'Casual Encounters' of the Worst Kind

• Author: Julianna A Greenspan & Brad Greenshields
• Pages: 49-65



CasualEncounters

oftheWorstKind

Julianna A Greenspan & Brad Greenshields*

FifteenyearsagoayoungBlackmanwaswalkingalongaTorontostreet

duringthelunchhourinacommunitynearschoolswithahistoryofdrug

activityThreepoliceocerstwoofwhomwereinplainclotheswere

patrollingtheareaengagedinwhatthestatethencalledcommunity

policingadynamicinteractionbetweenpoliceandcitizenspurport

edlyintendedtomaintainavisiblepolicepresenceandtodetercrime

The ocers asked the young man Donnohue Grant to have a

chatTheyashedtheirbadgestakinguppositionsthatblockedthe

manspath on the sidewalk The un iformed ocer askedwhat was

going on and asked for identication Mr Grant provideda hea lth

cardAccordingtotheocersheappearednervousadjustedhisjacket

promptingadirectiontokeephishandsinfrontofhimTheocers

testiedthattheypulledtheirvehiclesuponMrGrantbecausetheyhad

afunnyfeelingbasedontheyoungmanswayoflookingoveratthem

whiledgetingwithhiscoatandpants

The ocers asked Donnohue whether he had everb een arrested

andwhetherhehadanythingheshouldnthaveHehandedovera

smallbagofcannabisandaftermorequestionsarearmIna

majorityoftheSupremeCourtfoundthatDonnohueGrantssections

andCharterrightshadbeenbreachedandthathehadbeendetained

withoutcausebuttheCourtallowedtheadmissionoftherearmunder

 BothofGreenspanPartnersLLP

JAGBG

sectionoftheCharter.TheCourtsetoutaframeworkforthedef

initionofdetentionundersectionsandoftheCharterandestab

lished a threepart te stfor exclusion of evidence under section 

Importantlythe Court emphasiz ed that there was no suggestion that

MrGrantwasthetargetofracialprolingorotherdiscriminatorypolice

practices

Regreablyalltoooftencommunitypolicinghasinrealitybeen

aeuphemismforprolinginsocalledhighriskareasbasedonthe

stereotypethatindividualsofacertainraceorbackgroundhaveagreater

propensityforcrimeThiswasallegedinR v FerdinandwhereJustice

Harry S LaForme then of the Superior Court of Justice considered a

Charter motionbasedonanallegedimproperuseoftheTorontoPolice

Servicepracticeofcardingincludingtheinvestigativetoolknown

thenasacardJusticeLaFormedescribedthecardasfollows

Acardisapproximatelybyandisprintedonbothsidescom

mencingwiththewordsPersonInvestigatedItrecordsinformation

obtainedfromapersonwhoisstoppedbythepolicethatincludesin

formationsuchasnamealiasesdateofbirthcolouraddressand

contact location including t he timeOn t he back it has entries for

things such as associates a ndassociated w ith gang motorcycle

clubDr ugTreatment Cour tThe police t hen input the infor mation

fromthecompletedcardsintoapolicecomputerdatabasefortheir

futurereference

TheocersinFerdinandtestiedthattheyusedthecardsinaneu

tralcasualandconsensualmannertheymerelyapproachedsomeone

and asked if they minded givi ngt hem the relevant information The

ocersassertedthatifthepersonsaidnoandtherewerenogrounds

todetainthemtheywouldsimplymoveonandbidthepersontohave

anicedayThescenarioinFerdinand wasasfollowsTwoocersap

proachedagroupofyouthsincludingMrFerdinandhangingoutbe

hindanapartmentbuildingTheocersquestionedthegroupandused

cardstorecordpersonalinformationabouttheonesinterviewed

MrFerdinandtestiedthatthetwoocersroutinelystoppedhimques

tionedhimforcardinformationandsearchedhimwithouthiscon

sentWhentheyarrivedtheocerssawMrFerdinandstarttoleave

theareaOneofthemnoticedamarijuanajointWhentheocertold

 R v GrantSCCGrant

 R v FerdinandCanLIIOntSCJFerdinand

 Ibid atpara