Wednesday 2 January 2019

Carding and Random Searches

OK to Check for Alcohol But Not for Guns?

This is a sensitive one but here goes anyway. Perhaps that is my point - why so sensitive?

Here in Toronto we had a very bad year for homicides in 2018, a lot of them gun related. This is generating the usual debate about whether police should stop and search people or not. Some groups say that this practice results in discrimination against members of minority groups. Others - especially police officers both active and retired, say some of those groups are the ones shooting each other.

The really sensitive issue is actually the practice of "carding" when those stopped have to produce personal ID and must "justify" their presence. The police then record data about this person. I totally understand the indignation this causes even though it has not happened to me. Yet.

What I don't get is this:

Every year around Christmas and New Years the police step up their RIDE program (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) and randomly pull over cars. The drivers have to roll down their windows and speak to an officer who is checking for the symptoms of drinking - primarily the smell of alcohol on the driver's breath. Most people are in favour of this, unless of course it is YOU and you have indeed been drinking! It is still thought by most to be in the best interests of everyone using our roadways.

The practice is "random" because it is often at night. The officers can not see the driver or whether they are or are not a member of a visible minority. In addition they often stop all cars on a given street, whether the driver has shown erratic driving patterns or not.

In a similar fashion, we accept the necessity of scanning everyone before boarding an aircraft. It is in the best interests of all of the passengers. EVERYONE is scanned.

My suggestion is to supply police with the same types of hand-held scanning devices used in airports. Make it legal for police set up a mini "RIDE" type program for pedestrians and cars.

Those stopped will quickly be scanned. If nothing shows up they go on your way - no ID is needed and no data is recorded. This will only take seconds. I would even support the pulling over of cars at random just like the Christmas RIDE program. In this case all occupants AND the car could be legally and briefly searched.

On the other hand if someone is carrying illegally, they are arrested on the spot.

This might be inconvenient but how could any one group complain if all parties are scanned? Surely it would go a long way towards reducing the shootings that we are witnessing in broad daylight .

Before reacting remember - it is normal at airports and at Christmas for alcohol and it is generally accepted. Alcohol is not used deliberately to kill other people. Not so for guns.


The Brewster

No comments: