Julia Necheff, Canadian Press
EDMONTON (CP) -- A plan by Edmonton police to identify and target the city’s worst drivers by keeping special tabs on them has raised questions about how far police should be allowed to go in keeping roads safe.
The police service says it’s launching the pre-emptive strike against people with truly terrible driving records to try to get them off the road and prevent serious accidents before they happen.
While the Edmonton chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving applauds the idea, the plan has raised red flags for others.
Critics suggest it smacks of profiling and could breach people’s privacy rights. They also question whether the campaign is a wise use of scarce police resources.
Police should treat people the same, Stephen Jenuth of the Alberta Civil Liberties Association said Tuesday. It’s doesn’t seem right for officers to give a driver who doesn’t have a bad record a warning for a traffic violation, but hand a ticket to one on their hit list, Jenuth said.
“It strikes me that it’s inappropriate to treat the two classes of people differently.”
“It’s somewhat problematic. One should be very careful about a police force that feels their duty is to attack the usual suspects.”
The police service will use computer technology and a mathematical formula based on driving records, and other run-ins with the law, to cross-reference their files and come up with a list of “high-risk drivers,” said Insp. Mike Derbyshire.
“These aren’t average people on their way to or from work. These are truly criminal driving behaviours and the worst of the worst,” Derbyshire said.
“Our mission is to get these people off the road to make the roads safer for everybody.”
Officers will be given detailed information about the drivers, including where they live and work and when they’re most likely to be on the road. Starting next month, police will be on the lookout out for their targets and may tail them to see if they’re breaking any driving rules.