Who are we?
We are a group of researchers based in Canada and the United States who are concerned about the relationship between the police and the public generally, and police oversight more specifically. We come from diverse academic backgrounds, including socio-legal studies, criminology, sociology, anthropology and some of us were previously police officers. Our project director, Dr. Patrick Watson, has researched legal and quasi-legal proceedings where police officers were charged for on-duty use-of-force incident for ten years, and is interested how police accountability is (or is not) delivered, and a future beyond policing. Dr. Jay Meehan (Oakland University, Michigan) and Dr. Geoffrey Raymond (University of California, Santa Barbara) lead the other two research teams. Dr. Meehan has conducted police ethnographic research for over 40-years, and Dr. Raymond has studied police interactions with the public for nearly ten years.
What is our relationship with the Ontario Special Investigations Unit (SIU)?
The SIU is an arms length partner. They have asked us to analyze a collection of race-based data that they have been mandated to collect by the province of Ontario’s Anti-Racism Act [2017]. They also provide us with some research materials and help inform some of our research questions on their race-based data.
They do not participate directly in our research process or the intellectual direction of the project. We give them anonymized feedback and share semi-annual reports (which are also publicly available on this website). We will never share the identity of our research participants with the SIU, and the SIU does not have access to our research data.
What is our relationship to Oakland University and the University of California, Santa Barbara?
Researchers at UCSB and OU have a mutual interest in policing and police oversight. Because the legal standards between Canada and the United States are similar, we decided to study cases collaboratively. Both OU and USCB have acquired their own data, and are working on US-based data. We share findings, and discuss themes, theoretical and conceptual issues about police oversight and police-citizen interactions – what is a “reasonable officer”?
Who do we want to talk to?
We are interested in interviewing two groups of people:
- People who are or have been “affected persons” as defined by the SIU – who have experienced police use of force
- Officers who have been subjects of SIU investigations
We are actively recruiting SIU subject officers and affected persons. If you are interested in participating and meet these criteria, please sign up.
What do interviews involve?
Our interviews are a lot like conversations. We will guide you to the topics we are interested in, and you share your opinions and experiences as you are comfortable. We will read your director’s report prior to the interview, so you don’t have to repeat these details. You can always skip topics or questions, or leave the interview at any time. The interviews are about an hour long, although we can do more than one interview if there is a lot to talk about. We will ask your permission to audio record the interview, and these recordings will be kept confidential. They will only be shared with the research team. No matter what, we will never release your identity or tell anyone (including our partners) that you participated in this research.
What are the goals of our research?
We are deeply concerned about the challenges to the legitimacy of policing in the wake of a series of highly publicized use of force incidents. We acknowledge that these incidents disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, people with mental health conditions, and other marginalized individuals and communities. We strongly believe that policing is a democratic institution that requires consent from the public. Our goals include:
- Develop a better understanding of what is a “reasonable officer”
- Analyze how police oversight agencies, including the SIU, investigate use of force complaints
- Analyze how race impacts police oversight
- Develop international research partnerships on policing and police accountability
- Improve police and public understanding of police oversight and democratic accountability
Has this research been reviewed by a Research Ethics Board?
Yes! We have gone through rigorous ethics review by the Wilfrid Laurier University Research Ethics Board. If you have questions or concerns about this research, you can contact the REB directly (reb@wlu.ca) quoting file number 6875.
How do I contact you?
If you would like to learn more about our research but do not qualify as a participant, feel free to contact us at ReasonableOfficer@wlu.ca.