The Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners asked over 150 groups and individuals in the city for their views on the Saskatchewan Police Commission’s guidelines for conducting random street checks. These are police interactions with civilians that are also known as Contact Interviews. Only 22 groups or individuals took the time to respond. When asked if they had any specific concerns about the impact of contact interviews on individual privacy rights, prior to the guidelines being announced, 86.4 per cent said no. When asked if the guidelines sufficiently addressed any concerns they may have had about their impact on individual privacy rights, 68.2 per cent said yes.

Under the new guidelines, the Commission says the police practice can’t be random, an identifiable population can’t be targeted, and the subject of the interview is not required to answer questions or speak to police and can walk away at any time.