The Ottawa Police Service – Outreach Liaison Team
The Outreach Liaison Team (OLT) is a 5 member OPS team led by S/Sgt Isobel Anderson. It is an extension of the Diversity and Race Relations Unit and was mobilized in response to the death of Mr. Abdirahman Abdi.
The team was initially made up of OPS six members; one A/Staff Sergeant John Gibbons has since been recalled to Frontline Patrol due to staffing shortages. The other members Special Constable Floyd Hutchinson, Constables Abdul Abdi and Aza Huska as well as A/Sergeant Mohammud Elmi were drawn from various OPS sections including, Temporary Custody and Detention, Frontline Patrol and Community Police Centers.
The Outreach Liaison Team has been mandated to increase community engagement with racialized and broader diverse communities in order to create meaningful dialogue to begin to rebuild the community’s trust and confidence in the police service.
Goals of the Outreach Liaison Team are to provide responsive outreach to impacted communities that promotes dialogue, awareness and understanding as well as to work with communities, agencies and police members to identify concerns, engagement activities, partnership opportunities and possible solutions
The Outreach Liaison Team has conducted an extensive stakeholder mapping exercise in order to identify key community leaders and organizations for engagement. As a result, they have been able to develop robust community contact lists and increase community outreach to these stakeholders. By meeting with Community Leaders and Organizations, the Outreach Liaison Team has been able to receive the Community’s input and feedback on policing matters; capturing key themes, issues and recommendations.
Mobilization of the Outreach Liaison Team is a 6 month strategy to gauge the pulse of the community, apply community engagement and dialogue, and to obtain feedback by way of gathering reaction, identified issues, themes and recommendations from racialized and broader communities.
The Outreach Liaison Team is providing information on police roles, responsibilities, and processes; creating an understanding about the good work that we as OPS members undertake on a daily basis. Through community engagement and meaningful dialogue, the Outreach Liaison Team is developing and enhancing key relationships and partnerships in the community. The Outreach Liaison Team is providing a forum for the community to express their issues and concerns, provide input and feedback and to further convey recommendations for change.