 
May the Police Ask to Search Homes? Having found parts of a dismembered body in certain city neighbourhoods, the Toronto police went door-to-door in the Parkdale community, asking for permission to enter and search private homes for evidence of the murder. This provoked complaints by both residents and non-residents of the area, some of whom complained that when the police were refused entry, they reportedly warned that such residents would be under suspicion. Appearing before the Toronto Police Services Board, Alexi Wood, Director of CCLA's Public Safety Project, and student-at-law Motek Sherman urged the Board to issue a directive to the police that, when asking for access to private homes, they "must inform civilians that there cannot, and will not, be any adverse conclusions drawn merely from the refusal to allow the police access ... " While CCLA had no objection to officers knocking on doors to request information, Wood argued that the use of veiled threats was unacceptable. In light of the police chief's assurances that the CCLA proposals were already departmental policy, the Board accepted the recommendations but took no further action. | CCLA In The Schools | Join Us | Feedback | Search | Other Interesting Sites | Home |
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