Sexual violence case review similar to Philadelphia among new police projects
TORONTO — Ontario is putting $1.8 million toward 15 pilot projects aimed at improving police responses to sexual violence, including two case review models that are similar to a celebrated approach pioneered in Philadelphia.
Advocates say the case reviews in Brantford and the Ontario Provincial Police’s northwest region are a good first step. But so far, they say the projects fall short of the Philadelphia model, which frontline workers have long urged Canadian police to adopt.
“I anticipate that we might be in a place very soon where we will have a Canadian first in adopting the Philadelphia best practices, but we’re not quite there yet,” said Sunny Marriner, executive director of the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre.
The Philadelphia model enables frontline workers and legal advocates to conduct annual reviews of cases declared unfounded, or cleared because an officer believes no crime occurred, as well as some open cases. Since the model was adopted about 17 years ago, the city’s unfounded rates have dropped from 18 per cent to below 10 per cent.