Alana Saulnier and Daniela Zuzunaga Zegarra
Police were key to enforcing and managing COVID-19 emergency orders, but many police services were not prepared for such an emergency. In Ontario, Canada, each service was…
Abstract
Purpose
Police were key to enforcing and managing COVID-19 emergency orders, but many police services were not prepared for such an emergency. In Ontario, Canada, each service was responsible for crafting its own procedures for responding to the pandemic. This study synthesizes changes documented by Ontario-based services.
Design/methodology/approach
We conducted a qualitative thematic analysis of COVID-19-related documents (e.g. emails, guides and recommendations, orders, directives, policies and procedures, questionnaires and checklists and strategic plans) produced by 14 municipal police services across Ontario, Canada.
Findings
The documents reveal ways that police services were affected by the pandemic. These changes are organized into four themes: intra-organizational changes, officer wellness, inter-agency coordination and collaboration and community-police relations.
Originality/value
The study works with data from multiple police services to document the range of ways that policing changed to adapt to the pandemic. Understanding how police services navigated the pandemic facilitates preparedness for future civil emergencies.