Dear Edmonton Police Services (EPS) and Edmonton City Council;

As concerned citizens of Edmonton and area, we are calling attention of the Edmonton Police Service to the following series of recommendations related to law enforcement that resulted from the Journey for Justice Town Hall meeting held on Saturday, May 14, 2022. This Town Hall was a collaboration of the John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, Taccalusa Institute, and the Coalition for Justice and Human Rights regarding missing and murdered Somali boys and men. 

We urge you to address the issues identified by the community by reviewing and applying the following action items so that past injustices of Somali youth and men can be addressed and future ones be avoided.

The recommendations for action items are the following: 

Hiring and Training

Address capacity gaps and understanding within law enforcement of navigating trauma and mental illness
Hire a targeted number of Somali investigators to work cases that are outstanding

Protection and Communication

Protection and confidentiality for witnesses or informants on cases
EPS should directly and intentionally follow up and meet with families who are victims of homicides
Create safe and private spaces for families to ask questions about EPS
Community education campaign and awareness raising on the victims support that is available within EPS and ensuring each family that falls victim is directly connected to these supports
Increase opportunities for dialogue between EPS and community (moving beyond presentations to dialogue)

Audit and Assessment

Audit and overhaul of the Institutional Investigation Unit of EPS
Audit and assessment of metrics on recruitment and hiring within EPS
Assessment of culturally appropriate responses within victims supports
Collaboration with the community to assess the impacts of the BOLO program and consider the harms caused and narratives created through the billboards 

Accountability

Collection of race based data across EPS
Implementation of body-worn cameras on Edmonton Police officers

Resources

Prioritize resources towards the investigation of homicides

These recommendations can be found in the Journey for Justice summary report with more extensive information and notes from the Town Hall meeting.