Ottawa police spending $1 million on new Tasers
The Ottawa Police Service is spending $1 million on new Tasers.
A report for the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting Monday evening seeks approval to purchase 200 new Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs), and operational and training cartridges.
Ottawa police approved a three-year plan in 2018 to deploy CEWs to all sworn members who operate in a frontline capacity. At the end of 2020, 960 sworn members were equipped and trained with the weapons.
Staff say the operational lifespan of a CEW is five years.
"The purchase of 200 CEWs is required in 2021 to maintain the lifecycle management plan."
If approved, police will purchase 200 CEWs from Axon Public Safety Canada.
CALLS FOR SERVICE INCREASE IN THE SPRING
The Ottawa Police Service saw a 17 per cent increase in requests for service in the second quarter, as COVID-19 restrictions eased and demand for service returned to historic levels.
A report for the board says there were approximately 87,000 requests for service in the April to June period, with 82,000 calls through dispatch and 5,000 requests for service received through online reporting.
"As the Province achieved milestones in the Roadmap to Reopen Ontario, restrictive measures to curb community transmission have been lifted," says the report for Monday's meeting.
"Outdoor activities have resumed, indoor services have started to increase, and larger gatherings are being permitted. With fewer restrictions, demand for service has seen a natural return to historical levels."
Police say calls requiring a mobile response increased by 20 per cent through the second quarter, driven by an increased focus on traffic enforcement, responding to collisions and thefts.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.