The Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E.) is a non-profit organization formed in 1992 to address the needs and concerns of Black and other racial minorities in law enforcement and the community. The membership includes Police Officers, Correctional Officers, Probation and Parole Officers, Immigration Officers, Customs Officers, Court Services Officers, By-law Enforcement Officers, Sheriff's Officers, Special Constables and members from the community.
A.B.L.E.'s goals and objectives are:
- To build bridges between law enforcement agencies and the community at large
- To support the pursuit of post-secondary education for and to provide scholarship opportunities to racial minority youth
- To improve the image of law enforcement in the community
- To promote racial harmony and cultural pride within the law enforcement community
- To educate the community about and promote understanding of the law
- To encourage membership from among Black and Racial Minority Law Enforcers as well as persons and organizations who are interested in furthering A.B.L.E.'s objectives
- To provide information, support, counseling and professional advice to all members
- To promote professionalism among A.B.L.E's members
Mission Statement
The Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E) is an organization founded on the vision of law enforcement professionals who adopted respect, courtesy, service, and professionalism as core values to guide its members and their work.
We acknowledge with pride the dedication of Black people who have contributed to law enforcement in Canada.
We, as an association, celebrate the past, deal with the present, and prepare for the future.
A.B.L.E will continue to recognize and respect its partnership with all law enforcement agencies.
What Our Logo Means
- Chains – A symbol of strength and unity
- Shape of Inner Letters – Symbolic of continental Africa, the original home of the Black Race
- Maple Leaf – A symbol of Canada
- Shield – A recognized symbol of Policing and Police professionals
- Key – A recognized symbol of Corrections and Correctional professionals
- Gavel – Represents the Criminal Justice system, law enforcement agencies and the professionals that serve within them
- Colors – Red, Black, and Green are traditional African colors. Blue, a color universally associated with law enforcement
A.B.L.E History
On April 20, 1993, Chief Justice of the Federal Court Julius Isaac, in greetings sent to the Association of Black Law Enforcers (A.B.L.E.) on the occasion of its Inaugural Ball said: "The formation of the Association marks a new level of maturity in the Black Community in Ontario and, in my view, will contribute greatly to the promotion of the public good."
The Association of Black Law Enforcers was created out of the vision of a group of Black law enforcement professionals as they met on October 24, 1992 to establish the foundation of an organization the principal aim of which was to be a force for positive change in the society in which they lived and worked.
In one of his early statements as the first president of the Association, David Mitchell said: "With the [A.B.L.E.] constitution serving as our roadmap the Association of Black Law Enforcers will provide a high level of service to our members, our community, and the greater law enforcement profession. Our commitment as professionals will assist in meeting the challenges of the future".
The familiar A.B.L.E. logo was designed by Dwight Williams a graduate student of Cedarbrae Collegiate Institute in Scarborough who went on to study at York University. This unique identifier graced the cover of our inaugural ball magazine in June 1993.
Keynote Address at A.B.L.E. Awards Ball : Our International Relationships Grow
May 27, 1995 on the occasion of A.B.L.E.'s third annual awards ball, Paul Wilson of the Metropolitan Police Service of London, England represented the Black Police Association (Great Britain) and gave the keynote address.The following year our growing relationship with the United States National Black Police Association was marked as Ms. Leslie Seymore, Past National Chair N.B.P.A. gave the keynote address.
Historic Signing of Accord
On August 23, 1996 an accord was reached among the leadership of the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE) Canada; the Association of Black Law Enforcers (ABLE) Bermuda; the Black Police Association (BPA) United Kingdom; and the National Black Police Association (NBPA) United States of America. The historic "International Memorandum of Understanding"was signed during the NBPA National Training Conference in Detroit.
A.B.L.E. and Racial Profiling
May 24, 2003 - A.B.L.E. president David Mitchell publishes a statement on racial profiling in the Annual Scholarship Awards Ball magazine. In this article he says, "A.B.L.E. acknowledges that the vast majority of Law Enforcement Officers in our country perform their duties in a professional, honourable and ethical manner. At the same time, we accept the presence of the law enforcement phenomenon known as Racial Profiling." A.B.L.E. has adopted the following definition of racial profiling.
Investigative or enforcement activity initiated by an individual officer based on his or her stereotypical, prejudicial or racist perceptions of who is likely to be involved in wrong doing or criminal activity. This conduct is systemically facilitated when there is ineffective policy, training, monitoring and control mechanisms in a system.
[ A.B.L.E.'s story is not finished. This site will continue to evolve ]