Ottawa Police Services Board
25 November 2013
Chief’s Verbal Report
Good evening,
Cst. Mike Robillard
Thank you for the moment of silence for Cst. Michael Robillard. Our Service lost an excellent Member and his family lost a great husband and father.
Tasers
Last week, there was some media coverage of the OPS approach to the potential expansion of tasers to all front-line officers. I think it is worthwhile to repeat the position of the Service, which has not changed. Tasers have been an effective option for officers involved in situations where use of force is necessary and I have been supportive of the provincial decision to allow for an expansion.
The OPS is assessing its intervention and use-of-force options and needs in relation to training and equipping front-line personnel in the use of CEWs. In order to do that properly, we need to see the final guideline changes being proposed by the Government of Ontario. Those changes have not yet been shared with the OPS. Once we receive the guidelines, we will complete our assessment and provide a report with recommendations to the Board for its approval.
Given the delay in those guidelines and the factors that need to be added to the report like consultation, I don’t expect a report to the Board to come forward until the first quarter of 2014.
Women Abuse Prevention Month
With November being Women Abuse Prevention Month, the OPS is proud to participate in two very important community initiatives starting today, November 25th:
White Ribbon Campaign
The White Ribbon Campaign is Canada’s largest organization of men working to end men’s violence against women. Statistics report that 1 in 3 Canadian women experience sexual assault or psychological, emotional or physical abuse from males.
Running from November 25-December 6, 2013, the goal of the White Ribbon Campaign is to end violence against women by:
· Challenging everyone to speak out
· Educating young people, especially young men and boys, on the issue
· Getting people to think about their own beliefs, language and actions on this issue
Wearing a white ribbon is a personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls. I have also encouraged all OPS members to participate in the campaign.
Shine the Light Campaign
The OPS is also proud to participate in a very important community initiative called “Shine the Light”, which focuses on domestic violence. Led by the Ottawa Coalition To End Violence Against Women (OCTEVAW), this year’s campaign runs from today, November 25th, to December 5, 2013.
Shine the Light is about engaging people in breaking the silence. Domestic violence can affect anyone, regardless of their social or economic status, race or age group. The aim is to build awareness and show the community that domestic violence is not acceptable, not tolerated and there is help available. Throughout the campaign, the colour purple will be showcased through light bulbs, posters, ribbons and window decals in local businesses on Elgin Street.
We all have a responsibility to end violence against women. If you see it, report it.
Good Work by OPS Neighbourhood and Patrol Members
I want to take the opportunity to highlight some recent excellent police work by our patrol and neighbourhood officers:
Morning fire on Lebreton
Early on November 10th, Staff Sgt. Sam Fawaz and A/Sgt. Marc Levesque were on patrol on Somerset Street when they observed smoke billowing from the roof of a Lebreton Avenue structure. They called the Communications Centre to notify Ottawa Fire Services and immediately entered the building in an effort to evacuate the tenants.
The three upstairs tenants were successfully evacuated, along with the three tenants on the main floor area. With heavy smoke in the building, they breached a door where there was no answer and found a man asleep. He was brought outside safely and Ottawa Fire Services arrived to deal with the fire.
John Sweep
Just last week, Central Neighbourhood officers were conducting a John Sweep on Gladstone when they arrested a man for Communicating for the Purpose of Prostitution. After the suspect’s vehicle was moved to a secure location, Cst. Aristides Tasoulis observed the butt end of a loaded handgun sticking out from underneath the seat. The man faces various weapons related charges.
National Bank Robbery
On November 13 at about 5 p.m. we received a call from the National Bank on Montreal Road saying they had just been robbed by a lone male. He had fled the bank with cash and several units were sent to the area. Constable Wendy Lee observed a man matching the description provided in a nearby parking lot and he was arrested for the robbery. All the stolen cash was recovered.
Mac’s Milk Robbery in Progress
On November 16th, a caller phoned 911 to state that he was witnessing a robbery in progress at the Mac’s Milk store on Innes Road. The witness could see a masked suspect who was apparently having the store employee put cash into a bag. As the witness was informing the 911 operator that the suspect was walking out of the store, East Patrol NCO Sgt. Damien Laflamme was arriving. He engaged in a short foot pursuit with the suspect and subsequently apprehended him single-handedly.
Taxi Cab Sexual Assault
On November 9th in the early morning, a 20 year old woman flagged down a taxi on Bank Street near Hunt Club Road and was driven to a residential area near McCarthy and Walkley Road, where she was sexually assaulted inside the taxi by the driver.
On November 11th, numerous taxis were sent to a City building where detectives were set up to review taxi videos. A number of videos were downloaded and a successful identification of the involved driver was made. A male was arrested and has been charged. This file was greatly assisted with help from the City and also the involved taxi company.
Pixels for Pistols Gun Amnesty Results
Earlier this month, I was pleased to announce that 1,035 guns were collected as part of the Pixels for Pistols gun amnesty. The Board will recall that this was an interesting partnership with Henry’s and Olympus. We were very happy with the tremendous response from the public to this program. I want to specifically thank the members of the Guns and Gangs Section and the Direct Action Response Team (DART) for their work in picking up guns across the City. I would also like to thank S/Sgt. Mark Patterson for his leadership on this issue.
Some of the guns collected are being further tested as part of the program to ensure they are not crime guns. All of the firearms will be held for 90 days and then destroyed.
Recent shootings
The issue of Guns and Gangs has been a priority for our Service. In the last few weeks we have seen an increase in shootings that we continue to investigate. These are often difficult cases for our investigators as cooperation by victims is not always forthcoming.
Our officers continue to reach out to the community to build relationships and remind people of the alternative ways of letting us know what happened like Crimestoppers. It’s important we hold people accountable for these acts and end gun violence in our city.
Thank you and I am happy to take any questions you may have.