said, “but I would just rather we said no.”
Board member Patrick Lalonde said he is totally in favour of the policy as it is written.
“I spoke with a NWPD member independently at an event one day, and they were telling me that this is the number 1 thing that kids ask for when they're at an event like this,” he told the board. “And I think from a public relations and recruiting perspective and the rest of it, to say no to a kid who's interested in maybe becoming a police officer has a negative impact potentially beyond some of the other negative impacts you have mentioned.”
Police board member Heather Boersma said she was supportive of the policy, given the new age requirements and parental consent components.
The board approved the proposed changes to the use of force and code of administrative conduct policies. Trentadue was the lone board member to oppose the staff recommendation.
“The way I read it, it puts up significant guardrails around doing this in inappropriate ways,” said Mayor Patrick Johnstone, chair of the police board. “So, I'm kind of comfortable with where we landed.”
The use-of-force demonstrations for the public procedures also state that members won’t draw and display weapons or force options involving a person under 19 for demonstrations unless it’s done during an event that’s been approved by their staff sergeant, divisional manager, deputy chief constable or chief constable.
