On Wednesday, Jan 14 we first called, then emailed, the Hamilton Police Service

to request an interview with the chief or whichever senior manager they felt
appropriate to discuss the pros and cons of setting specific proactive policing
targets for patrol officers. These targets put hard numbers to the traffic stops,
tickets, impaired driving arrests etc that each officer should strive for each month.
We renewed that request on Tuesday, Jan 20.
The service did not make anyone available for an interview, sending instead an
email touching on some of their management practices.
Here is the complete response we received to our interview requests. It is
attributed to Acting Chief Eric Girt:
The Hamilton Police Service is committed to working in a leadership capacity with all our
communities to resolve problems and improve quality of life. As I am sure you are aware, the
Ministrys Adequacy and Effectiveness Regulation requires every Police Services Board, in
partnership with the Chief of Police, to prepare a Business Plan for its police service at least once
every three years. Its the policy of our Service to report annually to the Board on performance of
the goals, measures, indicators, actions and highlights of our Business Plan during the previous
fiscal year. The most recent report was provided at the April 22, 2014 of the Police Services
Board.
Our Business Plan has 16 goals and 37 performance measures. Annually, Divisions set
objectives to achieve the business plan goals. Squad objectives are then established to achieve
divisional goals, and then individual members set objectives to achieve the squad goals.
To set objectives, we use the popular and accepted performance management of
SMART: Specific; Measurable; Attainable; Realistic and Time-oriented.
Everyone in the Service is expected to contribute to public safety in our neighbourhoods and
communities. Everyone in the Service is accountable to deliver public safety in our community.
Lets take a look at one of the goals from our Business Plan 2013 2015:
1.2: Improve the safety of our communitys pedestrians, drivers, cyclists and passengers.
There are performance measures in place which include providing information to our community
on how to prevent collisions, increasing enforcement aimed at reducing impaired driving, fatal
motor vehicle collisions, collisions involving personal injury and/or property damage; increasing
RIDE program and implementing high visibility and alternate methods of traffic enforcement.
Patrol squad objectives for goal 1.2 could include: quantitative and qualitative performance
indicators involving enforcement, RIDE lanes, STOP/Warrant/Compliance checks, ProblemOriented Policing (POP) projects and impaired arrests.
Our citizens expect and demand traffic safety as part of public safety. Achieving these objects
contributes to both of these.
To address another point in your email, our organizational performance management plan
is integrated with our employee performance and development plan. Every year, there are
promotion opportunities within the Service. Achieving objectives to enhance public safety, to

fulfill the Business Plan goals is a component of this process. This process was developed in
partnership with the Service and the Hamilton Police Association.
A/Chief Eric Girt