Reflecting on the Nova Scotia Tragedy Through the Lens of Ethics-Based Policing

During a tragic two day event in Nova Scotia on April 18 and 19, 2020, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman committed multiple shootings and set fires at 16 locations. Wortman killed 22 people and injured three others before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police shot and killed him. These attacks are the deadliest shooting rampage in Canadian history. The police were criticized and a commission was formed to investigate the law enforcement response.?

A colleague and good friend, John Patrick Clair recently waded through the seven volume final report that was released on March 30, 2023. He is an enlightened chief of police, voracious reader, and very familiar with my book and work. Always a wealth of knowledge on the cutting edge of our profession and able to connect the dots, he found and sent me Part D Everyday Policing Practices – Chapter 13: Five Strategies for Improving Everyday Policing. Of particular interest in this chapter was a section titled Front-Line Supervision and Feedback. ?

Upon reading this, it is obvious to me and I believe John, that there is significant nexus in the commissions findings and what I have written in my book, Ethics-Based Policing : Solving The Use of Excessive Force. ?

Summary

Commission - “To be effective, supervisors need to know and apply policy, rules, legislation, and case law and ensure that their teams do the same.”

Ethics-Based Policing -? “Subordinate officers view superior officers as subject matter experts, as well they should.? That means effective, ethical superiors must consistently study their department’s policies, procedures, and general orders, as well as the police manual, the criminal code, traffic regulations, the municipal code, laws of search and seizure, and a plethora of other information subject to regular updates.”? “….. officers will be more effective as first responders if they know department procedures…. chapter and verse. Without intimate knowledge of procedure, failure happens….”

Commission - “Supervisors at all ranks need to influence workplace climate positively and set the tone for their teams.”

Ethics-Based Policing - “… ethics-based policing thrives in a culture where consistent supervision provides clearly conveyed expectations, rewards and recognition for ethical performance and consequences for failures. The culture is one of integrity and ethical service to the public.”

(note – the Commission calls it climate.? I define it as culture.)

Commission - “While all supervisory ranks are responsible for organizational performance, front-line supervisors are arguably the most important determinants of how front-line policing operates. They are closest to those policing our communities, most likely to observed behavior that is at odds with the dignity of community members, and well situated to influence the discretionary action of their teams. In short, front-line supervisors are in the best position to safeguard the quality of everyday policing.”

Ethics-Based Policing - “All rules, regulations, directives, and written policies and procedures aimed at the issue of integrity are not effective unless they are accepted and applied by the corporals, sergeants, and mid-level managers in a police department. These men and women control day-to-day operations at the ground level. They either interact with subordinates to provide supervision, observation, training, guidance, and accountability or hey do not.”

“Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are the last hands in the chain of command to touch the mail.? Ultimately, they are responsible for maintaining a sound barrel.? Police department rules, regulations, policies, procedures, general orders, and manuals are worthless unless they – the first-line supervisor and mid-level managers – accept the responsibility of holding subordinates accountable for both ethical and unethical behavior.? Because they oversee police service and run day-to-day operations, supervisors and mid-level managers have a profound influence on conduct and behavior of their subordinates.?

(note – the Commission calls sergeants front-line supervisors.? I call them first-line supervisors) ?

Commission - “Front-line supervisors are the primary means by which feedback can be offered to front-line police about how they do their work. It is essential that supervisors be equipped to exercise independent judgment about front-line members’ work.? In general terms, we observed that the independent guidance of front-line supervisors was relatively absent from the everyday work of RCMP members, even those who are inexperienced.”

Ethics-Based Policing - “The key of responsibility represents the primary duty of corporals, sergeants, and lieutenants to see that all their behaviors and those of their subordinates are guided by integrity and ethics. As the ethical gatekeepers of the department, they are the subject matter experts on all policies and procedures, and they hold officers accountable for (1) doing what they are supposed to do; and (2) not doing what they are not supposed to do.”

Commission - “Overall, this and other evidence about a lack of everyday supervision leads us to conclude that the RCMP has not established the front-line supervisory structures and practices that encourage general duty members to cultivate sound decision-making skills in low-visibility aspects of their work.”

Ethics-Based Policing - “The value-based supervisor holds officers accountable for their conduct.? They understand their duty requires maintaining integrity as standard operating procedure and they create a culture that supports it. They communicate by word, action, and deed that officers are expected to perform their duties under the guidelines and directives of the department and the law. Clear on their duty, these supervisors set the tone of accountability.”

Commission - “Front-line supervision and the provision of regular feedback to front-line members are essential components of effective everyday policing practices in order to promote a culture of good judgment, accountability, and taking institutional responsibility for member learning.”

Ethics-Based Policing - “There is really only one cure: persistent, vigorous oversight from first-line supervisors and mid-level managers in a police department where leadership enforces ethics-based policing.”

My take away is – While the Commission does not get as deep into the weeds as I do in my book, their three year investigation did identify valuable recommendations, findings and lessons learned. These recommendations, findings and lessons learned support and corroborate many points covered in depth in my book. They may be late in their discoveries but issues were identified.? Better YET! Issues can be pre-empted and prevented.?

Recommendation – Ethics-Based Policing : Solving The Use Of Excessive Force

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