Hamilton,
22
July
2021
|
12:31
America/New_York

Hamilton Police Release Additional Use of Force Data

Hamilton Police are releasing additional Use of Force data after requests from the community for more information regarding the interactions.

“We’ve heard the calls for increased transparency related to the Use of Force data and we listened,” said Chief Frank Bergen. “We understand the community wants more information about why our officers attended these calls and the situations they faced. This information is important in order to continue moving the conversation forward in better-serving our communities.”

The new template now includes the division where the interaction occurred, the occurrence type, how the call originated and what police unit was involved in the interaction.

Police officers are authorized to use a range of force options in response to an event or incident in order to protect life, preserve the peace, prevent crimes, maintain order and apprehend suspects. The Use of Force report is presented annually to the Hamilton Police Service Board.

The information in the Use of Force Incident Data report is the unfiltered, raw data that was initially submitted to the Ministry for 2020. This differs from the Annual Report in that the Annual Report is a detailed analysis of the Use of Force reports submitted to the Ministry of the Solicitor General.