RCMP Protective Policing: The Illusion of Safety for Canada’s Politicians

 By Calvin Lawrence   From 1985 to 1995, I served in the RCMP Protective Policing Section in Toronto before transferring to the Prime Minister’s Protection Detail in Ottawa. I also trained police officers both nationally and internationally. Although some may argue that my experiences are outdated, significant gaps in security
There have been two separate incidents of police brutality against Black men in Canadian cities. Both men were innocent and mistakenly arrested.

Honest Mistake or Any Black Man Will Do?

 by Calvin Lawrence In recent weeks, there have been violent arrests of two Black men. These were in Toronto and Ottawa, respectively. After the arrests, it was determined that the men were not who the police were looking for. The arrests were cases of mistaken identity. Certainly, the police must

Halifax Police Chief Dan Kinsella is proof a fish rots from the head down

 On November 29, 2019, just two months ago, Halifax Regional Police Chief Dan Kinsella (pictured above) appeared at a resplendent podium emblazoned with the Halifax Police Coat of arms. He was dressed in police formal attire with a bunch of self-aggrandizing medals to give what spinmeisters described as an historic apology

Black Cop: My 36 Years in Police Work, and My Career-Ending Experience with Official Racism

 Black Cop By: Calvin Lawrence 272 pages • ISBN 978-1459414488 When Calvin Lawrence joined the Halifax City Police in 1969, he wanted to make a difference. There was growing tension in the city between the Black community and the police and Lawrence believed that as a Black police officer he

When is Police Use of Force Justified?

 I am a seventh generation Black Canadian. I was also a police officer for 36 years. I have worked in a city, rural, and federal environment. The growth of the Black Lives Matter movement has come out of the lack of information, accountability, and racist behavior by some individual police officers.