The Woodbridge contractors’ association offering to fund the purchase of a new armoured vehicle for the Toronto police has pulled its donation in light of community concern, saying it will redirect the $275,000 to other causes.

“We believe in giving back. In that spirit, we agreed to assist the Toronto police with the acquisition of a new vehicle to support their Emergency Task Force,” reads a statement from Ron Johnson, executive director of Interior Systems Contractors Association of Ontario (ISCA).

“In light of the community’s concern regarding this initiative, our volunteer board has decided to redirect these funds to other community causes.”

The construction employers’ association, which includes more than 100 member businesses, had offered to pay the bulk of an estimated $300,000 needed to replace Toronto police’s 14-year-old armoured vehicle, which Toronto police chief Mark Saunders has called “outdated.”

Toronto police spokesperson Allison Sparkes said in an email Wednesday that the service respects the decision.

The private donation had been scheduled to be debated at the upcoming Toronto police board meeting; gifts over $10,000 must be approved by the seven-member civilian board.

Although Saunders said the proposed donation was in accordance with Toronto police board procedure and the City of Toronto donation policies, it drew concern about the perception of a conflict of interest and the optics of a corporate donation in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Private donors should not be determining what equipment and focus the police choose — it begs questions of buying protection and influence,” wrote John Sewell, former Toronto mayor and member of the Toronto Police Accountability Coalition, in a letter sent to the board before ISCA withdrew the funding.

In a tweet on Wednesday, national non-profit Democracy Watch, which advocates for government accountability and corporate responsibility, implored the Toronto police board not to allow the private donation to a public law enforcement agency, calling it “unethical.”

Saunders’ report to the board said Toronto police had confirmed that neither ISCA nor any of its members were currently involved in active city or service procurements as bidders, proponents or applicants.

Johnson, ISCA’s executive director, said the organization will remain “committed to supporting our communities through philanthropy,” noting the association has given money to hospitals, long term care facilities, recreation centres and veteran support groups.

Alex Luscombe, a PhD student from the University of Toronto’s criminology department, has co-authored research papers examining private donations to law enforcement agencies throughout North America. Some police services, including in the United States and Vancouver, have established arms-length police foundations to manage donations at a distance and run background checks on the proposed donors.

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“But at the end of the day, there will always be that inherent risk that someone could still perceive the donation as getting somebody special treatment,” Luscombe said in an interview Thursday.

This week’s armoured vehicle donation situation should prompt the service and the board to closely re-examine its policies around donations, Luscombe said, including researching how other forces have handled donations and specifying what kind of equipment or services they are willing to take in as gifts.

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

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