In a rare move aimed at bolstering public trust following the fatal shooting of Sammy Yatim, Toronto’s police chief has appointed a retired Ontario judge to conduct an internal review of officers’ use of force when responding to emotionally disturbed people.

Chief Bill Blair announced the appointment of retired Ontario associate chief justice Dennis O’Connor on Monday — less than 24 hours before a scheduled protest at police headquarters demanding justice in the shooting death of 18-year-old Yatim. The teen, who was wielding a small blade on an empty streetcar, was fired at nine times and then Tasered on July 26. He later died in hospital.

An internal review is required by law under the Police Services Act, but seeking outside help is an unusual step for a Toronto police chief.

“I want the people of Toronto to trust the outcome. I want the people of Toronto to know our commitment to serve them in a way which is fair and just and professional,” Blair said of the appointment. “I don’t think I have to do this — I think it’s the right thing to do . . . I think it is an appropriate time to seek outside help.”

The chief said he picked O’Connor for his history of objective public service, citing his leadership as commissioner of both the Walkerton Inquiry, probing an outbreak of E.coli in the water supply of an Ontario town, and the Arar Report, which investigated Canada’s role in the torture of Maher Arar.

In 2001, then police chief Julian Fantino brought in the late Ontario justice George Ferguson for an internal review of police misconduct, following a massive investigation of five drug squad officers accused of corruption.

Following Ferguson’s review, the police board clashed when it was suggested a second “outside” review should be done even after a two-volume report by the judge that made 32 recommendations to combat corruption.

Blair is required to report the findings of an internal review to the Toronto Police Services Board within 30 days of the conclusion of an SIU investigation. That investigation has not yet concluded, and Blair said he could not speculate when it would be finished.

The officer identified as the subject of the SIU investigation, Const. James Forcillo, has been suspended with pay.

Blair said he will report to the board as required about the conduct of the officers involved, but expects a broader review of policy, procedure and training led by O’Connor to continue until possibly the end of the year.

The chair of the Toronto Police Services Board, Alok Mukherjee, was supportive of O’Connor’s appointment on Monday, after the board’s earlier call for a “thorough” review.

“I think that the chief is trying to respond to that expectation,” Mukherjee told the Star. “The board is quite anxious to see what Justice O’Connor has to say.”

Yatim’s family said they also welcome the appointment.

“We feel that the involvement of Justice Dennis O’Connor will help provide some assurance of transparency and commitment to create improved protocols through his investigation,” a statement read.

The appointment comes in the wake of a rekindled debate over police use-of-force training and policies that was sparked by Yatim’s death. It was the second time the chief has addressed the media in relation to the shooting.

Yatim was the third person wielding a knife to be shot and killed by the Toronto police in as many months this year. After a bystander video of the event went viral in the days after the shooting, outrage spilled onto the streets and was palpable at the teen’s funeral.

Ontario Ombudsman André Marin has also announced a probe into provincial guidelines for police use of force.

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Emotionally disturbed persons, or EDPs, is the term police dispatchers use to refer to people who may be mentally ill or experiencing a crisis. Toronto officers receive mandatory two-day training annually on how to respond to such calls and de-escalate volatile situations.

Yatim’s family has said he had no history of violence or mental illness.

With files from Tim Alamenciak

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