Electronic Evidence Disclosure (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

Ontario

City/ Region:

Toronto

Description of Initiative:

Providing evidence disclosure to the Crown Attorney’s Office in an electronic format.

Initiative Key Objectives:

The initiative has several objectives:

  • reduce the time in which evidence disclosure is made to the Crown Attorney's Office;
  • improve efficiencies in the quality and standardization of evidence disclosure to the Crown Attorney's Office; and
  • reduce the preparation time spent by criminal investigators copying and delivering hard copy materials for evidence disclosure.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

E-Disclosure unit of the Toronto Police Service (TPS), Homicide Squad

Key Contact:

Gregory Groves
Gregory.groves@torontopolice.on.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

  • other government departments/agencies

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General, Toronto Regional Crown Attorney’s Office is involved.

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

This program was initiated in March 2008 and its development is ongoing.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

In part this initiative came about as a result of concerns over the rising cost of paper for photocopying and the increased costs associated with the collection and dissemination of evidence disclosure for larger prosecutions.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

The set-up costs included the cost of a software application (Adobe Acrobat Professional), training for users and the cost of high-capacity scanning units to digitize the material not already in electronic formats.

Method of Implementation:

A pilot project was implemented in the Detective Services pillar (Homicide Squad, Sex Crimes Unit and Financial Crimes Unit). Once the pilot was assessed and approved for implementation by all stakeholders, the e-disclosure process was implemented in all other operational business units in the TPS.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

The key outcomes of the E-disclosure initiative include a high satisfaction rate on the part of all stakeholders, meeting its objectives where it is fully deployed. Hard material costs have been reduced and hours previously dedicated to preparation have been saved and have been redirected to other efforts toward public safety.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

Yes

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

The success of this initiative was publicized during the initial training session provided to all TPS officers. The Crown Attorney’s office is also involved in training its staff and publicizing the success of the E-disclosure initiative. Internal messaging from the Deputy Chief who championed the initiative both to users and to senior management contributed to compliance and commitment.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

  • internal
  • qualitative

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

Yes

Summary of the Outcomes:

An evaluation has been completed using a customer satisfaction survey and the qualitative outcome was a 90% satisfaction rating from all stakeholders.

A quantitative review has identified a savings in paper costs and service costs for photocopiers. An annualized account of cost efficiencies has yet to be conducted.

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

Further Details:

N/A

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

N/A

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01

Date modified: