A NORTH YORK school is the next in line to be part of a program that puts police officers in Toronto schools.
At a press conference on June 29, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair announced that Earl Haig Secondary School will have a uniformed officer stationed in the hallways beginning this fall. An additional 19 schools in Toronto will see an officer in September, bringing the total number of schools involved in the program to 50.
“I am very proud of my school resource officers,” Blair said in a statement. “These officers have approached these assignments with insatiable energy and dedication. As a result, we have created new relationships with young people all over Toronto. They, in turn, have come to respect police officers on an entirely different level.”
Mari Rutka, the school board trustee for Willowdale, said she is not opposed to the program and agrees that the goal is to shift the perception of police officers and their role.
“I think the idea here is to change the nature of policing so that it is a proactive force rather than a reactive force,” she said. “It’s about trying to build a different kind of relationship.”
Despite having initial hesitations, trustee James Pasternak said that the feedback he’s received about the experience has been positive.
“I was one of the skeptics when this idea was first presented to the Toronto District School Board,” said Pasternak, who had an officer within Downsview S.S. over the last school year. “I wasn’t keen on uniformed officers being in the school.”
In addition to helping change the public perception of police, Pasternak also described the practical use of the program. A robbery attempt near Downsview last year was thwarted after student witnesses relayed information to the school resource officer. As a result, an arrest was made and the victim’s property recovered.
Beverley Ohashi, the principal at Earl Haig S.S., and superintendent Sue Pfeffer of the Toronto District School Board declined to comment on the matter, stating that they had not had a chance to discuss the program and will do so before speaking to the issue.