Toronto police say the practice of carding has been suspended while it is further studied by a consultant.

Chief Bill Blair issued a directive to halt the practice through a routine order issued Jan. 1, police spokesman Mark Pugash told CP24 Tuesday afternoon.

The suspension means that officers cannot stop individuals or prolong interactions without a valid public safety reason.

The move comes weeks after the Toronto Police Services Board voted to spend an additional $70,000 to have lawyer Frank Addario further study the practice in a subcommittee. Adarrio is expected to report his findings to the board on Feb. 19.

The board ordered the extra review of the practice after a report released in November found that 62 per cent of respondents in the Jane Street and Finch Avenue area reported having been carded since June, despite a package of rules released several months earlier to limit the practice.

Blair would not comment on the matter Tuesday, Pugash said. However Blair previously slammed the report on carding in November, saying at the time that it did not accurately reflect what is happening in policing today.

Speaking with CP24 Tuesday, Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack said he had heard about the practice being suspended. He said the police association wants to make sure there is a balance between investigative requirements and individual rights going forward.

At the last police board meeting on Dec. 15, Mayor John Tory called the practice “corrosive.”

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