CORNWALL, Ontario – Members of the Cornwall Community Police Service (CCPS) have drawn their guns 97 times between 2013 and 2017.
Between this time frame, no person was shot by an officer, but rather only animals.
In Oct. 2017, CCPS officers shot and killed a moose to prevent it from crossing Hwy. 401.
“During the…time frame, the only time an officer has had to use their gun was in order to have an animal destroyed. This is done when an animal is potentially dangerous or is…badly injured…” said Stephanie MacRae, CCPS Communication Coordinator.
The following displays how many times guns were drawn according to each year:
2017 – 13
2016 – 9
2015 – 27
2014 – 29
2013 – 19
Since 2013, CCPS officers have used their tasers 20 times.
Earlier this month, a man was arrested for carrying a samurai sword and acting in an aggressive manner in the area of Brookdale Ave. A video later surface on social media of the what is assumed to be the man being tased by officers.
“In 2004, the CCPS issued tactical members of the Emergency Response Team and frontline supervisors a Conducted Electrical Weapon (Taser) as a less lethal option. In November 2014, the usage was extended to frontline officers, making it an additional use of force option for more sworn members,” explained MacRae.
The following displays how many times tasers were used according to each year:
2017 – used 5 times
2016 – used 5 times.
2015 – used 3 times.
2014 – used 2 times
2013 – used 4 times
CCPS officers are subjected to several scenario-based situations on an annual basis during Use of Force training.
“Each one (scenario) is geared towards de-escalation, in order to effectively provide an appropriate response,” said MacRae.
