CCLA Calls Upon Toronto Police to Expunge Records of G20 Arrestees
September 19th, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Penelope Chester
(416) 363-0321 ex. 225
[email protected]
www.ccla.org
Toronto, ON — September 19, 2010 — The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is calling upon the Toronto Police Service (TPS) to destroy the police records of many of the 1105 people arrested during the G20 Summit. In a letter dated September 8, 2010, the CCLA asks Chief Blair to expunge all G20-related police records of persons that were arrested and never charged, or who were charged, but have since had their charges withdrawn or dismissed.
The CCLA is concerned that information about G20-related police contact may surface during police background checks that are regularly requested by some employers and volunteer agencies. This could unduly prejudice the future endeavours of individuals caught up in the mass arrests made during the G20 Summit.
In the context of the G20 Summit, more than 1100 people were arrested — including five of the CCLA’s independent monitors — and over 800 of them were never charged with an offence. Of the close to 300 people that were charged, at least 58 have since had their charges withdrawn. In the CCLA’s view, these statistics raise serious questions about the propriety of a large number of the arrests made during the G20 Summit.
Nathalie Des Rosiers, CCLA’s General Counsel, noted that “it would be unjust if the future employment and volunteer efforts of people unnecessarily arrested or charged during the G20 Summit were in any way impeded by their experience that weekend. The CCLA believes that it is incumbent upon the Toronto Police Service to do its part to mitigate this possibility.”
A copy of the CCLA’s letter to Chief Blair can be found here.
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