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OACP Daily In The News
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Today’s News Briefs:
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Supporting Belleville Police Service (Ontario.ca)
Woodstock police receive grant for new forensic equipment (Woodstock Sentinel Review)
Numbers vary regarding annual calls for service (Barrie Examiner – Orillia)
City, OPP remain $700,000 apart (Orillia Packet & Times)
Cops’ mental health a concern (Belleville Intelligencer)
Fraud, sex assaults climb in 2013 (Kingston Whig-Standard)
Unpaid out-of-town traffic ticket may show up on your property taxes (My Kawartha)
City refuses to release records in bus crash that killed Guelph officer (Guelph Mercury)
OPP offer frosty treats to beat the heat (Windsor Star)
Police dogs take centre stage (CTV News – Kitchener)
Gangs remain a threat in Calgary, police chief warns (Calgary Herald)
Fatal Taser death inquest wraps up (Barrie Examiner – Midhurst)
Deadly summer: Experts urge vigilance as water-related deaths spike in Canada (CTV News)
Police bust fencing ring, hunting for more suspects (Orangeville.com)
International News:
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Online pornography to be blocked by default, PM to announce (BBC News – UK)
St. Louis police chief and some officers at odds over bigger pistols, personal rifles (STL Today)
Today’s News Briefs:
Supporting Belleville Police Service (Ontario.ca)
Grants Help Local Police Boost Community Safety
The Belleville Police Service will soon have new priority dispatch software to help prevent unlawful activities.
With a grant made possible from property forfeited under the Civil Remedies Act, the Belleville Police Service will
acquire priority dispatch software that prompts the dispatcher to ask and answer a series of questions. The
software reduces the chance of error and ensures that the dispatcher provides a high level of customer service.
The Civil Remedies Act enables the Attorney General to obtain civil court orders to forfeit property and money to
compensate victims of unlawful activity and provide grants to designated institutions, including police services, to
assist victims and prevent unlawful activity that leads to victimization.
These grants help keep Ontario communities safe and build a fair society.
Quick Facts
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The Belleville Police Service is receiving a grant for $50,811.
Under the Civil Remedies Act, $1.9 million is being awarded in grants to police services in communities
across the province this year.
Civil forfeiture proceeds have funded approximately $1.4 million in compensation to direct victims of
unlawful activity and $8.4 million in grants to police services across Ontario.
Quotes
“These grants provide police services, like the Belleville Police Service, with the funds to acquire new crime fighting
tools to help keep our communities safer for families.”
John Gerretsen
Attorney General
“The Belleville Police Service would like to thank the Attorney General and the Civil Remedies Grant Program for
the funding for this modern and valuable tool that will help protect our community. This will positively impact our
ability to investigate crime and enhance service delivery to all residents, thereby improving community safety.”
Chief Cory L. McMullan
Belleville Police Service
Woodstock police receive grant for new forensic equipment (Woodstock
Sentinel Review)
Woodstock police will receive $40, 000 worth of new forensic equipment thanks to a grant funded by forfeited
property from criminal investigations.
The grant, which was awarded to the police force under the Civil Remedies Act, will allow police to purchase some
new pieces of equipment that will assist in forensic investigations.
The equipment includes a cyanoacrylate fuming cabinet for fingerprint identification on things like guns, beer
bottles and plastic bags from drug transactions.
“We currently have a cyanoacrylate chamber but it was donated by the Waterloo Police department. They gave it
to us when they updated their equipment about five years so when they gave it to us it was on its last legs. It’s
limping along pretty slowly now,” said Woodstock Police Sgt. Neil Butler.
Another important forensic tool that will be added to the police force's collection is a drying cabinet.
“We don’t currently have a drying cabinet so we would in major cases, such as homicides like the Tori Stafford case
for example and the Clifford Fair murder, transport our items to the forensic facility in Tillsonburg with the OPP,”
Butler said.
“Luckily for us we have a great working relationship with our identification unit and the Tillsonburg unit so it was
never an issue it was just time-consuming … so now we’ll be able to do that in house.”
Butler said the new tools will also increase safety for the officers who have to use them.
“We are getting a dusting cabinet and we print a lot of articles with a powder and a brush and this powder
becomes airborne which could cause problems. It has been known in some cases, depending on which powder
you’re using, to cause cancer. So this is just a matter of keeping us safe,” he said.
Butler said the addition of a new ductless hood, which is used during the process of mixing chemicals, will also
greatly improve officer safety.
“We don’t have a chemical mixing station so we are kind of doing things carefully and some of the chemicals we
aren’t using simply because it is too dangerous for us to mix them,” he said.
“Now with this proper cabinet, we’ll be able to use other processes.”
Numbers vary regarding annual calls for service (Barrie Examiner – Orillia)
City politicians want to know if the Ontario Provincial Police can police the city for $7.9 million.
Council adopted an amended resolution Thursday night asking the OPP to match the municipal minimum
standalone policing option in the report prepared by MPM Consulting, or the “financial parameters” of it.
“It was sort of an either/or mentality and that’s the problem that I had with the way the motion was worded,” said
Coun. Linda Murray, who requested council committee’s recommendation from Monday be changed to allow the
OPP to match the cost of MPM’s proposed standalone using the integrated model Orillia is currently policed with.
“I still want them to determine what type of detachment we need, but I want the city to be able to also be part of
the decision-making when it has to do with level of service,” Murray added. “Right now, it’s the OPP telling us what
the level of service is and how much it’s going to cost. We need to balance what our level of service is with what
we can afford.”
The OPP— which currently patrols not only Orillia from the Peter Street detachment but also provincial highways
in the area and the townships of Severn and Ramara — has said it will continue to do so, charging the city $8.6
million per year for 54 uniformed officers and 13 civilian employees. The townships and province will continue to
foot the rest of the bill.
MPM Consulting, hired by the city to look into the cost of establishing a municipal standalone police force, has
suggested it could be done with 48 uniformed officers and 14 civilian employees for $7.9 million.
To try and calculate how many officers are needed to police Orillia, in April 2012 the city — knowing its contract
with the OPP was coming due at the end of the year — filed a freedom of information request to find out how
many calls for service the OPP answered in 2011, Martiuk said. In January 2013, he said the OPP told him it was
15,013.
While at the negotiating table later in the spring, the OPP upped the number to 16,917 and, in July, quoted it at
16,877, Martiuk continued.
“The numbers have been different each time we’ve received them and we’re trying to understand why that is,” he
said.
In a letter to the mayor and council, OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said in 1994 — two years before the OPP
began policing the city — the old municipal Orillia Police Service responded to about 4,700 calls for service on an
annual basis.
After going through the files of the Orillia Police Service, “we have evidence that it was much higher,” Martiuk said.
Council has given the OPP two weeks to respond to its request to match MPM’s minimum municipal standalone
model or its financial parameters.
City, OPP remain $700,000 apart (Orillia Packet & Times)
City politicians want to know if the OPP can police the city for $7.9 million.
Council adopted an amended resolution Thursday night asking the provincial police to match the municipal
minimum standalone policing option in the report prepared by MPM Consulting Ltd. or the “financial parameters”
of it.
“It was sort of an either/or mentality and that’s the problem that I had with the way the motion was worded,” said
Coun. Linda Murray, who requested council committee’s recommendation from Monday be changed to allow the
OPP to match the cost of MPM’s proposed standalone using the integrated model Orillia is currently policed with.
“I still want them to determine what type of detachment we need, but I want the city to be able to also be part of
the decision making when it has to do with level of service,” Murray said. “Right now, it’s the OPP telling us what
the level of service is and how much it’s going to cost. We need to balance what our level of service is with what
we can afford.”
The OPP, currently serving not only Orillia out of the detachment on Peter Street, but also provincial highways in
the area and the townships of Severn and Ramara, has said it will continue to do so, charging the city $8.6 million
per year for 54 of the uniformed officers and 13 civilian employees. The townships and province will continue to
foot the rest of the bill.
MPM Consulting, hired by the city to look into the cost of establishing a municipal standalone police force, has
suggested it could be done with 48 uniformed officers and 14 civilian employees for $7.9 million.
To try and calculate how many officers are needed to police Orillia, the city in April 2012, knowing its contract with
the OPP was coming due at the end of the year, filed a freedom of information request to find out how many calls
for service the OPP answered in 2011, Martiuk said. In January 2013, he said the OPP told him it was 15,013.
While at the negotiating table later in the spring, the OPP upped the number to 16,917 and, in July, quoted it at
16,877, Martiuk continued.
“The numbers have been different each time we’ve received them and we’re trying to understand why that is,” he
said.
In a letter to the mayor and council, OPP Commissioner Chris Lewis said in 1994 — two years before the OPP
signed on to police the city — the old municipal Orillia Police Service responded to about 4,700 calls for service on
an annual basis.
After going through the files of the Orillia Police Service, “we have evidence that it was much higher,” Martiuk said.
Supt. Rick Philbin, commander of the municipal policing bureau, told The Packet & Times the method of calculating
calls for service wasn’t as standardized in the mid-’90s, which could be the reason for the discrepancy.
“What we should be trying to do is find what the true number is,” Martiuk said.
In the letter, the commissioner said the workload has gone up by 280%, yet staffing has only gone up by 50%.
“Workloads have not gone up by 280%,” Martiuk told city politicians Thursday night, which means the issue is
figuring out how much they’ve gone up and whether a 50% increase in staffing is warranted.
“If we’re asking the OPP for specific numbers and they’re not providing them ... they’re also not providing them for
the citizens of Orillia,” Murray said.
“Without those numbers,” said Murray, as a councillor trying to figure out whether the city would be best served
by a municipal force of the provincial police, “how do I make a decision?”
Council is giving the OPP a two-week window to respond to its request to match MPM’s minimum municipal
standalone model or the financial parameters of it.
Cops’ mental health a concern (Belleville Intelligencer)
An average police officer will respond to 250 critical incidents over his or her career.
Those incidents, the Belleville police services board was told, will take their mental toll on officers. With 18 to 25
per cent of the general population experiencing psychological health issues – mainly anxiety and depression –
those officers are not exempt from such issues.
That's why, workplace wellness specialist Kristina Hulton said, police services need to address mental health before
it becomes an issue among their ranks.
“We as employers have a duty to care for those employees,” she said during a brief presentation to the board
Thursday.
In years past, employers were focused on the physical health of their employees and workplace safety, but it has
become more apparent in recent years that mental health is as large an issue, if not bigger, she said. Fifteen years
ago, Harvard-based research showed mental health would supersede other health issues and be one of the main
health issues “plaguing” any industry.
That research prompted many to take a serious look at mental health in the workplace and Ontario police forces
are now getting on board.
“It just means we need to realize this is happening and we need to put some policies in place on how we're going
to deal with this,” said Hulton.
Part of addressing the matter is a workplace survey that officers can take – free of charge – to gain better insight to
their mental health. Hulton said she has already conducted the exercise with police in Kingston and is in the
process of doing it with Cornwall.
Hulton said she's hoping other forces – including Belleville – will participate in the survey so information can be
shared and compared.
“Then we could collectively focus on what we need to approve,” she said.
Chief Cory McMullan said the local force already has various tools it uses to address any mental health issues with
its officers and civilian employees. She said having Hulton speak to the board hopefully shed further light on the
matter and gave the board some insight on other avenues available.
“Anything we can do in assisting the members in dealing with the things they see day-to-day and on an ongoing
basis.... We want to make sure we can do anything we can,” she said. “It's becoming recognized more and more
that it's not only physical injuries but it's also mental health injuries as well.”
McMullan said with other police forces becoming involved with addressing mental health the local force plans to
have Hulton visit middle management officers at the local service and speak with them about the importance of
early intervention.
“We want to make sure they have the tools and are equipped to recognize potential situations and how to
approach members so it works out in everybody's best interest,” said the chief.
Fraud, sex assaults climb in 2013 (Kingston Whig-Standard)
The number of fraud cases in Kingston has risen more than 40% since last year, a report from the city’s police force
has shown.
Between Jan. 1 and June 30, the Kingston Police Force investigated 215 incidents of fraud, up from 153 during the
same period last year.
Deputy Chief Antje McNeely told the city’s police services board this week that the spike is not unique to Kingston.
“There’s an increase in that area and we’re not alone in that,” McNeely said, explaining that cities are dealing with
the issue of fraud across the country. “It’s an overall trend.”
McNeely pointed to Internet scams as a growing concern, including those where people advertise apartments that
don’t exist and ask potential tenants to send first and last month’s rent through a money transfer.
NcNeely said police forces across the province have taken steps to co-ordinate their efforts to combat fraud.
“We’re starting to work better (with other law enforcement agencies) in those areas but it’s an overall trend,” she
said.
According to the quarterly report, the number of sexual offences has also risen.
Between Jan. 1 and June 30, there were 74 sex offences reported to police, compared to 66 during the same
period last year.
McNeely said some of those incidents represent investigations by the force’s Internet and Child Exploitation Unit.
According to the report, the number of break-ins and criminal harassment reported to police also increased.
Police saw a decrease in other types of crime being reported, however.
Reported incidents of mischief, theft, theft of vehicles, threats, harassing phone calls, robbery and assault all
decreased compared to the same period last year, the report showed.
In total, Kingston Police received 18,773 calls for service between Jan. 1 and June 30, compared to 19,946 during
the first half of last year.
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The report also revealed that local police pointed their firearms in eight instances this year.
In a brief description, the report said the instances pertained to “cases of arrests of high-risk suspects and/or those
known or suspected to be armed with (a) weapon.”
Five cases, police said, were instances where the force’s Emergency Response Unit were deployed.
According to the report, there were a total of six instances where officers used their firearms. All were to kill
injured animals, the report said.
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In the first six months of this year, Kingston Police received 18 complaints from the public —one more than during
the same period of last year.
Of the complaints, which were received by the force’s professional standards office, 11 were classified as
discreditable conduct, three as unnecessary exercise of authority/use of force, three as neglect of duty and one as
a service complaint.
Of the 18 complaints received, 10 were ruled by the Office of the Independent Police Review Director to be not in
the public interest, frivolous or more than six-months old.
Two complaints were found to be unsubstantiated, two were withdrawn, one was abandoned due to no contact
information of the complainant and one was found to be substantiated.
Two complaints are still being investigated.
No details were given on the nature of the complaints.
Unpaid out-of-town traffic ticket may show up on your property taxes
(MyKawartha)
City of Kawartha Lakes joins pact that will make it easier to collect fines owed
Caught speeding in Mississauga? Get ready to pay the price on your tax bill.
Even the most artful dodger will find it tough to avoid paying traffic tickets with a new pilot project in place that
allows municipalities to collect unpaid Provincial Offences Act tickets through property tax bills in other cities,
including the City of Kawartha Lakes. The other municipalities involved are Belleville, Mississauga, Toronto, Ottawa
and County of Hastings.
The reciprocal 18-month project aims to recoup some of their combined $1 billion in outstanding Provincial
Offences Act fines, most of which are for speeding, not wearing seatbelts, careless driving and not having
insurance.
If successful, the project could go province-wide. That would help cities such as Mississauga, with $37.9 million in
outstanding POA tickets, recover a much higher percentage of unpaid fines. Some $20 million of that total figure
relates to offences committed in Mississauga by people who live outside the city.
There are some hitches. Renters, who don’t get property tax bills, won’t be touched. Nor will people whose
property is owned jointly.
“We want the same authority that the 407 (ETR) has. You don’t pay your 407 bill, no matter where you live and
where you travel you’re refused a new licence (plate),” Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion says.
Since 2009, a municipality has been allowed to collect POA fines issued within its borders on the property tax bill,
but only if the offender lives in the city and owns property registered under the exact name on the driver’s licence.
Fines can’t be applied to properties owned by more than one person.
Toronto managed to collect 85 per cent of the fines added to eligible property tax bills for 2010, and 75 per cent in
2011. Its council approved participation in the multi-city project at the end of April.
Ken Hughes, who works for the City of Ottawa and is president of the organization that launched the pilot
program, says the rules around collecting unpaid fines have been pretty restrictive.
“My organization (Ontario Municipal Tax and Revenue Association) is made up of members who collect property
taxes and Provincial Offences Act fines. So we thought, why not combine the two across our membership?”
Cities provide each other with a list of offenders and remit any property tax levies for fines to the municipalities
where the offence took place.
“The pilot project has already been successful before Toronto and now Mississauga. Hopefully it will force more
people to just do the right thing and pay their fine.”
City refuses to release records in bus crash that killed Guelph officer (Guelph
Mercury)
The City of Guelph is refusing to release any Guelph Transit reports or other information related to a March bus
crash that fatally injured a city police officer.
The Guelph Mercury filed a freedom of information request seeking copies of incident reports, collision reports,
investigation notes and emails from Guelph Transit related to the March 14 collision that claimed the life of 26year-old Const. Jennifer Kovach.
But a letter sent back by city clerk Blair Labelle offered none of that information, instead citing several passages of
the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as reasons why it could not be released.
"There is an active investigation of this matter," Labelle wrote, noting a section of the Act which states the
municipality "may refuse to disclose a record" if it could interfere with an ongoing investigation.
Guelph Police Chief Bryan Larkin has said he expects details of the police investigation into the collision to be
released before the end of this month. But Labelle said the provincial Ministry of Labour is also still probing the
crash.
Kovach died after her police cruiser collided with a city bus on Imperial Road while responding to another officer's
request for assistance with an arrest. The cruiser crossed the centre line, colliding with the front of the bus.
In refusing to release the requested materials, the city also cited a section of the Act which allows material to be
withheld "where it would be considered an unjustified invasion of personal privacy.
"As the information requested would contain personal information of the accident victims, the information sought
would be considered highly sensitive," Labelle wrote.
"That's to filter out information which could cause undue hardship on involved parties," the clerk said in a brief
interview.
The third ground cited by the city in its refusal is solicitor-client privilege.
Labelle said this is "not necessarily" related to any ongoing legal matters and rather can include documents
prepared by a solicitor to provide legal advice.
"That (solicitor-client privilege) can exist outside of legal processes," Labelle said.
OPP offer frosty treats to beat the heat (Windsor Star)
Provincial police officers in our area have new armaments in the battle against bad behaviour this summer: sugary
sweet iced drinks.
Earlier this week, Essex County OPP members began carrying vouchers for free Frosters at Mac’s convenience
stores.
It’s all part of Operation Freeze — an OPP initiative to recognize and encourage good decision-making during hot
weather.
OPP spokesman Const. Aaron McPhail said the vouchers will be given to members of the public who are seen doing
the right thing during sweltering conditions — such as not leaving kids or pets inside vehicles.
“It’s a ‘positive ticketing’ program,” McPhail explained. “It’s province-wide.”
Each coupon is good for one 710-milliliter Froster from any Mac’s location.
The frozen carbonated beverage — mostly consisting of syrup and ice crystals — is available in a wide variety of
flavours, from Pepsi to something called Watermelon S’lime. “It’s like a slushie,” McPhail said.
Mac’s has provided OPP with 35,000 vouchers in total. McPhail said on Friday that Essex County officers have given
away about 100 so far.
Along with handing out Froster coupons to beat the heat, Essex County OPP are conducting extra patrols this
season — especially around places with many parked vehicles. Officers have been instructed to be watchful for
unattended children and animals.
“We’re just taking a pro-active approach to a serious safety concern,” McPhail said.
Police dogs take centre stage (CTV News – Kitchener)
With a single gunshot, Waterloo Regional Police Sargeant Grant Reider’s dog, Bud, bolts into action. Seconds later,
his teeth latch onto the arm of a man in a protective suit. If it were you, it would hurt.
Bud and Reider have been partners for three and a half years. Reider says, after catching criminals, this is the
team’s annual measuring stick. “You want to look good in front of your peers, so your training level comes up a lot
higher.”
After all, this is still a competition. “This competition is the tightest competition I’ve ever seen”, says Reider.
The pair is one of 20 police canine teams competing in a three day competition in Cambridge this weekend. The
skills mimic real life situations in which the K9 teams must run, deke, dodge and scurry as fast as they can.
On average, it takes 16 weeks to train a police dog. That includes agility and tracking skills, sniffing out suspicious
materials and chasing criminals.
Michigan dog trainer Richard Heins says once a dog is fully trained, criminals shouldn’t worry about their
bark. Their bite can measure upwards of 1800 pounds of pressure. “They’ll get a constant bite no matter what the
fight. They just maintain that one, solid bite.”
Bad for criminals and also bad for the guy in the protective suit taking part in this competition.
“There’s really no wrong way to do it as long as you come back without having to go to the hospital”, says Heins.
The dogs also have to prove their ability to give up the chase when told.
The competition is, in part, recognition for a job well done. On the job, police very rarely show their partners
affection, maintaining a professional working relationship at all times.
During competition, however, humane and canine are able to interact like many dog owners would with their best
friend.
“He’s a great friend and partner at home as well. He’s part of the family. So bringing him to work every day is a
pretty cool thing”, says Derek Gardner of the United States Police Canine Association.
Guelph Police Constable Neil Mouton has been working with Nitro for seven years and he couldn’t ask for a better
partner. “They don’t complain about the temperature in the car. They don’t complain about what you had for
lunch. They don’t complain about the radio station and they’re always willing to work.”
At the end of the weekend’s events, Kris Laouzon from the Windsor Police Service took home first prize for top dog
with Waterloo Regional Police Service’s Grant Rieder placing second.
After all, this is still a competition.
Gangs remain a threat in Calgary, police chief warns (Calgary Herald)
Charges against five men in six gang-related Calgary killings is a milestone in a long-running war between two
criminal factions, but police and prosecutors still have a long legal journey ahead.
With the arrests this week in an investigation code-named Desino — Latin for “desist” — authorities have now laid
charges or secured convictions in eight of the 25 homicides with known connections to the conflict between FOB
and the FOB Killers.
The violence stretches back to 2002, but police Chief Rick Hanson vowed investigators will keep up their efforts to
crack the unsolved cases that remain.
“We will continue to be relentless, as it pertains to any crime they committed,” Hanson said Friday.
Operation Desino resulted in murder and organized-crime-related charges against five FOB figures in connection
with three killings that took place at the gang war’s height, in 2008 and 2009.
The shootings in public have waned, but the violence flared as recently as April, when someone stabbed and nearly
killed veteran FOB member Nicholas Chan.
Chan, 35, is now charged in connection with all three cases involved in the Desino investigation: the killing of Kevin
Anaya, who was shot in front of a home in Marlborough in Aug. 2008; the shooting of Kevin Ses and Tina Kong at a
northeast Calgary restaurant in Oct. 2008; and the triple homicide of FK member Sanjeev Mann, cocaine dealer
Aaron Bendle and bystander Keni Su’a at the Bolsa Restaurant on Jan. 1, 2009.
Despite that blow to FOB and the recent arrest of FK member Bill Ly in connection with the attack on Chan, Hanson
said the gangs pose a continued threat.
“Just because you don’t see the overt signs of gang violence like a few years ago, it’s not because this has gone
away. It’s because we have been putting in a huge amount of effort into suppression,” he said.
“It’s not because everybody has turned into a wonderful individual and all these guys are going to church.”
Police and prosecutors also have considerable work to do in the courts.
Two of the three men originally convicted of murder in the Bolsa shootings, Nathan Zuccherato and Michael
Roberto, had their convictions set aside by the Alberta Court of Appeal and are awaiting new trials. The third man,
Real Christian Honorio, has also appealed his murder convictions.
Organized crime charges laid in the Desino investigation will add another dimension to two of the murders
involved in that case.
Chan has been charged with first-degree murder and instructing a criminal organization in connection with Anaya’s
killing.
One of the new suspects in the Bolsa killings, Dustin Duke Darby, 30, has been charged with first-degree murder
and participation in a criminal organization.
Proving the suspects’ involvement in a criminal organization will be dependant on proving FOB is one.
The Criminal Code defines a criminal organization as a group of three or more people whose main purpose or main
activity is committing crimes for the material or financial benefit of the group or any of its members.
The Supreme Court of Canada handed down a decision last year that said how a criminal group is structured can
vary from case to case — but proving its existence involves demonstrating some degree of organization and
longevity.
“Structure and continuity are still important features that differentiate criminal organizations from other groups of
offenders who sometimes act in concert,” the court wrote in R. v. Venneri.
Mount Royal University criminologist Doug King said that test isn’t insurmountable considering FOB’s long,
documented history.
“They’ve been around for 10 (or more) years now,” King said.
“There will have to be evidence of that organization. It will have to be more than opinion and police supposition.”
Fatal Taser death inquest wraps up (Barrie Examiner – Midhurst)
A coroner’s jury has been urged to make recommendations on improved and expanded mental health crisis
training for police officers across the province.
The coroner’s inquest into the death of Aron Firman concluded on Friday with a charge to the jury by presiding
coroner Dr. William Lucas, as the five-person panel retired to consider how it will rule how Firman died, and what
can be done to prevent similar deaths in the future.
Firman family lawyer Sunil Mathai, in his review of the evidence of the two-month-long inquest, asked the jury to
show “courage” and side with the testimony of Ontario’s chief pathologist Dr. Michael Pollanen that Firman’s
death was directly attributed to the use of a Taser - the first time the device has been directly blamed for a
person’s death.
The 27-year-old died in June, 2010, during a confrontation with Collingwood OPP officers investigating a domestic
disturbance at the group home where he lived. Firman was hit with a conductive energy weapon after he knocked
over a female officer and advanced on the officer who ultimately discharged the Taser.
Firman died within minutes of being Tasered of cardiac arrhythmia. Pollanen told the five-person jury during his
testimony in June that Firman had a ‘moderately’ enlarged heart and genetic variations that made Firman
susceptible to an injury to the heart — such as a discharge by an conductive energy weapon.
Taser International’s position during the inquest has been Firman died of excited delirium, a condition that
manifests as a combination of delirium, anxiety, hallucinations,, violent and bizarre behavior, insensitivity to pain,
elevated body temperature, and superhuman strength. It’s often reported in individuals who suffer from mental
illness or chronic drug use of stimulants such as cocaine, and associated with the use of physical control measures
in a crisis situation, including police restraint and the use of a Taser
While noting that Firman was agitated at the time, Pollanen also dismissed any role that excited delirium could
have caused in his death. At several points during his testimony, he cast doubt on the diagnosis in general, noting it
could be considered an easy conclusion to jump to for the sake of expediency.
On Friday, Mathai cautioned the jury that while they might be worried about siding with Pollanen, he urged them
to “stand with” the findings of the respected pathologist.
He also emphasized the family’s position that Tasers not be banned from use by police, but should only be used in
exceptional circumstances.
“Tasers have a proper place in policing, and when used appropriately can create a safe situation,” Mathai told the
jury. "If you find that the Taser was related in that death, the world will not end."
Taser International lawyer David Neave countered Mathai’s summary, arguing that the cause of death could not be
adequately determined based on the testimony of Taser’s expert witnesses.
Firman, Neave told the jury, “died as a result of cardiac arrhythmia, period.”
To accept Mathai’s summarization of the case, Neave told the jury, would be to discount the testimony of doctors
and police officers.
“This is not an index case... that (conclusion) can’t be supported by medical science,” Neave told the jury. “The risk
(of death by a Taser) is almost incalculable, and you can’t extend a hypothesis like that and use it as a foundation
(to determine a cause of death).
“There has never been a documented case that supports that.”
Among its 21 suggested recommendations, the family is asking that a crisis intervention model for police services
across the province be developed, and that front-line officers receive annual, mandatory three-day training how
how to deal with individuals in a mental health crisis. The family is also recommending that Tasers only be used in
“certain circumstances where de-escalation has not been successful.”
The family is also asking that officers ensure a certain threshold is met prior to the deployment of the Taser, and
that the device not be discharged into an individual’s chest, as it was in the case of Firman.
Ministry of Community Safety lawyer Norm Feaver told the jury there were already policies in place for police on
how officers should deal with individuals in a mental health crisis.
He noted there are ongoing pilot projects that could be broadly implemented, but financial and time
considerations could be an impediment. With 6,000 OPP officers, he said, it could take more than six years - at 20
officers a week - to complete the training suggested by the family.
Instead, said Feaver, additional training could be included as part of a recruit’s initial education to become a police
officer.
Mathai also asked the jury to consider recommendations as to when officers apply CPR to an individual who goes
unconscious immediately after being Tasered. The jury has heard testimony that it was several minutes before
Firman received medical attention after he was hit by the Taser, at which point he may have already been dead.
The jury has heard officers were able to find a pulse, but that the pulse may also have been that of the officer’s.
“CPR should be given right away, even if officers mistakenly find a pulse,” Mathai said.
Deadly summer: Experts urge vigilance as water-related deaths spike in Canada
(CTV News)
It’s been a deadly summer on the water in Canada, and with the allure of a cool dip still running high for the next
several weeks, experts are urging swimmers and boaters to take precautions to avoid more tragedies.
In British Columbia, 43 people have died this summer in the water alone -- nearly double last year’s number.
This weekend alone, there were two more tragedies in B.C.
A 19-year-old man drowned while float rafting with friends in the Okanagan, and, a 21-year-old man died after
being pulled from a lake near Victoria.
Ontario, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia are all showing higher numbers of drownings.
According to The Lifesaving Society, there’s been a 20-year overall decrease in water-related deaths in Canada,
however, in the past five years, they’ve seen an uptick. This year’s national numbers have already surpassed last
year’s high of 183 deaths -- and it’s only July.
Young men, ages 18-24, have the highest water-related death rate of any age group.
Barbara Byers, with The Lifesaving Society, said it’s not entirely clear why this demographic is more affected, but
suggests it could be because they tend to take more risks.
“You add the testosterone factor with men and often alcohol is an added piece that often leads to a lot of risktaking,” she told CTV News.
Perhaps more surprising is the rise in water-related deaths among Baby Boomers -- those aged 50 to 64. In the last
five years, there’s been a 34 percent increase in Boomer drowning deaths.
Byers said no matter the age or demographic, water safety education is a must for Canadians.
“It’s even more important to ensure that Canadians and youth are trained, that they have survival swimming
skills,” she said.
Due to the concern among teens, the society developed a swimming program geared to pre-teens called “swim to
survive plus.”
“We want them to have the training and the skills to keep themselves safe by knowing how to swim some distance
of 50 metres, to tread water, to roll into deep water,” Byers said.
Students conduct the exercise drills in full clothing rather than a bathing suit so they may better understand a
scenario where they find themselves in a body of water unexpectedly.
Byers said parents must be vigilant with younger children as well, including toddlers, who have “an almost
magnetic attraction” to water.
“It’s important as parents to restrict control access to the water, and keep them within arm’s reach and your eyes
on them,” Byers said. She also suggests parents put a lifejacket on the child whenever they’re near water.
Police bust fencing ring, hunting for more suspects (Orangeville.com)
It was almost as if a landscaping or construction site had materialized in the back of Dufferin OPP’s parking lot.
A John Deere riding lawnmower, two ATVs, four chain saws, seven weed whackers, five generators, three power
washers, two compressors, two utility trailers, a rototiller, brick saw and log splitter, among other items, were laid
out on the pavement Friday morning (July 19).
All confiscated, all stolen, all recovered from an Amaranth property police officers had raided as part of an
investigation into a fencing ring earlier in the week.
“We don’t know where the investigation is going to take us truthfully,” said Dufferin OPP Const. Paul Nancekivell.
“We’re hoping it is to going to lead to other things.”
Also seized was a crossbow and 14 shotguns, including two antique firearms. Nancekivell said one of them, a LeeEnfield rifle, is loaded from the breach.
“They’d pour gun powder in there and load it that way,” he said. “It is quite an old rifle.”
Dufferin OPP have arrested one man but think a group of individuals are responsible for the string of thefts
reported in areas such as Caledon, Orangeville, Wellington and Dufferin counties, Alliston and all the way up to
Bracebridge.
“It’s crimes of opportunity. They’re going up into people’s places. They’re going after seasonal residences,”
Nancekivell said. “This is where we really need people to do their neighbourhood watch.”
The stolen property on display Friday is likely just the tip of the iceberg, said Dufferin OPP Const. Clancey McGuire,
lead investigator on the case. It is just what he suspects the group hadn’t been able to fence yet.
“What we’re seeing here actually is the items that they weren’t able to move, or didn’t have an opportunity yet to
move,” McGuire said. “It is only a fraction of what this group of individuals probably have taken, stole and sold.”
Nancekivell noted police have received an increase in stolen property reports, namely involving portable garden
power tools, which can be used for marijuana grows ops.
“That sets off alarm bells,” Nancekivell said. “When we see that kind of stuff going, it’s either being stolen to be
sold in the city, fenced out of province or some of it could legitimately could be used for a marijuana grow op.”
In total, police estimate they’ve confiscated more than $100,000 worth of stolen property. McGuire credited the
bust to communication between several police agencies, including Orangeville, Caledon OPP, and the Central
Region OPP.
“Often, these crimes are not just in one area,” he said. “It was Dufferin, Caledon, Orangeville, and part of this ties
to an investigation in Bracebridge.”
Investigators have already charged one man with possession of stolen property — McGuire noted he’ll likely face
further reprimands — and are currently on the prowl for other members of the group.
Police have declined to reveal several details about the accused, so as not to compromise the ongoing
investigation. As Nancekivell explained, there is still a lot more police work to be done.
“We’re looking at a few people,” he said. “We’re still on the hunt for some of these guys.”
International News:
Online pornography to be blocked by default, PM to announce (BBC News – UK)
Every household in the UK is to have pornography blocked by their internet provider unless they choose to
receive it, David Cameron is to announce.
In addition, Mr Cameron will say possessing online pornography depicting rape will be illegal, bringing England and
Wales in line with Scotland.
In a speech, the prime minister will warn that access to online pornography is "corroding childhood".
The new measures will apply to both existing and new customers.
Mr Cameron is also calling for some "horrific" internet search terms to be "blacklisted", meaning they will
automatically bring up no results on websites such as Google or Bing.
But he told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour programme he expected a "row" with service providers, who argued that,
as a matter of "freedom of speech", customers should be able to type in any words they wanted.
'Innocence'
In his speech, Mr Cameron will say family-friendly filters will be automatically selected for all new customers though they can choose to switch them off.
And millions of existing computer users will be contacted by their internet providers and told they must decide
whether to activate "family friendly filters" to restrict adult material.
Customers who do not click on either option - accepting or declining - will have filters activated by default, Tory
MP Claire Perry, Mr Cameron's adviser on the sexualisation and commercialisation of childhood, told the BBC.
Other measures expected to be announced by the prime minister include:
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New laws so videos streamed online in the UK will be subject to the same restrictions as those sold in
shops
Search engines will be given until October to introduce further measures to block illegal content. They
have a "moral duty" to block illegal content, Mr Cameron will say
He will also call for warning pages to pop up with helpline numbers when people try to search for illegal
content
Experts from the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will be given more powers to examine
secretive file-sharing networks
A secure database of banned child porn images gathered by police across the country will be used to trace
illegal content and the paedophiles viewing it
Mr Cameron will say: "I want to talk about the internet, the impact it is having on the innocence of our children,
how online pornography is corroding childhood.
"And how, in the darkest corners of the internet, there are things going on that are a direct danger to our children,
and that must be stamped out.
"I'm not making this speech because I want to moralise or scaremonger, but because I feel profoundly as a
politician, and as a father, that the time for action has come. This is, quite simply, about how we protect our
children and their innocence."
But former Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre boss Jim Gamble told BBC Radio 4's Today programme
it was important to "get to the root cause" of illegal pornography, by catching those responsible for creating it.
He added: "You need a real deterrent, not a pop-up that paedophiles will laugh at."
But Ms Perry argued filters would make a difference, saying that the killers of schoolgirls April Jones and Tia Sharp
had accessed legal pornography before moving on to images of child abuse.
She added: "It's impossible to buy this material in a sex shop... but it's possible to have it served up on a computer
every day."
In his speech, Mr Cameron will say that possession of online pornography depicting rape will be made illegal.
Existing legislation only covers publication of pornographic portrayals of rape, as opposed to possession.
"Possession of such material is already an offence in Scotland but because of a loophole in the Criminal Justice and
Immigration Act 2008, it is not an offence south of the border," he is to say.
"Well I can tell you today we are changing that. We are closing the loophole - making it a criminal offence to
possess internet pornography that depicts rape."
The move has been welcomed by women's groups and academics who had campaigned to have "rape porn"
banned.
Holly Dustin, director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the group was "delighted".
"The coalition government has pledged to prevent abuse of women and girls, so tackling a culture that glorifies
abuse is critical for achieving this," she said.
"The next step is working with experts to ensure careful drafting of the law and proper resourcing to ensure the
law is enforced fully."
'No safe place'
Mr Cameron, who has faced criticism from Labour over cuts to Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's
funding, will insist that the centre's experts and police will be given the powers needed to keep pace with
technological changes on the internet.
"Let me be clear to any offender who might think otherwise: there is no such thing as a safe place on the internet
to access child abuse material," he will say.
On Sunday, Mr Cameron called on internet companies to block access to material depicting child abuse.
A spokesman for Google said: "We have a zero tolerance attitude to child sexual abuse imagery. Whenever we
discover it, we respond quickly to remove and report it.
"We recently donated $5m (£3.3m) to help combat this problem and are committed to continuing the dialogue
with the government on these issues."
According to some experts, "default on" can create a dangerous sense of complacency, says BBC technology
correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.
He says ISPs would dispute Mr Cameron's interpretation of the new measures - they are insisting they do not want
to be seen as censors.
What we will get, he says, is what ISPs call "active choice".
St. Louis police chief and some officers at odds over bigger pistols, personal
rifles (STL Today)
With an aging arsenal of pistols, the St. Louis police leadership is being prodded by at least some officers to
consider buying greater firepower.
The department has set aside $1.4 million this year to buy new sidearms for the department’s 1,300 or so officers.
Beretta has stopped making the 9 mm semi-automatic they’ve been carrying for more than a decade.
The department only has enough new weapons to issue to the current academy class, which will graduate in
January. When that supply runs out, recruits would have to get used guns.
For years, the Police Officers’ Association has lobbied for the larger .40-caliber pistols, which they say pack more
stopping power plus have less tendency to pass through targets and on to unintended consequences. Other
departments, including St. Louis County, use the bigger weapon.
“This isn’t about us wanting bigger guns, this is wanting to have a personal defense weapon that is equal to or as
close as we can get to what’s on the street against us,” said the association president, Sgt. David Bonenberger.
The union’s voice in the matter has gotten louder, given a collective bargaining agreement it says requires police
leaders and the rank-and-file to reach an agreement before the department can change weapons. If they cannot
agree, the department will have to purchase more of the obsolete weapons, Bonenberger said.
The union also is pushing police commanders to allow officers to use personally owned rifles on duty — an idea
that several law enforcement agencies, including St. Louis County, the Illinois State Police and Missouri Highway
Patrol, already endorse.
But talks don’t seem to be going well.
Chief Sam Dotson said allowing officers to carry their own rifles is a “terrible idea,” and that the union should
propose ways to reduce the need for officer-involved shootings rather than simply ask for bigger guns.
“This conversation would be a lot different if they were talking about ways to reduce the need for deadly force
conflicts,” Dotson said.
And it appears that there is division within the police union as well.
Jeff Roorda, the business manager, insisted that Bonenberger does not represent the association in this matter,
and said its board does not want to discuss it publicly.
‘THERE’S BETTER OUT THERE’
The city has used 9 mm Berettas for about 20 years, with each weapon in use for about 15 years.
Caliber is a decimal of an inch; a .40-caliber bullet is four-tenths of an inch in diameter, about one-ninth larger than
a 9 mm, which is measured in metric.
While the hole sizes are close, the energy delivered by the larger bullet is significantly greater. Specifications from
one ammunition maker, Winchester, show a 27.5 percent difference (408 foot-pounds, a standard measurement
of force, compared with 320).
In April 2012, the police academy and the police union tested five different types of bullets, which included firing
them into ballistic gelatin. A slug must penetrate the gelatin at least 12 inches, but not past 18 inches, for it to be
considered effective, according to FBI standards.
The 9 mm round failed the test, with the .40-caliber and .357-caliber rounds performing the best. The union
agreed to endorse the .40-caliber, saying the .357 would be too expensive, Bonenberger said.
“We’ve got an opportunity to get better ammunition and equipment for us to protect our citizens, why wouldn’t
we do that?” Bonenberger asked.
But it isn’t that simple, Dotson said.
The chief doesn’t know of any time when the department’s 9 mm has failed to stop a threat when officers hit their
target. And the department has an adequate supply of 9 mm rounds, not .40-caliber bullets. Both sizes are scarce
because of a nationwide ammunition shortage.
“I would never put officer safety behind economics, but we’ve got a weapon that’s performed,” Dotson insisted.
He said he also is concerned about errant rounds of .40-caliber weapons in an urban environment, and he believes
the union is ignoring the risk.
“We miss more than we hit sometimes,” the chief said.
Bonenberger said the union agrees with the need for more training, and successfully argued to increase the
number of times officers must qualify with their weapons to four times a year from only once.
“Why remain with what works when there’s better out there?” Bonenberger asked.
A PERSONAL DECISION
Earlier this month, about 95 officers responded to a union survey about rifles. Of them, more than 85 percent said
they would participate in a personally owned rifle program and buy their own weapon — which can cost about
$1,200 — if needed.
In St. Louis County, 67 officers have started carrying their own rifles since such a program began there three years
ago. County Police Chief Tim Fitch it saves the department money while keeping officers and the community safer.
More than 85 percent of respondents to the city union’s survey estimated that a sergeant’s response time to a
scene is five to 10 minutes, or more — a question born from a pilot program to put rifles in supervisors’ cars that
has so far failed to launch.
The St. Louis Police Foundation spent about $81,000 on 45 Titan B/SL rifles for all district supervisors’ vehicles in
April 2012. But they are still in boxes.
Department leaders did not account for everything needed to put the weapons to use, including ammunition and
training rifles, said Dotson, who became chief in January. He estimates that the department needs about $173,000
to get those weapons on the streets.
“The foundation did what the department asked them to do, but the department left many steps out,” he said,
adding that he has asked the nonprofit group not to fund any additional rifles.
The foundation’s director, Michelle Bagwell, did not respond to a phone call for comment.
Dotson said he has liability concerns about personally owned weapons and believes the department should
provide officers’ equipment.
“It just wouldn’t work for a department our size,” the chief said.
At least one city officer has already carried his own rifle on duty. In 2011, Officer Jason Stockley was seen holding,
but not using, an unauthorized AK-47-style rifle while trying to arrest a suspect who was later killed by police with
a different weapon. Stockley remains on administrative duty. The deceased suspect’s family has sued the
department over the incident.
But the decision nagging Dotson most in the move toward new weapons is what to do with the old ones.
He’s not sure how the sermon he often preaches during public appearances — that “more guns are never the
answer” — will comport with the option of selling retired guns and risking seeing them go back on the streets.
“Do I melt them, or possibly monetize them?” Dotson asked, adding that he estimates the department’s 2,000
pistols to have a resale value of about $200 each.
The union sent Dotson an overview of how other departments have handled the situation, which includes selling
the guns to officers or shipping them overseas to be sold to police in other countries.
In St. Louis County, about one-fourth of the officers have bought back their old weapons for sentimental reasons,
and about 200 of the county’s guns went to law enforcement agencies in Puerto Rico, said John Bozarth, the
county’s armorer.
The union and Dotson’s office have yet to schedule another meeting to discuss the issue.
And Dotson said he remains undecided.
News Impacting Police Services in Ontario
Jennifer Harrison
Administration/Committees
Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police
40 College Street, Suite 605
Toronto, ON M5G 2J3
Telephone 416-926-0424 ext. 0
Fax 416-926-0436
Email [email protected]