Chief’s Verbal – 27 June 2011
New Pants with Red Stripe
As of today there may be a difference noted in officers as Constables, Sergeants and Staff Sergeants will begin wearing uniform pants with a red stripe as part of Uniform Dress #2. The transition is in accordance with Provincial Adequacy Standards, which recommend red stripe pants, and will assist community members in distinguishing police from other services such as EMS, By-Law and private security companies.
Strategic Youth Specialist
After a review of the Youth Manager position that Louise Logue vacated in late 2010 to become a Justice of the Peace, the position of Strategic Youth Specialist was developed within the District Directorate. Input was sought from both within the Ottawa Police Service and from our many community partners to look at developing a position that would continue and expand on the great work that had been done. We are very pleased to announce that on 5 July 2011, Ms. Jessica Ripley will be starting with us as our new Youth Specialist. Jessica brings a host of experience from a variety of community based youth serving organizations including her latest position with CHEO’s YouthNet.
“Carlington Restore”
In response to concerns from Carlington residents about crime in their community, the Ottawa Police launched “Carlington Restore" in January 2011 in support of and partnership with the Carlington Community Development Framework. As a direct result of enforcement activities, three Controlled Drug and Substance Act (CDSA) warrants have been executed in the area resulting in criminal charges, and the seizure of drugs, money, and a prohibited firearm. Seven people were charged with numerous offences. Our officers have participated daily in community events in the area which resulted in strengthening relationships and an increase in suspect information related to criminal activity. This initiative is currently ongoing.
Street Crime Unit
The Street Crime Unit conducted a five month investigation in the market and Rideau Street area. Project Infusion identified 93 suspects in trafficking illicit drugs. To date, there are 25 suspects outstanding. It is believed many are still in the Ottawa area, but know that they are wanted, so have gone into hiding. This project was a great success and will certainly reduce the street level trafficking in the area as well as the residual crimes associated to drug use such as thefts from vehicles and break & enters.
Intelligence
Our staff, in cooperation with the Hate Crime Extremism Investigative Team (HCEIT), hosted a three day (May 9-11) conference on Source Recruitment and Radicalization. This conference brought together 172 intelligence officers / investigators from across Canada and the USA. The conference was extremely successful with overwhelming positive feedback from the attendees. Congratulations to our staff for their coordination on this important topic and issue.
Robbery-Abduction: Guilty Plea
On 11 April 2011 a suspect located a running vehicle, opened the door, assaulted the female driver and fled in the car with the woman’s two children in the back seat. After a short distance, the suspect placed one of children on the roadway and the other child escaped from the car at the same time. The suspect damaged several other vehicles and property as he made good his escape in the stolen vehicle. The Robbery Unit took carriage of the investigation and was able to identify the suspect within a short time frame. On the same date a uniform patrol officer initiated a routine traffic stop for what appeared to be a minor traffic violation. The driver immediately fled on foot. On 13 June 2011, Kevin Ranney, age 45, plead guilty to a number of charges and was sentenced to five years imprisonment, Det. Guy Seguin, of the Robbery Unit, was commended by the assigned Crown for the quality of his investigation, and its importance in leading to an early plea.
Major Crime
On 17 May 2011 at 7: 05 pm, a suspect commenced an unprovoked attack on an individual at the Shepherds of Good Hope, causing him to fall backwards and strike his head on the pavement; he passed away after a period in hospital. Shepherd’s staff witnessed the attack and assisted with the investigation. The suspect was intoxicated at the time, and was promptly arrested and has been charged with manslaughter.
On 24 February 2010 Ottawa Police and Ottawa Fire responded to a fire at 311 Blake Boulevard, where a body was discovered in the debris. The victim was the owner of several Blake Boulevard apartment buildings. A tenant, who was doing maintenance to catch up on his rent, had stolen cheques from the victim and had defrauded him of several thousand dollars was served an eviction notice. He beat the victim to death and then attempted to destroy the evidence by setting the apartment on fire with gas. He has since entered a Plea of Guilty to Second Degree Murder.
Guns & Gangs Unit
On 12 May 2011, officers from the Guns and Gangs Unit conducted surveillance measures on a suspect believed to be involved in two shootings within the City of Ottawa. During these measures investigators observed notable signs (characteristics of an armed person), that led them to believe the suspect was in possession of a handgun and was concealing it within his pants. Investigators, in consultation with front-line patrol, conducted a coordinated and controlled vehicle stop where the male suspect was arrested. The suspect was in possession of a loaded .38 caliber handgun that was stolen in 2005 from a location within the City of Ottawa. The suspect was charged with nine (9) firearms related offences.
On 7 May 2011, investigators from the Guns and Gangs / DART Section conducted a warrant at a residence within the south end of Ottawa. The warrant was obtained to search the suspect’s residence as he was believed to be distributing cocaine, marijuana and in possession of firearms. The male suspect was arrested at the residence and the search revealed approximately six (6) pounds of marijuana, an amount powder / crack cocaine, six (6) long guns, one (1) prohibited handgun, three (3) prohibited weapons (brass knuckles, “morning star”, and a conductive energy weapon CEW). A large amount of Canadian currency, digital scales, other drug paraphernalia and two (2) pairs of body armour were seized as well. The suspect was charged with forty-eight (48) firearms and CDSA charges.
eComm 9-1-1 Campaign
Through a pilot partnership project with Vancouver’s eComm 9-1-1, the Ottawa Police Service has begun a public awareness campaign to reduce the amount of accidental calls to 911 which has been identified as a concern. In fact, for 2010, the OPS received 43,213 ‘accidental’ or false 9-1-1 calls. These include hang-ups, ‘pocket-dials’ from cell phones, miss dials, and prank calls.
Seven different ads were designed by eComm 9-1-1 and a contract was put in place, giving permission to the OPS to use these ads until 1 October 2011. Special permission was also given to the OPS to add the Ottawa Police logo, web address and to translate these ads in French. The ads appear on the home page of our website (ottawapolice.ca) and have been distributed to all police stations and School Resource Officers (to post in schools), as well as over 100 Community Police Centres (CPCs), Libraries, Recreations Centres, and Community Health & Resource Centres.
The feedback has been quite positive and the Ottawa Police is grateful that eComm 9-1-1 partnered with us in order for us to benefit from this cost effective initiative for the City of Ottawa.
Canada Day
As the Nation’s Capital, Ottawa hosts Canada Day celebrations, which attract more than 350,000 people to the downtown core area. In addition to the traditional celebrations, this year the City is hosting the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Canada Day. As a result, the number of people expected to be drawn to the downtown core on this day is likely to increase. The Royal Couple are expected to arrive in Ottawa on June 30, 2011, before departing for July 2, 2011.
The City of Ottawa also hosts approximately twenty other Canada Day Events. Four of these events draw on police resources throughout the day, located in Barrhaven, Kanata, Andrew Haydon Park and at Petrie Island. The Ottawa Police Service will provide a highly visible uniform presence to manage crowds and traffic issues which may arise. A strong emphasis will be placed on alcohol interdiction throughout the day, in an effort to mitigate public order issues.