The Dispatch | Vol. 4, No. 3, July 2022

Another Summer, a Different Source of Uncertainty and Fear

Norman E. Taylor
Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being

As I write this piece today in the comfort of my backyard oasis, I have just completed a COVID test, fortunately with a negative reading so far at least. After almost 30 months of combined diligence and probably some dumb luck, this is the closest I have yet come to the close contact experience. I spent the day a few days ago working on an outdoor project with one of my closest friends, and since it was in cottage country, we spent about 5 hours in very close proximity travelling up and back in my truck. Likely too confident as both four-time vaxxers, he nonetheless tested positive today, and his symptoms are not mild. Still too soon to know if his case will advance to severe, and fingers tightly crossed against that. Too soon to know if today’s test result will be the same for me tomorrow or the next day.

All things considered, however, COVID seems to have slipped to second place for me as a source of existential worry. This may be simply due to pandemic fatigue, or to other stirrings I now find even more disturbing than a potentially life-altering coronavirus from which most of us stand a pretty fair chance of recovering. I am not yet sure if any of us will recover from these other stirrings. Those are the dark stirrings of reactionaries, and if not answered quickly and sufficiently enough, history provides more than ample warning about their potential to upset our ways of life.

Of course, I am speaking here about the recent SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in the United States. But, not only of that, and not only in that country. Rather, it is the pernicious trend line that is as much evident in that decision, and as much in the absurd race to the most draconian red-state laws already underway, as it is generally in the evident global rise in overt misogyny, racism, hate crimes, anti-gay sentiments, anti-government movements, and other far-right histrionics. None of us can put an accurate number on that rate of increase, as we can only gauge from our own observations and potentially skewed media sources. And, truth be told, the right does not have a monopoly on absurdism. In fact, I’m convinced the centre and left have been playing this about 80% wrong for many years now.

I do believe it is well established that most acts of hate, anger and dominance are a thin disguise for fear, their actual underlying emotion. What have we done as a society to make so many of our contemporaries so frightened? I much prefer this compassionate question than the alternative, the one that asks, are there really this many straight white men imbued with an insatiable need to stomp on the human rights and free aspirations of everyone else? Don’t get me wrong, all persons are welcome to their own private choices in sensitive matters, including reproductive health. But, it seems some can only envision some twisted path to their own self-actualization in a caricaturized re-enactment of much earlier times, and let’s be honest, much darker ages. And this is where they cross the line into the health and human rights of others.

I recognize that as a mature professional, I probably need to keep this discussion apart from my own political and social leanings, and into the present context of our Journal. That is not hard to do at all. I serve as the Editor-in-Chief of a publication that has social justice, equity, inclusion, health and well-being-for-all among its core tenets. It has always been difficult to sustain the full scope of essential adequate human services in any jurisdiction. All of us who have worked in the causes of CSWB have essentially survived on a personal commitment to such tenets, on the one hand, and an enduring though sometimes too-faint generosity in modern, progressive societies. We have collectively navigated a fragile stasis between unchecked privilege and profiteering at one extreme, and outright socialism-at-the-expense-of-prosperity at the other.

What might happen to that stasis if the most frightened and fragile of men continue to seek a tighter grip on the rudder of our societies?

I believe it has also been well established that much of fear derives from ignorance. Thus, it falls on all of us to fill such voids with knowledge wherever we can. Contrary to reactionary fallacies, even frightened straight white men (and the women aligned with them) are as free as ever to co-exist and thrive in an open, inclusive and equitable society. Thankfully, most of us know that.

But, we must never let those few, even though they feel threatened, believe they can ever do so with their feet planted firmly upon the necks and rights of others.

Exciting News Everyone: JCSWB Is Now Indexed in EBSCOhost!

SG Publishing is proud to announce that the Journal of Community Safety and Well-Being (JCSWB) has been accepted for inclusion in EBSCOhost. Soon, JCSWB’s content will be more visible and accessible to libraries and researchers worldwide!

EBSCO is the world’s largest intermediary between libraries and publishers, helping to drive awareness of Journal content. Their EBSCOhost databases provide global reach, with tens of thousands of library customers and millions of users throughout the world. The databases receive millions of searches per day through a user-friendly, comprehensive platform for every researcher.

JCSWB will first be available through EBSCO’s Academic Search Ultimate database and will be evaluated for inclusion in additional databases in the near future.

Inclusion in such a prestigious indexing service will provide greater visibility for the Journal’s scholarly papers, and significantly broaden the reach for JCSWB articles. This will also benefit our authors by providing another service to disseminate their work.

This important milestone for the Journal validates both the quality of our articles as well as our peer review and publication process. We would like to thank our Editors, our Contributing Editor Community, and Reviewers for their dedication and commitment that has contributed to this achievement. Most significantly, a special thank you to our esteemed authors, whose work will undoubtably further the advancements in community safety and well-being.

SG Publishing Inc.
Trusted Scholarly Publisher
www.sgpublishing.ca
@SGPublishingInc

Using Data and Technology to Drive Community Safety and Well-being Outcomes: Keeping People at the Wheel

Janos Botschner, PhD *

We have entered the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Many are heralding the rise of ‘precision’ business processes for more efficient, effective and visible operations. In community safety, the hope is that, with more data and more data-analytic capacity, leaders will be better positioned to drive useful outcomes for individuals, organizations and communities. This is anticipated to benefit resource allocation, crime prevention and public trust(1).

But, if we’ve learned anything from grappling with the current cascade of crises, it is that the biggest challenges we face, and the best opportunities for addressing them, aren’t just about technology – they depend on human thinking and behaviour – and are fundamentally relational, requiring attention to context.

This idea isn’t new. The bobby patrolling a neighbourhood would be more effective if relationships were built with residents and observations were tuned to the patterns of daily life. What is new?

We have become increasingly aware that human judgment can be fallible, and that decision making can benefit from automation. But there is also evidence of harms when technology is siloed from people, relationships and values. One example is the growing level of concern about algorithmic bias – where machine-based decisions systematically disadvantage certain groups of people (2).

How can police leaders and governance find equilibrium in this new era? Consider the following questions when refining competencies, recruitment, selection, assessment, learning and development – and organizational culture:

▪	Are mature community partnerships in place to support an effective and appropriate introduction and use of new ICTs?

▪	What CSWB outcomes is a new ICT intended to serve, and for whom are these outcomes positive?

▪	What is the capacity of the organization to understand, communicate, manage, procure, engage and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders around the benefits and risks of digital technologies?

▪	Who owns and governs the activities and consequences of the many data-enabled applications of this new era?

(1) See, for example, Caplan, R., Rosenblat, A. & Boyd, D. (2015). Open data, the criminal justice system, and the police data initiative. https://datasociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Open_Data_Police_Data_Initiative.pdf
(2) PWC (n.d.). Understanding algorithmic bias and how to build trust in AI. https://www.pwc.com/us/en/tech-effect/ai-analytics/algorithmic-bias-and-trust-in-ai.html

*Janos Botschner, PhD is Principal of HumInsight and an Associate of CSKA. He is a social scientist with extensive experience in community-based applied research, program evaluation and strategic consulting across a spectrum of organizations and community groups. Janos leads CSKA’s Cyber Security Capacity in Canadian Agriculture project, a national initiative funded partly by Public Safety Canada.

Dr. Paul Rinkoff

Contributing Editor, Journal of CSWB

For over two decades, Paul has gained frontline, investigative, and senior leadership and management experience in the fields of policing and criminal justice. He has and continues to lead several committees which promote community relations, and equity and inclusivity in the workplace.

Paul holds a PhD in Policy Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University), specializing in Public Policy and Administration and an MA in Leadership Studies from the University of Guelph College of Business and Economics. Paul currently lectures in the Departments of Public Policy and Administration and Criminology at Toronto Metropolitan University.

Paul is a Contributing Editor at the Journal of Community Safety & Well-Being, a Board Director, and an accredited police tribunal adjudicator.

Paul’s most recent publications and research interests focus on police leadership and supervision, public sector leadership and management, leadership style and theory, implementation policy, organizational culture, community and neighborhood policing, and race relations.

Have you had the chance to read our June 2022 issue? To view the Table of Contents and articles from this issue, please visit:
https://www.journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/issue/view/25

Highlights from this issue include:

The answer may be in front of us: Do we have the courage to listen?
[Editorial]
Michelle Davey

Obstacles to mental health treatment: Similarities and differences among first responder groups
[Original Research]
Clint A. Bowers, Deborah C. Beidel, Madeline R. Marks

Awe: Helping leaders address modern policing problems
[Social Innovation Narrative]
Jeff Thompson

Policing the pandemic: Public health, law enforcement, and the use of force
[Original Research]
Auke J. van Dijk, Clifford Shearing, Gary Cordner

Check out our Top 3 most read articles for the Journal of CSWB based on the number of full text views and downloads recorded on our website from April 1 – June 30, 2022. Click here to view other articles from our archives.

COVID-19 and the impact on police services
(3,538 Views)
Shahin Mehdizadeh, Katy Kamkar
Vol 5, No. 2 (2020)

Policing of sex work in South Africa: The positive policing partnership approach
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Donna Maree Evans, Marlise L. Richter, Munyaradazi I. Katumba
Vol 4, No 4 (2019)

Mental health and well-being of police in a health pandemic: Critical issues for police leaders in a post-COVID-19 environment
(1,070 Views)
Jacqueline M. Drew, Sherri Martin
Vol. 5 No. 2 (2020)

The Journal is proud to have partnerships with key organizations within Canada and globally, which are designed to increase awareness for our respective activities. As such, we are pleased to share and highlight relevant information from our partners to our Journal community.

Application Deadline Dates for Fall Start 2022

100% Online Public Safety Degrees | Earn your degree while you work

Program Application Deadlines for September 2022 Start Term:

▪	Honours Bachelor of Arts in Policing - August 17th, 2022

▪	Combined Honours Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Policing - August 17th, 2022

To learn more about Laurier’s online public safety programs:
Visit www.laurierpublicsafety.ca

To find out how you can set up a Laurier information session for your members, contact:
Maggie Paoletta
Director of Employer Partnerships
Tel. (416) 889-0700

Blue Line and OACP Partner on 2022 Expo

Blue Line magazine and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) are partnering on a joint venture, the OACP & Blue Line Expo, to be held on Friday, Oct. 21 at the Paramount EventSpace in Vaughan, Ont.

The OACP & Blue Line Expo will feature sessions curated for all ranks and a trade show floor featuring a wide range of exhibitors showcasing the newest products, technologies, services, and solutions for procurement professionals, senior police leaders, and other members of the law enforcement community. Attendees will benefit from the unique networking opportunity this new partnership brings.

More information on the conference schedule and sessions to come soon. Please check www.bluelineexpo.com for updates and registration.

Envisaging Healthy and Safe Communities: Worldwide Lessons in Police and Public Health Partnerships - Special Issue Coming July 28

A special issue of the Journal of CSWB dedicated to the research derived from the Envisaging the Future project, will be published July 28, 2022. Published through the support received from Deloitte Inc. and Guest edited by Prof. Nick Crofts and Marc Krupanski, this issue will explore progressive community safety strategies worldwide.

Preview the issue contents here, and be sure to follow the Journal on Twitter and LinkedIn for the latest updates.

Become a Reviewer!

Getting involved in the peer review process can be a highly rewarding experience that can also improve your own research and help to further your career. Reviewers play an integral role in ensuring the high standards of the journal are met through evaluating manuscripts and providing constructive criticism to editors and authors.

Registration is fast and easy! To register as a reviewer ensure the “reviewer” box is selected and reviewing interests are entered upon registering with the journal at: https://journalcswb.ca/index.php/cswb/user/register

Questions? Contact support@sgpublishing.ca

Submit your Research to the Journal of CSWB—an OPEN ACCESS Publication

Did you know that the Journal of CSWB is an OPEN ACCESS publication? The Journal publishes peer-reviewed content under an open access creative commons license, where all articles are freely available and permanently accessible immediately upon publication, without subscription or registration barriers.

Interested in submitting? Visit our “For Authors” menu on our website, which will take you through the journey of submitting to the Journal, author guidelines, submission process and instructions, with a direct link to the submission page. Submission of your files is efficient and seamless!