by Ketcia Peters
On October 24, 2015, Ketcia Peters, member of the Ottawa Community Police Acting Committee, in partnership with Connexion Jeunesse Canada Afrique organized an at large community event for Caribbean and African community as part of the Ottawa Music Festival, where a presentation on the Ottawa Police complaint process was provided. This event was a ground breaking. This presentation by Acting Inspector Carl Cartright was delivered for the first time to the community at large, specifically to the French speaking Haitian community in Ottawa. The goal was to present information to the community that contributes to the professional and bias-free policing effort.
Based on the feedback we received from the participants, this initiative was a success. The OPS complaint process presentation was definitely a marker in the life of some young artist who were present at the session. They expressed that they would have never in a million years imagine themselves interacting with a Police officer in such a positive way. Some of those youth expressed that they themselves had been in the wrong side of the law in the pasts but that they are now trying to change their life around. Following the presentation they now have a better understanding of how police officers do their job and how important it is for them to cooperate when they interact with a police officer in order to create positive outcome.
Carl Cartright did an incredible job relating to the community during his presentation and he successfully enabled the community to see police officers in a more human eye, who are also part or the community. Carl conveyed the harsh reality of what officers have to face every day on the job, which created a sense of understanding and respect from the audience. Carl was very good at capturing the listeners’ attention and getting them involved in order to de-escalate any situation from becoming negative.The participants of the information session came out very impressed with the courage the OPS had showed by accepting to open up to the community about this difficult subject.
We hope that this is just the beginning of a continuing dialogue between the OPS and the community regarding the police complaint process. What was said had a significant impact on many of us, and instilled trust that can bridge the cap in the future between the community and the police.
About the writer
Ketcia Peters is a Placement Director for a recruiting firm specializing in Human Resources, Staffing & Diversity. She was a recipient of the Laureate Prix Étoile award, for her outstanding contributions and leadership with the national capital’s Black Francophonie. She is a member of the Community and Police Action Committee, which brings together Ottawa’s diverse communities and the Ottawa Police. Ketcia was the Regional Coordinator of the Black Artists’ Network in Dialogue, part of the “TD Then and Now Black History Month series”, which promotes Black culture and history through the arts. Ketcia has a background in Business Administration – International Business major, and holds a Certified International Trade Professional (CITP) designation.