Toronto’s Community Police Liaison Committees looking for a new image

Erskine is a member of a community police liaison committee, a civilian group attached to each police division in the city.

The CPLCs, as well as Community Consultative Committees, which deal with cultural or religious minority groups, all meet monthly, or at least four times a year.

A report CPLC representatives including Erskine presented to the board a year ago said the committees "are not well known," adding many "are missing out on the opportunity of reaching out to the larger population," and have "lackluster relationships" with the police force and each other.

The committees are "not promoting community safety effectively," and ought to make more use of Toronto’s media, and social media to better promote themselves, the report says.

Erskine, who works with the CPLC for 22 Division in Etobicoke, said members of different committees decided a few years ago to "to get over the apathy that we were feeling at the time" and help each of the committees do a better job of helping police do theirs.

After writing the report, the volunteers want to produce a guidebook for the committees that identifies best ways to work and makes them more visible in their communities, he said.

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• Dec 31, 1969
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A draft of the guidebook should be ready for each group by February, said Tim Kocur, a volunteer for the CPLC 52 Division, south of Bloor Street downtown.

Kocur and Erskine said volunteers want to consult with leaders and rank and file members of the force in 2015, and want to launch a rebranding of CPLCs, one which Kocur said will probably include a new name.

At Thursday’s meeting, the board didn’t approve their request for $25,000 to help with the rebranding. Though he welcomed the idea, Scarborough Councillor Micheal Thompson said he could get a logo for CPLCs designed by volunteers.

Thompson noted the report doesn’t speak about young people, and said many CPLC members are seniors and professionals, but many matters they deal with involve local youths.

Young people in Scarborough have said they can’t get involved with a CPLC, said Thompson.

Kocur conceded CPLCs are "probably not representative" of young people.

He added people must be a signed-up member to be part of a CPLC, which could be a barrier to some.

Erskine said the group is considering creating a "youth component" for all the committees and will encourage them to hold public meetings in different locations to increase their profile.