Police forces across North America are on edge after three officers were gunned down this weekend in the U.S.
The president of the Ottawa Police Association says the fatal shootings in New York City and Florida are a reminder for officers here to be extra vigilant.
“It was a very somber reminder about how incredibly dangerous our profession is not just from the calls we have to take…but just being targeted for having the uniform on,” said Ottawa Police Association president Matt Skof.
Skof said some of his members are concerned over the targeted police shootings.
On Saturday, a gunman shot two NYPD officers Rafael Ramos, 40, and Wenjian Lu, 32.
Before the deadly ambush, the shooter posted on Instagram that he was “putting wings on pigs” and used the hashtag #ShootThePolice.
Early Sunday, a veteran police officer was shot and killed while on duty in Tampa, Florida.
The deadly police shootings in the U.S. come as officers in Ottawa prepare to mark a grim anniversary.
At the end of this month, it will be five years since 51-year-old Constable Eric Czapnik was killed in the line of duty, stabbed while sitting in his police cruiser.
Skof is pushing Ottawa’s police department to introduce body cameras and have officers work in pairs.
Ottawa police chief Charles Bordeleau says the department is monitoring how other forces are testing body cameras to see if they could work here.
He also said Ottawa police are weighing the pros and cons of having officers double-up in cruisers instead of working alone.
