DATE:	05 June 2008
TO:	Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM:	Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
SUBJECT:	APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL CONSTABLES – R.C.M.P.

RECOMMENDATION

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve the appointment of the R.C.M.P. members listed in Annex A as Special Constables pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the attached Approval of Appointment form.

DISCUSSION

On 28 May 2007 the Board approved the appointment of R.C.M.P. members as Special Constables pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act, as part of an ongoing integrated policing initiative to enable the officers to enforce certain Ontario provincial statutes in the City of Ottawa. A copy of the report considered by the Board at the May 2007 meeting is attached as Annex B and provides further details about the nature of these appointments.

The R.C.M.P. has requested that the 32 additional officers listed on Annex A be appointed as Special Constables under the same terms and conditions as those approved on 28 May 2007. A sample Approval of Appointment form is attached at Annex C. The OPS supports this request.

Vernon White

Chief of Police

Attach. (3)

ANNEX A

Rank	First Name	Last Name
Constable	Anne	Alary
Constable	Blois	Brooks
Constable	Olivier-Luc	Caron
Constable	Francis	Corbeil
Constable	Wendy	Cornell
Sergeant	Pierre	Côté
Constable	Kelly-Lynn	Fekete
Constable	Corey	Foote
Constable	Peter	George
Constable	Alexandre	Giroux
Constable	Jean-Sebastien	Gosselin
Constable	Jim	Hamper
Constable	Tony	Jay
Constable	Manon	Jean
Constable	Robert	Joly
Constable	Todd	Kikkert
Constable	Yves-Michel	Labbe
Constable	Philippe	Lacasse
Constable	Carl	Mackenzie
Constable	Heather	Macleod
Constable	James-Robert	McFetridge
Corporal	Deanne	Mills
Constable	Sharon	Mohammed
Constable	William	Neil
Corporal	Pierre	Peleja
Constable	Charmaine	Phillips
Constable	Carol	Pilon
Constable	Mark	Platt
Constable	Tylor	Ross
S/Sergeant	Francois	Roussel
Constable	Patrick	Ruest
Constable	Jeffrey-James	Stanzell

ANNEX B

REPORT

RAPPORT

CONFIDENTIAL

DATE:	22 May 2007
TO:	Executive Director, Ottawa Police Services Board
FROM:	Chief of Police, Ottawa Police Service
SUBJECT:	APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL CONSTABLES – R.C.M.P.: RENEWAL

RECOMMENDATION

That the Ottawa Police Services Board approve the appointment of the R.C.M.P. members contained on the attached list as Special Constables pursuant to Section 53 of the Police Services Act, in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the application forms and subject to final screening.

BACKGROUND

On 22 May 2003, the Police Services Board reviewed a recommendation concerning an ongoing integrated policing initiative that would see certain members of the R.C.M.P. appointed as Special Constables. This appointment would enable the officers to enforce certain Ontario provincial statutes in the City of Ottawa. The Board approved the recommendation and, on 28 June 2003, a large number of local R.C.M.P. members were sworn in as Special Constables. Their appointments would continue for a period of two years, ending in June 2005.

In May 2006, the Board accepted the recommendation to renew the designations. Approval is being sought for the designation of the RCMP officers on the attached list to be sworn in as Special Constables as soon as practicable.

DISCUSSION

As a result of the termination of the appointments in June 2005, a review of the initiative was ordered to determine whether the designations should be continued, deferred or stopped completely. In the interim, the Special Constable designation for R.C.M.P. officers lapsed.

Recommendations were received from commissioned officers of the R.C.M.P., as well as officers on the front lines. Interviews were conducted with key persons in the Ottawa Police Service. Emphasis was placed on hearing from officers who had participated in the initiative and would be aware of the benefits, as well as the challenges encountered during the two-year designations.

An internal review of the program was also conducted to assess the direct benefit of the program to the Ottawa Police Service and to the City of Ottawa as a whole.

RATIONALE

The initiative was based on the desire to continually improve the delivery of policing services to the residents of the City of Ottawa by capitalizing on the existing co-operation between the Ottawa Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The opportunity existed to build on the interoperability of the two services and the goodwill gained during special event policing, and to apply these concepts to day-to-day policing functions. It was hoped that this arrangement would lead to enhanced policing capabilities for both the O.P.S. and the R.C.M.P.

In pursuing this initiative, the Ottawa Police Service espoused seven key objectives that would enhance the overall delivery of policing services within the boundaries of the City of Ottawa:

· Additional back-up resources for OPS members responding to calls;

· Increase in community confidence;

· Enhanced current partnerships in co-operation with the R.C.M.P.;

· Reduced confusion regarding mandates and limits of authority;

· Enhanced response without usurping mandates;

· Elimination of artificial barriers.

The R.C.M.P. also sought to attain a number of important objectives with the appointments of their officers:

· Operational experience for patrol officers;

· Experience giving and gathering evidence;

· Increased opportunity for interaction with the public in a policing capacity;

· Enhanced response capability in the federal mandate;

· Streamlined communication;

· Team building.

For the most part, the intended objectives were reached during the duration of the designations. On a strategic level, the attainment of the intended objectives alone might be enough to support a recommendation to renew the designations. However, clear examples of how the initiative has worked operationally should assist the Police Services Board in coming to the conclusion that the appointments should be renewed.

The majority of R.C.M.P. officers assigned to the National Capital Region come from contract provinces where they have enjoyed full power to act and prosecute under the authority of provincial legislation. Once they arrive in Ottawa and learn that they do not have authority to act provincially, they feel restricted in their efforts to fulfill their federal mandate and support the police service of local jurisdiction.

There are other existing examples that illustrate the need for the designations. While fulfilling their federal mandate, local R.C.M.P. members often meet operational challenges that could be solved if they had authority to enforce provincial statutes. They may encounter persons who, because of mental instability or a desire to express their political views trespass onto protected or federal property. Without the authority to act under the Ontario Trespass to Property Act or the Mental Health Act, they must seek the assistance of OPS members who do have the authority to arrest and prosecute under the stated Acts.

In addition to the above, R.C.M.P. members who travel through our city often come across traffic offences and/or aggressive driving behaviour that they are unable to deal with because they do not have the legislative authority. They can only stop vehicles where the drivers have committed criminal offences and arrest/identification is necessary.

The R.C.M.P.’s General Duties Protective Policing Section (G.D.P.P.) is mandated with patrolling the National Capital Region, offering security to Internationally Protected Persons, Canadian dignitaries and their embassies and residences. In today’s policing environment, there is a constant thirst for information and intelligence that may assist in responding to terrorist threats. As part of their regular duties, G.D.P.P. members are a valuable source of information as they come into contact with persons who frequent embassies, missions and residences and may be doing so for nefarious reasons. The importance of the ability to stop and identify occupants of a vehicle and obtain useful intelligence cannot be understated. The appointment of R.C.M.P. officers as Special Constables confers on them the legislative authority to do just that. As a result of the strong partnerships built with the R.C.M.P. over the years, this important intelligence information is shared when appropriate with the Ottawa Police Service, furthering a joint response and commitment to anti-terrorism.

The following sections have been identified as most likely to benefit from the designations:

“A” Division Traffic Enforcement;

Demonstrations and Special Events Team;

Emergency Response Team;

Parliament Hill Security Unit;

General Duty Protective Policing;

Training Branch instructors.

The provincial statutes that the officers would be enforcing would include:

The Ontario Highway Traffic Act and associated regulations;

The Ontario Liquor Licence Act and associated regulations;

The Ontario Mental Health Act and associated regulations;

The Ontario Trespass to Property Act and associated regulations.

The City of Ottawa and the Ottawa Police Service have also reaped benefits from this initiative. Although the benefits might not be as tangible, they are nevertheless important. In return for an increased policing presence on the streets of Ottawa, there has been virtually no resource impact on our Service. It is safe to say that while the R.C.M.P. officers were appointed as Special Constables, they were able to perform certain duties on their own without our assistance, freeing our officers to respond to priority calls for service. The only resource required from the O.P.S. was training personnel from the Professional Development Centre, who provided approximately 30 hours of training to R.C.M.P. officers on Ontario’s provincial statutes.

In addition to this, R.C.M.P. officers traditionally support OPS officers as they deal with events such as Canada Day, major demonstrations and visiting dignitaries. To be able to count on the assistance of R.C.M.P. officers with full policing powers facilitates the discharge of the above responsibilities.

In the original submission to the Board, it was hoped that the initiative would raise significant revenue for the city from the issuance of provincial offence notices. The two-year experience did not bring the expected revenues. Only 162 files and 146 tickets were generated between January 2004 and June 2005. These files and tickets had no impact on the Ottawa Police Service Court Section as the R.C.M.P. court section handled all files generated by the R.C.M.P.

The greatest benefit to the Ottawa Police Service and citizens of the City of Ottawa, though difficult to measure, was the increased policing presence. It is truly a waste of policing resources to have armed, uniformed officers driving marked and unmarked police cars and not allow them to perform full policing functions when their duties and training permit them to do so.

A memorandum of understanding is being developed to reflect an up-to-date list of officers having the designation, the date of expiry of the designation, operational procedures and the terms of reference for the agreement. Provincial legislation allows for the length of the appointments to be up to five years. It is our recommendation that all appointments be in effect for a two-year statutory period, subject to revision and amendment as required.

The swearing-in process should be conducted once or twice a year, preferably in the spring and fall. This would allow maximum policing coverage around Canada Day and prepare officers for the busy summer operational period. Such a schedule would also ensure the timely updating of the designated officers list to account for R.C.M.P. transfers in and out of the Ottawa area.

Training R.C.M.P. officers on provincial statutes will be an R.C.M.P. responsibility. R.C.M.P. will use our Professional Development Centre as a resource, while the training will take place at R.C.M.P. facilities.

CONCLUSION

The Ottawa Police Service is fortunate to have an excellent working relationship with the R.C.M.P. This is exemplified by the cooperative work taking place on the streets of Ottawa during special events and on the front-line. This endeavour will ensure that some of the obstacles that have been in place in the past and have prevented officers from doing their jobs are lifted and allow them the opportunity to deliver the level of service that is expected of them. This will not only build on the existing relationship of trust, but also become a model and demonstrate to other services that integrated policing is more than a theory – that it can work.

Vernon White

Chief of Police

Attach. (1)
RCMP Members

Rank	First Name	Last Name
Constable	Christopher	Angel
Constable	Stephanie	Badeau
Corporal	Adrien	Barrieau
Constable	Alain	Beaulieu
Corporal	André	Beaulieu
Constable	Natacha	Bédard
Constable	Sarah	Bédard
Constable	Luc	Bélanger
Constable	Carlo	Bernard
Constable	Marc	Biagé
Inspector	Jim	Blackmore
Constable	André	Bouchard
Constable	Carl	Bouchereau
Constable	Gilles	Bourke
Constable	April	Brooker
Constable	Gary	Bubelis
Constable	Sylvain	Chalifoux
Constable	Denis	Charron
Constable	André	Chausse
Constable	Claude-Michel	Cimbert
Constable	Christopher	Cooper
Constable	Shawn	Cornelow
Corporal	Serge	Côté
Constable	Nathalie	Côté
Constable	Julie	Courchaine
Constable	Claude	Cousineau
Sergent	Pierre	Couture
Constable	Thomas	Crispin
Constable	Robert	Daoust
Constable	Denis	Dazé
Constable	Guy	Deschênes
Corporal	Paul	Desjardins
Constable	Alice	Desroches
Constable	Rajinder	Dhanoa
Constable	Christine	Doiron
Constable	Marie-Isabelle	Dupont
Constable	Clayton	Dupras
Constable	Leanne	Eger
Constable	Jacques	Essiambre
Constable	Denis	Fortier
Constable	Ian	Frost
Constable	André	Gallant
Constable	Jesson	Gaunce
Constable	David	Gerrard
Constable	Troy	Godard
Constable	Magalie	Gourgues
Sergent	Luc	Gratton
Constable	Paul	Groulx
Cst	Edward	Hall
Constable	Karen	Hamelin
Corporal	Robert	Hart
Corporal	Keith	Hendricks
Constable	Kristan	Henry
Constable	Andrew	Hobson
Constable	Robert	Hotte
S/Sgt	Alain	Houde
Constable	Cleveland	Irving
Constable	Pharanae	Jaques
Constable	Laurette	Jones
Constable	Rupert	July
S/Sgt	Stephan	Kruszelnyckyj
Constable	Brent	Lackie
Constable	Christine	Ladouceur
Constable	Caroline	Laflamme
Corporal	Denis	Laflamme
Constable	Garry	Laplante
Constable	Stephane	Lapointe
Constable	André	Larose
Constable	Betty-Joan	Le Blanc
Constable	Lexy	Le Capelin
Constable	Serge	Leblanc
Constable	Jérôme	Leclerc
Constable	Suzanne	Lefort
Constable	John	Legge
Constable	Jean-Pierre	Lehoux
Constable	Jean	Lepage
Constable	Bart	Leppan
Constable	Kaine	Lyons
Constable	Carleton Barclay	Mac Leod
Constable	Michael	Madeira
Constable	Mark	Maidment
Sergent	Céline	Mailloux
Constable	Patrice	Marcotte
S/Sgt	Jean	Marin
Constable	Benoit	Marleau
Constable	Nancy	Martin
Constable	Charles	Mason
Constable	Andrew	McCain
Constable	Susan	McKenzie
Constable	Paul	McManus
Constable	Barbara	McMorrow
Constable	Conrad	Messier
Constable	Dawn	Metallic
Constable	Donald	Michaud
Constable	Aleksandar	Milenovic
Constable	Dennis	Miller
Constable	Jacques	Milot
Constable	Dean James	Mitchell
Constable	Michel	Mongeon
Constable	Gilles	Murray
Constable	Randall	Noseworthy
Constable	Bernard	O'Bready
Constable	Peter	Osborne
Constable	Robert	Palanuk
Constable	Blair	Paquet
Constable	Marc	Parent
Constable	Linnea	Parisien
Constable	Geoff	Peddigrew
Sergent	Ghislain	Poitras
Constable	Michel	Porlier
Corporal	Jean-Paul	Potvin
Sergent	Claude	Pronovost
Constable	Robert	Quenneville
S/Sgt	Yves	Rainville
Constable	Jeffrey	Rantala
Corporal	Martin	Roach
Constable	Jack	Robertson
Constable	Gilles	Rochon
Constable	Jean	Roy
Sergent	Richard	Rozon
Constable	Glenn	Saunders
Constable	Frédéric	Sauvé
Constable	Eric	Simard
Constable	Denis	Simard
Constable	Gurbinder	Singh
Constable	Robert	Skolrood
Constable	Paulina	Sokoloski
Constable	Richard	St-Amour
Corporal	Rodney	Swim
Constable	Alain	Taillefer
Corporal	Denis	Therien
Constable	Mark	Tindall
Constable	Benoit	Toutan
Constable	Isabelle	Tremblay
Constable	Barry	Vandyk
Constable	Rob	Vodrey
Constable	Terence	Warren
Constable	Sandra	Williams
Constable	Graham	Wilson
Constable	Robert	Wilson
Corporal	Blair	Yorke
Constable	Steeve	Zamor
Constable	Michael	Zito