High Park & Wasted Police Resources

The following is our deputation given to the TPSB on August 27, 2024, on police budget use and resource allocation:

Despite highlighting the absurdity of police activity in High Park regularly since 2022, week in, week out, especially on weekends Toronto Police officers flock to High Park to harass, ticket and intimidate people on bikes.

I have not seen this type of consistent and robust traffic enforcement anywhere else in the City, and this is a mostly car free park.

The last round of budget talks this board had I recall there being a lot of discussion about response times, I even saw police union ads related to road safety response times. Images of an injured person splayed out on a roadway suggesting budget cuts would impact officer response times to serious incidents.

2024 is proving to be the deadliest year for people on bikes in over a decade, not to mention the 12 pedestrians killed by motorists. But when it comes to VRUs the priority of TPS appears to be policing the behaviour of cyclists in a park rather than addressing the causes of MVA related deaths and serious injuries across the city.

Data:

We know from the TPS’ own data that incidents of people killed or seriously injured in collisions are non-existent in High Park, at least as between cyclists and pedestrians. The only data point is of a motorist colliding with cyclist in 2020. Comparatively the data around the park demonstrates many serious collisions.

In 2021, between June and August our firm was retained by 3 cyclists struck by motorists at different times at Keele and Bloor, just kitty corner to the park. Broken Clavicle, Shattered Knee, hip tear. Each with psychological trauma. 1 intersection. 1 law firm.

Inside the park, I’m aware of 4 collisions over 4 years involving cyclists and motorists. Pelvic fracture, femur fracture, broken nose concussion, and the last one, caused by a police officer that rolled a stop sign, while ticketing cyclists for rolling stop signs thankfully resulted in just property damage – the officer was not charged with breaking the very law he was there to enforce.   

Recently I heard of a young girl being hit by a cyclist in High Park. Thankfully, it sounds like she wasn’t injured. Certainly, incidents like this, which I suspect are rare, can be dealt with through public education, infrastructure solutions to conflict points in the park, and a code of conduct for park users as we’ve requested. All ideas and changes best advanced by City staff, not police.

Community Complaints:

We understand the justification for the ongoing targeting of cyclists at High Park being community complaints. These are driven in part by several people online who are known to exhibit some very anti-social behaviours. We’ve heard complaints from women and even an incident of alleged assault of a cyclist about a man who frequently boasts online about speaking regularly to officers at 11 division - Unit Commander Andrew Ecklund, Staff Sergeants Lynch and Joe Kazuki.

I find it contradictory that community complaints are held up by TPS as the reason for their routine patrols in High Park.

Following the death of the young woman at Avenue and Bloor in July due in part to a blocked bike lane was a cruiser ever stationed on that corner to ensure road safety? Many community members have since tagged TPS with photos of the same location being blocked by various offenders.

What is TPS doing broadly to keep bike lanes safe and passable? Sadly their cruisers not engaged in emergency services are often the culprits. What resource expenditure has been effected to address that community concern?

Hit and runs resulting in injuries like broken wrists and concussions are inconsistently investigated and resources often cited as the reason deeper investigation is not undertaken.  

In July I personally filed 3 dangerous driving complaints about some really wild incidents at College and Dovercourt. The only police I’ve seen at that intersection are those getting their morning Starbucks.

I would wager that an accounting of community complaints demonstrates a lopsided response in favour of policing in High Park. This lopsided response is not driven by data and therefore must be questioned, reigned in, and realigned.

If TPS is concerned about response times and resources, then certainly how those resources are used is important and ought to be considered in the provision of future resources.

If police are hanging out in High Park regularly, I propose that perhaps too much money is being spent and so could be diverted. High Park policing is a great example of where the City can find efficiencies and squandered resources to redirect elsewhere. 

STAY INFORMED

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