From Fred Haynes:
As Chair of the Saanich Police Board, and Mayor of Saanich, I am wish to inform you of three initiatives. These have the unanimous support of the Board, and Police Chief Constable Scott Green. They are inspired by Black Lives Matter:
- Body Cameras Please
- We see you, we hear you, we are with you.
- Diversity recruitment. Black Police Officers.
1) Body Cameras Please:
We completely and willingly endorse and support the call of Prime Minister Trudeau for the use of body cameras on all police forces across Canada.
We understand the Prime Minister will be speaking to the Premiers. We ask that the Federal Government and the Provinces find ways to provide full funding for this initiative.
2) We see you, we hear you, we are with you.
We support and invite a full engagement with all members of our treasured black community. This includes the local leadership of the Black Lives Matter. Through this we seek to listen and to learn and together work to move forward in shared steps towards a new outcome. While many cultural diversity processes already, we want to do more, and we need to do more.
3) Diversity recruitment. Black Police Officers.
We sincerely invite members of our treasured black community to consider joining the Saanich Police Department. There are openings for exceptional careers as sworn officers, reserve officers and with our dedicated civilian staff. We believe the Department needs to fully reflect the community it serves. Please help us to achieve this.
We share with all our utter dismay at recent events and our horror at the tragic loss of George Floyd.
There are additional invitatives underway including ongoing engagements with our First Nations and the many cultural and racial groups that make up our Saanich Home. However, the purpose of this posting is to recognize that Black Lives Matter. They truly do.
Fred Haynes
