Ottawa Police Services Board

July 22, 2013

Chief’s Verbal Report

 

Good evening,

 

Summer is always a busy time for the members of the Ottawa Police and I would like to update you on some of the work members have been doing since our last meeting.

 

Canada Day

 

We saw another successful Canada Day at the start of the month.  About 500 of our members, including sworn, civilians and Auxiliary Police were deployed to support the events.  Along with the celebrations on Parliament Hill, there were several other Canada Day festivals in Kanata, Barrhaven and Petrie Island, all of which required dedicated officers.  I had the opportunity to be in the downtown core, Petrie Island and Walter Baker for most of the day and saw the work of members first hand….whether in crowd control, communications, alcohol interdiction, patrol or barrier duty our members helped ensure everyone could celebrate safely.

 

Good Work by Patrol and B&E Section

 

At the end of June and early July, we saw a number of commercial break and enters targeting churches and community centres in the Bronson/Somerset Street area.  Constable Chelsea Bull was the responding officer to several of the break ins and she aided the investigation with thorough reports.  When a suspect was identified she proactively began searching the area in question and eventually located the suspect in front of his residence. 

 

Break and Enter on Madrid Avenue

 

Shortly after midnight on Monday night, OPS received a call for service for a break and enter in which a woman woke up to find several "masked" males in her bedroom.  They fled the home when she awoke.  Tactical officer A/Sgt Michael Salinas was enroute to the call when he spotted a vehicle leaving the area at a high rate of speed.  He conducted a traffic stop and detained the 6 occupants for investigative purposes.  One of the males was located in the trunk of the suspect vehicle.  Ident officer Cst. Ugo Garneau found prints that were matched to one of the suspects.  The randomness and the fashion in which this break and enter occurred was disturbing.  Fortunately there were no physical injuries.

 

While I appreciate this is just one example of the work that happens everyday in all our sections, it’s an excellent example of the work we do together in protecting our community. 

 

Kudos to Cst. Umer Khan

 

It’s always important we remember the important work done by a number of our officers who are serving overseas and doing great work.  Recently, we received an email from Afghanistan commending Cst. Umer Khan, an OPS officer with Afghan heritage, for his work in a children’s community program.  Cst. Khan’s work and his ability to communicate in Pashtu with the children has opened doors and built trust with the community he is working in.

 

13th Annual Flotilla for Friendship

 

On July 17, six police services and five Aboriginal youth groups spent the day together in the annual canoeing event aimed at helping improve relations between Aboriginal youth and the police.  On board the 37 canoes this year were more than 50 kids from the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health, Odawa Native Friendship Centre and the Ottawa Inuit Children’s Centre, as well as youth from Lac Simon and other communities. The kids paired up with over 30 officers from the O.P.P., S.Q., R.C.M.P., Akwesasne Mohawk, Lac Simon and the Ottawa Police Service.

 

Domestic Assault

 

Finally, I would also like to highlight a difficult call for two officers who attended a home on a domestic disturbance call recently.  A/Sgt. Bonnie Grozelle responded to the east end home and was confronted by a male holding a one month old baby and a knife while pacing and yelling.  As A/Sgt. Bonnie Grozelle was trying to engage the male, the man’s mother-in-law tried to obstruct her by standing between them.  Cst. Candice Lohe also arrived on scene and engaged the suspect.  Several other people were present including a one year old child.  The suspect finally threw the knife down only to run in the kitchen to grab another one.  The suspect then put down the second knife but would not let go of the baby. Cst. Lohe was able to pepper spray him while Grozelle grabbed the baby out of his hands.  At the end of the ordeal the baby was safe and the suspect was arrested and held for partner assault.  The officers did excellent work on this call. It highlights the situations our officers can face and how their training and judgment can be tested on a moment’s notice.

 

Thank you