All local front-line police officers could be carrying Tasers next year, according to South Simcoe Police Chief Andrew Fletcher.
“We’re looking for a less lethal option when we’re dealing with people in high-risk situations. The Taser, or CEW (conducted energy weapon), is that less lethal option,” he told Bradford West Gwillimbury council at a meeting Tuesday evening, while presenting the 2019 South Simcoe police budget.
“We don’t want to have to shoot people, so our goal for 2019 is to equip every one of our front-line officers with a Taser. We’re looking at that as the best utilization of a tool to save people’s lives and keep our officers and the community safe.”
Currently, only South Simcoe police’s specialized services sections, including emergency response unit and its supervisors, have Tasers, Fletcher said.
BWG Deputy Mayor James Leduc and Coun. Mark Contois each spoke in support of the police service looking into Tasers.
Among other South Simcoe police projects for 2019 were a new collision reporting centre at the north and south detachments in BWG and Innisfil, as well as investigation into possibly using red-light cameras and other cameras in community safety or school zones, Fletcher said.
In terms of overall police finances, South Simcoe police submitted a budget of just more than $19 million — an increase of about $846,000, or 4.7 per cent, from its 2018 budget.
What that means for the average household in BWG is an increase of 0.6 per cent, or $3.75.
“We are not by any means a top-heavy organization. We have a very lean senior management group,” Fletcher said. “You’re getting a pretty good bang for your buck.”
According to Fletcher’s presentation to council, the biggest increase in types of calls from 2017 to 2018 is impaired driving, which is up 50 per cent.
“It is one of our biggest concerns. Once they get behind the wheel, it’s too late,” he said, adding the service is working on initiatives to help people make better choices before driving impaired.
Fletcher said the service is receiving more calls from residents reporting suspected impaired drivers.
“We’re definitely seeing a higher level of engagement from our community,” he said. “Once you’ve had six or seven drinks, you’re not making good decisions. You need someone to make those good decisions for you.”
During his presentation, Fletcher also pointed to this year’s Macleans ranking of the safest places in Canada, in which BWG and Innisfil jointly ranked 10th.
He said he was “extremely proud” of the ranking, which is based on crime severity indexes.
In response to questions from council members about cannabis legalization, Fletcher said the police service has budgeted $12,000 for drug-screening devices and is hoping to find cheaper options.
He said, even without the devices, all officers have field sobriety training.
As well, Fletcher said the service has community policing initiatives, such as 10 frontline officers on foot, bike and ATV patrols who engage with students and families at local events.
“We don’t want to engage with them at three or four in the morning. We do want to engage with them at three or four in the afternoon,” he said. “The more the community makes a difference with us, (the more) we will make a difference.”
