Alberta Justice Minister Kaycee Madu announces a ban on the police practice of carding on Thursday.

By Alex McCuaig

Justice minister bans police practice of carding, puts street checks under scrutiny

Nov 19, 2020 | 9:16 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Police in Alberta will no longer be able to ask citizens for personal information without a good reason as the province’s justice minister levelled a ban on the practice known as carding on Thursday.

Kaycee Madu said during a media announcement that carding was originally used as a legitimate tool in gathering criminal intelligence, “but in practice, we have heard it is often misused and habitually targets racialized and minority communities.”

But carding is something many police services in Alberta say they don’t practice – including in Medicine Hat, said city police Chief Andy McGrogan.

“We’ve never done carding in Medicine Hat. We’ve only done street checks so (the ban) really didn’t affect us,” said McGrogan.

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Street checks is a practice which allows police to question individuals they believe are directly associated with criminal activity, says McGrogan.

But even street checks will be under more scrutiny, says Madu.

“The new rules include requirements for police services to review street check data four times a year and to provide an annual report to the provincial government,” said Madu.

A government press release issued following the announcement went even further stating that police will only be able to collect personal information in specific circumstances such as when a crime which has taken place.

“These interactions will be voluntary and officers must make that clear at the outset of the interaction that citizens have no obligation to provide their personal information or answer questions,” read the media release from the justice ministry.

McGrogan says he doesn’t have an issue with more scrutiny as long as it doesn’t prevent police from doing their job.

“I always use the example of you have a guy walking down an alley with a hoodie on and a backpack and it’s three o’clock in the morning and he doesn’t belong there. Police need the opportunity to stop that person, talk to them, determine if there is any criminality,” said McGrogan.

McGrogan says the public expects that of police and if there was later to be a break and enter reported in such a circumstance, officers could be criticized for not communicating with such an individual.

While the new rules won’t be formalized until next year, Madu says they take effect immediately.