Delegations (Speaker Requests)
A member of the public wishing to address the Board in an open meeting must make a written request to the Board, through the Office of the Chief Constable, specifying the topic the person wishes to address. The request must be received at least seven days before the next meeting of the Board and, if so received, the Board will consider the request at the meeting.
The Office of the Chief Constable will advise the applicant of the Board's decision as to attendance at the next Board meeting. If circumstances merit, and if sufficient notice is provided, the Office of the Chief Constable may seek to obtain Board approval for a person to speak at the next meeting of the Board.
A person may address the Board at an open session of a Board meeting (time permitting) on any topic that:
- relates to DPD, the DPD's mandate, service or policies;
- affects a segment of the community, as opposed to a single individual;
- relates to a strategy of policing, as opposed to a single action by one or more officers; or
- relates to the Board's oversight mandate, as opposed to the DPD's day-to-day police operations.
Speakers may not address the Board with respect to a matter that relates to a conduct complaint within the jurisdiction of the Office of the the Police Complaint Commissioner or substantially repeats information presented by other members of the public to the Board within the previous six months. The Office of the Chief Constable keeps track of such matters and, if concerning a complaint, refers the applicant to the appropriate oversight body.
The Board may limit the number of speakers appearing at any given open meeting, if the allotted agenda time does not allow for all delegate requests to be accommodated. In addition, a speaker may not address the Board more than twice in a calendar year (or within 6 months) without prior approval of the Board.
A speaker approved to speak at an open meeting must provide a written submission and a list of any other persons attending, to the Office of the Chief Constable, to be distributed with the meeting materials. At the Board meeting, the speaker is provided the opportunity to present to the Board for a maximum of five minutes (unless extended by the Board). Upon completion of the presentation, Board members may ask questions for the purpose of clarification and obtaining additional, relevant information.
When addressing the Board, speakers are expected to act respectfully and adhere to all practices established by the Board Chair for constructive discussions and maintaining decorum at the meeting.