Chatham-Kent police are adding a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator to line up with cultural changes in policing.
The new Sergeant position was approved at the police services board meeting on Wednesday, adding to the compliment of nearly 250 uniformed and civilian members.
Police Chief Gary Conn said the aim is to improve trust within the community and membership after movements such as Defund Police and #MeToo called for police reform.
Chief Conn said Chatham-Kent is among the many police services across Canada having a problem attracting female, Black, Indigenous, and other persons of colour applying to become police officers. Police in Chatham-Kent have the second lowest proportion of female officers (15%) in the province and the lowest representation (0%) among senior ranks of Inspector and above and Conn said immediate action is necessary.
"This business case provides an opportunity to not only increase equity, diversity, and inclusion, but address and mitigate the systemic historic patriarchal nature of the policing profession," said Conn. "Enhancement of our reputation will be accomplished by investing in leadership, recruitment, and relationships."
Chief Conn noted a recent policing survey done by telephone gave Chatham-Kent police low grades when it came to ensuring gender balance (47%) and being committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace (46%).
"Females, Black, Indigenous, and other people of colour make a significant contribution to modern day policing and the next steps in recruiting and maximizing their inclusion will require time and effort," the chief said. "These issues were not created overnight and are not just specific to policing. We have to confront the fact that our police service needs to change to better reflect the needs of Ontarians and our community."
The new sergeant will provide support and focus on issues such as language and symbols and provide quarterly updates on the progress of new equity programs and initiatives to evaluate their performance.
The new position will add another $100,605 to the police budget.
The person who is hired will have four other existing police officers helping with implementation, administration, training and recruitment, and tracking data.
