Ottawa Police Services Board

April 28, 2014

Chief’s Verbal Report

Good evening,

Each month, I take the opportunity to highlight some great work by our members.  Tonight, I would like to give you a few more examples where our members have been helping people in our community

Mental Distress Call

At about 10:40 p.m. on April 14 Cst. Andrea Lensen responded to a call about a young woman on the Corkstown pedestrian bridge that spans the canal.  The young woman had crawled under the bridge and was threatening to jump from the arch underneath onto the footpath.  Speaking to the woman from the ground, Cst. Lensen was able to talk her down with some excellent communication skills.  Cst. Lensen’s actions are a good example of how the communications skills officer’s possess and the training they are provided pays off on the street.

Woman Rescued from the Rideau River

The Board has probably seen some mention of an event that occurred earlier that same evening and I wanted to highlight it as well.  A short distance away, several Constables responded to a 911 call for a young woman on the Cummings Bridge threatening to jump in the river.  Officers began speaking with her, however, she said she didn’t want to return to the hospital and then proceeded to jump into the cold, fast flowing river. 

Cst. Colin Bowie spotted her in the water from the St. Patrick’s Street bridge, took off his duty belt and boots and went into the river with the back seat of his cruiser.  He grabbed the woman as she floated by… saving her life.   Constables Kristina Correa and Pat Lafreniere also went in to assist in pulling the woman and Cst. Bowie out.  The young woman was transported to CHEO with no injuries.  I would like to commend the brave actions and dedication of Constables Bowie, Correa and Lafreniere and the other officers and first responders.  Their quick actions and thinking saved a woman’s life and made us proud.

Suicidal Depressed Male
I would like to bring to your attention the excellent work by individuals on a recent call about a depressed suicidal man.  The man had sent a picture of himself with a gun in his residence to his ex-wife.   The information received was that he was suicidal and if anyone came to the door he would end his life in the basement.  As units were setting up, the subject called his ex-wife.  Cst. Bargh was with her and asked for permission to talk with the subject.  Using excellent communication skills, he was able to talk the subject out of his residence.  Cst. Devon Archer had containment at the front of the residence.  Just like training from Use of Force, Cst. Archer directed the subject onto the street and officers were able to apprehend him safely.  The man was taken to hospital for assessment and a cache of guns was seized from the residence.

Gill Homicide

In late January, our service began investigating the murder of 43 year old Jagtar Gill.  

Our investigation has led to two arrests and a charge of first degree murder against Gurpreet Ronald.  She has been charged along with Jagtar’s husband Bhupinderpal Gill, with first degree murder.  These arrests were the result of great deal of investigate work by many members within the OPS, and in particular, the Major Crime Unit, the Surveillance Unit, Forensic Identification and the Criminal Intelligence Section.

Lavertu Homicide

On April 22nd, officers responded to a suspicious death call at a Saint Bruno Street residence in Orleans.  The husband of the victim came home from work and found her without vital signs.  EMS attended and the victim was pronounced deceased at the scene.  Upon securing the scene, patrol officers searched the area and arrested Chris Gobin, the son of the victim, who was taken into custody after a brief foot pursuit.  He has been charged with first degree murder.

2014 Ethics Sessions

This year’s Ethics Sessions are being held on May 13-14 with an excellent line up of speakers and panelists.  This is the third year we have held theses sessions.  Our Ethics Program is consistent with a larger movement taking place across Canada over the last decade which focuses on improving ethics in private and public sectors. 

Highlights of the session include Mr. Richard Rosenthal, Chief Civilian Director of the Independent Investigations Office of BC, and a former Deputy District Attorney from Los Angeles who will discuss the case study of the LAPD Rampart Division.  All Members of the Board are invited to these sessions and I hope to see you there.

Health and Safety – Exposures to Biological or Chemical Agents

I also want to point out a difficult call on April 17 after officers responded to an intoxicated man picking fights on Rideau St.  After the arrest, the aggressive man began to repeatedly bang his head against the cruiser window causing his head to bleed.  

As a result of his injuries, the male was taken to hospital where he began to spit blood at the officers and paramedics.  A spit hood was placed on the male, however he managed to remove it and spit blood in the eye of an officer.  The communicable disease protocol was then implemented and internal supports are being offered to the officer.  Sadly, incidents of this nature are not new, and are a reality of too many calls.  

In fact, last year there were 31 incidents which involved exposures of a biological or chemical agent to our members.

Joint Investigation

On April 16, as a result of a joint investigation with MRC des Collines of stolen and re-vinned vehicles—simultaneous warrants were executed on residences in Ottawa, Gatineau and Burlington.  As a result, five people were arrested and a total of 14 vehicles were seized with a total value of the stolen goods recovered approximated at $900K.  This investigation was made possible by the assistance of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, the Ministry of Transportation and the Halton Regional Police Service, who executed two warrants on behalf of the OPS and seized two of the vehicles.  

Ontario Police Memorial

The 15th Annual Ontario Police Memorial is taking place on Sunday, May 4, in Toronto.  

Police officers, families and friends will gather at the Ontario Police Memorial in Queen’s Park for the reading of the Honour Roll at 10:00 a.m.  More than two dozen members of our service along with OPA President Matt Skof, Deputy Chief Keeley and I will be in attendance.  Members of our Service will attend the memorial to honour and commemorate our colleagues who have died in the line of duty.  I would like to take this opportunity to invite members of the Board to the Canadian Police and Peace Officer’s Memorial, which takes place on Sunday, September 28th on Parliament Hill.  These important events offer an opportunity to express appreciation for the dedication of police and peace officers, who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep our communities safe.

Thank you.