Toronto police to delete missing persons' last name, gender

[spaminator]

Toronto police to delete missing persons' last name, gender

The goal of these changes is to better protect the missing person in the future

Author of the article:Jane Stevenson
Published Feb 03, 2023 • 1 minute read

The Toronto Police is changing the way they release information relating to missing persons.


Effective immediately, news releases and social media posts will no longer routinely include the person’s surname or gender but will include their photo and first name.


The goal of these changes, made in consultation with the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit and the Missing and Missed Implementation Team (MMIT), is to better protect the missing person in the future.

“Someone may go into a job interview five years after they’ve had that experience of being a missing person,” said Toronto Police Det. Shona Patterson of the Homicide and Missing Persons Unit.

“And we know we all turn to Google and we may want to Google that person. First of all it’s much harder to find that person on Google when it’s just the first name. And so we just want to be able to reduce that stigma, that hardship, that somebody may experience in the future. I talk about employers but it could be a potential relationship or co-workers or friends that have Googled you and now you’re having to explain yourself five years, or six years down the road.”

While Toronto Police plan to routinely not use last names and gender, there may be circumstances in which they do, for instance if a photograph of the missing individual is not available.

“We will definitely keep an eye on things,’ said Patterson. “It’s important that we have a good gauge on like what’s hitting with our community as well. Like ‘What is it in that media release that engages people the most?’ Photo and video are really big things.”

Toronto police to delete missing persons' last name, gender

Toronto police to delete missing persons' last name, gender

torontosun.com

 

[Ron in Regina]

So, to sum that up, the Toronto Police are only releasing, for a missing person, that persons first name & a photo…& not their gender or surname, so that…in the future (but not the present?) they’ll be harder to find. Got it.

Police out here do something similar when requesting the public’s help finding a suspect at times, but in a more Woke way.

A few years ago (about 10 or 15 years ago I guess), there was somebody at one of the hospitals (Pasqua) who was stalking the parking lot at the Nurses shift changes at night looking to do evil & nefarious stuff. I learned of this through a nurse that I know who was super pissed off at the police description of this suspect as it was released to the public. She didn’t actually work at that hospital, but she had friends
that did.

The police had released an approximate guess at a height range, & age range, & weight range, and at that point, it was still appropriate to say that it was a male they where looking for. They also released a description of the clothing & its colours that this male suspect was wearing at the last assault.

Ok, so you mentally develop a vague (very vague) description that fits about 25% of everybody that anyone would know….& this Nurse (My Sister) & I where having coffee when the description came across the radio.

What they (the police) didn’t mention was that the guy they were looking for, who was robbing & assaulting nurses at their shift change, was black (of African ancestry black). This Nurse seemed to think that was a pretty big freak’n clue to identifying this individual that was omitted in the description.

Now I am not Sherlock Holmes, but isn’t that clue elementary to the description?

If the Toronto police really want to find a missing and potentially vulnerable person as quickly as possible, wouldn’t releasing as much information about that person like their gender and surname also be elementary to the description?

“We’re looking for someone, & here’s a 5 year old picture that they may or may not look like anymore, and this now 17 year old person is named ‘Tracy’ or ‘Terry’ or ‘Dana’ and they where last seen wearing clothing, etc….have you seen them? Do you know where they/them/her/he is? If so call us, Or don’t, that’s your prerogative.”

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

“We’re looking for someone, & here’s a 5 year old picture that they may or may not look like anymore, and this now 17 year old person is named ‘Tracy’ or ‘Terry’ or ‘Dana’ and they where last seen wearing clothing, etc….have you seen them? Do you know where they/them/her/he is? If so call us, Or don’t, that’s your prerogative.”

I like it! You automatically eliminate all the nekkid people wandering around.

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

Ron, the nurse must have been mistaken. Everybody knows black people don't commit crime. The only reason they get arrested is because of racial profiling and systematic racism.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Ron, the nurse must have been mistaken. Everybody knows black people don't commit crime. The only reason they get arrested is because of racial profiling and systematic racism.

Tissue?

 

[Ron in Regina]

Ron, the nurse must have been mistaken. Everybody knows black people don't commit crime. The only reason they get arrested is because of racial profiling and systematic racism.

I’m not saying this person robbing and assaulting nurses was doing this because they were black, but the fact that they were black was a pretty big but basic clue to their eventually being identified, and yes, I appreciate the fact that you’ve written that in purple as I can be a little dense (blindly straight forward?) at times.

I like it! You automatically eliminate all the nekkid people wandering around.

Yes, and when you’re looking for a missing person or a suspect… how they identify themselves is pretty irrelevant in relation to how you would identify them… for the purpose of identifying them.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

I’m not saying this person robbing and assaulting nurses was doing this because they were black, but the fact that they were black was a pretty big but basic clue to their eventually being identified, and yes, I appreciate the fact that you’ve written that in purple as I can be a little dense (blindly straight forward?) at times.

Yes, and when you’re looking for a missing person or a suspect… how they identify themselves is pretty irrelevant in relation to how you would identify them… for the purpose of identifying them.

Look for the nekkid ones. They're OK.

Process of elimination. You know my methods, Watson. Use them!

 

[Ron in Regina]

Ron, the nurse must have been mistaken. Everybody knows black people don't commit crime. The only reason they get arrested is because of racial profiling and systematic racism.

You sarcastically nailed it though. In an effort to not be seen racially profiling, they went so far in the other direction as to make the description irrelevant.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

You sarcastically nailed it though. In an effort to not be seen racially profiling, they went so far in the other direction as to make the description irrelevant.

Maybe you could try being all cutesy. Like "the perpetrator doesn't have much need for sunscreen." Or "the missing teen goes by the name Anastasia and may be fluent in Swedish."

Or just give a melanin count. Make it sound all professional-like and scientifical.

Tragic that all this kerfuffle is going on. It's so unnecessary, being as how there's no racial bias in Canada, and never has been.

 

[The_Foxer]

I’m not saying this person robbing and assaulting nurses was doing this because they were black, but the fact that they were black was a pretty big but basic clue to their eventually being identified, and yes, I appreciate the fact that you’ve written that in purple as I can be a little dense (blindly straight forward?) at times.

Yes, and when you’re looking for a missing person or a suspect… how they identify themselves is pretty irrelevant in relation to how you would identify them… for the purpose of identifying them.

This is what happens when we put political correctness and wokeness ahead of people's lives. Not the first time

 

[Ron in Regina]

Look for the nekkid ones. They're OK.

Process of elimination. You know my methods, Watson. Use them!

In Saskatchewan, much of the year, the Nekkid ones really stand out…I saw a guy in shorts a few mornings back (about -20°C without the wind) wearing shorts, a dark blue parka, tan hiking boots, a black touque, and a green & black backpack….& that’s the only pedestrian I can remember clearly from the last five days and only because he was wearing shorts!!! It was shortly before 8am so still dark out & I recall that much detail even in the dark only because of the shorts.

Maybe you could try being all cutesy. Like "the perpetrator doesn't have much need for sunscreen." Or "the missing teen goes by the name Anastasia and may be fluent in Swedish."

Or just give a melanin count. Make it sound all professional-like and scientifical.

Tragic that all this kerfuffle is going on. It's so unnecessary, being as how there's no racial bias in Canada, and never has been.

Love the humour, but a description should be as detailed as possible to find a suspect or missing person as quickly as possible.

This is what happens when we put political correctness and wokeness ahead of people's lives. Not the first time

Yep, but everything comes and goes in cycles and I’ve seen those ugly bellbottoms come back twice already since the 70s…so maybe putting the political correctness in a description will hit the back-burner when they really want to find someone.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Bellbottoms!

 

[Ron in Regina]

Ironically I don’t remember the colour of the shorts above, but they where SHORTS, in Saskatchewan, at the January/February border in time…with caucasian coloured legs between the shorts & the boots…

 

[Ron in Regina]

Weirdly, if the police needed to find somebody who saw this person I’m describing above:

….I saw a guy in shorts a few mornings back (about -20°C without the wind) wearing shorts, a dark blue parka, tan hiking boots, a black touque, and a green & black backpack….& that’s the only pedestrian I can remember clearly from the last five days and only because he was wearing shorts!!! It was shortly before 8am…

Ironically I don’t remember the colour of the shorts above, but they where SHORTS, in Saskatchewan, at the January/February border in time…with caucasian coloured legs between the shorts & the boots…

…& know it was between 7:45am and 7:50am at the corner of Dewdney & McAra in Regina on the 31st or 1st…would this be enough to trigger other people’s memories to say, “Yeah, I saw him going west on Dewdney at 8:10am” and another to say “Yeah, he was warming up in Battery Depot about 8:25am” and so on & so forth…???

 

[petros]

I too have seen a person wearing shorts in winter.

Odd ducks.

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

Yep, but everything comes and goes in cycles

Well except for those things and people that never get off the damn dime in the first place. And those that follow the glide path of a brick.

 

[Ron in Regina]

This thread is reminding me of a different one from years ago that I couldn’t find. It was in Regina, and dealt with a stolen vehicle (3/4ton or 1Ton truck) that was used to drive through a gas station to try and drag out the ATM.

The police gave some super vague description… then later, came forward with a photograph of one of the guys involved, and his nose was about 3 inches across and he could’ve stuffed a C cell battery up each nostril, and still breathed uninterrupted. That would’ve been a pretty significant description detail that should’ve been included, but wasn’t.

Found It!!

One suspect is described as having a dark complexion and wearing a dark grey hoodie, black shoes and gloves. Police say the second man was wearing white shoes and gloves. Here’s a picture that came out later about the first suspect:

Then from the White Gloves & Shoes description above of the second suspect, this below might be the other guy:

 

[Tecumsehsbones]

True. "3/4 or 1-ton truck" is pretty vague. C'mon, it's Saskatchewan! Can't y'all at least come up with a make?

 

[harrylee]

This thread is reminding me of a different one from years ago that I couldn’t find. It was in Regina, and dealt with a stolen vehicle (3/4ton or 1Ton truck) that was used to drive through a gas station to try and drag out the ATM.

The police gave some super vague description… then later, came forward with a photograph of one of the guys involved, and his nose was about 3 inches across and he could’ve stuffed a C cell battery up each nostril, and still breathed uninterrupted. That would’ve been a pretty significant description detail that should’ve been included, but wasn’t.

 

[Ron in Regina]

True. "3/4 or 1-ton truck" is pretty vague. C'mon, it's Saskatchewan! Can't y'all at least come up with a make?

Regina police seeking suspects in attempted theft of ATM

LINK: http://www.cjme.com/2020/03/26/630205/ The Regina Police Service is looking for two men who tried to steal an ATM from a business early Wednesday...

forums.canadiancontent.net

It was a news story from 4 Years ago. The fact that I remembered it at all is a testament to his nose that wasn’t mentioned in the description at all.