WRPS Chief speaks out against media airing Const. Styles’ call for help
Posted Jul 8, 2011 03:45:01 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
At the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board meeting Friday, Chief Matt Torigian announced he’ll be speaking out as the President of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, on the decision by some broadcast outlets to air York Region Constable Garrett Styles’ haunting call for help.
Styles made an emergency transmission while pinned by a minivan he attempted to pull over in Newmarket on June 28th.
Speaking on behalf of police leaders across the province, Torigian said the broadcast of Styles call was disgraceful, “we think it was unnecessary, we understand that this information was out in the public realm, but to release it when it was released, if nothing else, was disrespectful to the family, disrespectful to the members of York Regional Police, disrespectful to members of that community and in fact, police services and communities across Ontario,” he said.
Torigian adds the association is looking into whether there were any violations of broadcast regulations or laws, but speculates that there weren’t.
Torigian is calling for better police and media relations, he asked the question “what was the rush?” to broadcast such graphic audio.
He said the media could have waited a couple of days to allow the police to prepare the Styles family for what they might hear in the media. “It’s all about communication and it’s all about relationships and the obvious disrespect to that relationship and the need for those relationships by some media, we think as police leaders, was unnecessary.” said Torigian.
