Former Ottawa police chief 'failed miserably' to plan for occupation of downtown: retired police inspector
A retired Ottawa police inspector says the Ottawa Police Service and former Police Chief Peter Sloly made glaring errors and devastating miscalculations in preparing the capital for the demonstration that has now occupied the downtown core for more than two weeks.
Patrick Flanagan says the “job of police is to plan for extreme scenarios” and Sloly didn’t do it.
“It was evident early on, with the desecration of both the Terry Fox monument and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, that passive policing was an ill-thought out strategy,” Flanagan wrote in response to a series of questions from CTV News Ottawa.
Flanagan spent 37 years on the force and was Sloly's executive officer before he retired last May. He says the police service should have been ready before the first trucks rolled into the city.
“Enforcement should have commenced day one. The plan should have also included tow trucks on standby, parked in the downtown core, the day prior to the siege. It would have sent a strong message,” Flanagan wrote.
Flanagan also says that Sloly changed major incident commanders several times during the crisis, suggesting the former Chief was out of his depth in facing the occupation.
“Having to replace the major incident commander four times suggests a lack of trust and confidence the chief had in his subject matter experts. I would have hoped that he had the operational command experience to back up his constant knee-jerk reactions,” Flanagan wrote.
Flanagan also says Ottawa police have been too slow and too late with implementing a strategy that is still not clear on day 19 of the protest.
“To suggest, after two-plus weeks, that the police finally put together an integrated communication strategy is farcical,” Flanagan wrote.
Flanagan also says the lack of communication with the public during the crisis was a terrible mistake.
“Although the Ottawa Police hired an expensive public relations firm to help them communicate their response, they failed miserably. At times 14 to 15 hours would go by without an update,” Flanagan wrote.
As for front line officers who have been under pressure from the public to do something about the protest downtown, Flanagan believes they have been forced to follow orders many of them don’t agree with.
“Make no mistake, those officers assigned to the occupation were kept on a short leash and ordered not to engage,” he wrote. “In the end, the little trust and confidence the public instilled in the police prior to this occupation quickly evaporated because of lack of proper planning, underestimating the conviction of the protesters, and ultimately the lack of action by police on the front line.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.