Blue Line Magazine August / September 2011
After actions are worth the review
I was involved in only one "G" event, known in those pre-inflation days as the G7 Summit, in 1988. Since the number has increased three times since then, you can imagine there may be three times the trouble. The news surrounding the Toronto police "After-Action Review" release prompted me to write my own, even if it is 23 years late.
My most memorable event occurred while controlling traffic downtown at the corner of York, University and Front Streets. As an experienced traffic officer I was placed there as a "master controller" of the intersection. Two divisional officers were assigned to assist in ensuring the orderly flow of traffic and giving convoys or entourages of IPPs (Internationally Protected Persons) the right of way. Located west of the Royal York Hotel, with hundreds of security personnel inside a caged off street, I didn't expect many challenges.
Innovation and co-operation
Effective patrol response and investigative strategies are the cornerstones of reducing and solving crime, helping to maintain Windsor as one of Canada’s safest communities. Many strategies rely on partnerships with local, national and international law enforcement agencies, enhanced by effective communication, leveraging funding sources and absolute commitment to co-operation and collaboration in pursuing safer communities.
As a border community, Windsor recognizes and embraces the opportunities and challenges presented as North America’s busiest international gateway. The Windsor Police Service (WPS) has a citizen focused approach for local communities and is an active leader in detecting and investigating crimes without borders and other criminal activity affecting all Canadians.
Reasonable suspicion requires objective facts
Although requiring objective facts, the threshold for a reasonable suspicion justifying an investigative detention is not as stringent as the standard required for an arrest.
In R. v. Savage, 2011 SKCA 65 police in Saskatchewan stopped the accused for speeding. The officers were performing traffic duties and had a drug sniffing dog with them. The truck’s interior was somewhat cluttered with food wrappers, drink bottles and maps, both windows were down and there was a very strong, almost overpowering, odour of air freshener. Savage was extremely nervous, trembling and breathing rapidly, his hands shaking, carotid artery visibly pulsating and voice cracking.