BL - January - February 2023

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2023

SUPPLY & SERVICE GUIDE

2023

COVER STORY

Counterfeit currency

How the RCMP, law enforcement and the Bank of Canada combat fake money p.10 HEALTH & WELLNESS

OUT OF THE COLD

COVID-19 and sextortion: An epidemic within a pandemic p. 19

Scotland to Sarnia: The unsolved murder of Morag Davies p. 29

ADVERTORIAL

COMMISSIONAIRES: YOUR GATEWAY TO GREATNESS

By Rebecca Brown

G

abriel Poulino knows what he wants. And he came to the right place to get it.

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Commissionaires is Canada’s premier security and background screening service provider, with clients spanning all levels of government and small-to-large private businesses. Employees support local law enforcement by offering non-core

Gabriel Poulino is turning in his ID card at Commissionaires for a badge that says ‘Sheriff.’ He’s part of a new generation that joined Commissionaires to gain valuable experience for a future career.

policing, criminal record checks, parking enforcement, and a range of security guarding services.

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“My work with the organization has prepared me for the type of circumstances I’ll face in law enforcement.”

As a Site Supervisor, Gabriel oversaw the work of roughly 20 commissionaires across three government sites.

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“They’re all awesome people.”

There are many reasons to start your career at Commissionaires. The organization can provide you with a fulfilling, long-lasting career or be a great stepping stone to other professional ambitions.

Learn more and apply at commissionaires.ca/careers

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Contents

January/February 2023 Volume 35 Number 1

Features COVER STORY

10 Counterfeit currency

How the RCMP, law enforcement and the Bank of Canada combat fake money. By Brittani Schroeder Michael Scott-Doornink.

1 4 Transforming the culture of policing

Creating a culture of care through active bystandership training. By Neil Dubord.

16 Will proposed federal firearms laws reduce gun crime?

Columns 4 7 12 18 19 22 30

Editor’s Commentary Q&A Behavioural Sciences Case Law Health & Wellness Technology Back of the Book

Departments 5 5 6 6 28 29 29

News By the numbers Dispatches Calendar Product Showcase Marketplace Out of the Cold

Discussing Bill C-21 and the real problem of illegal guns. By Chris D. Lewis.

20 Improving service delivery for those on the spectrum How to reduce risk and properly train for community engagement. By Thomas Leydier.

23 Annual Supply & Service Guide

COVER PHOTO: © SELENSERGEN / ADOBE STOCK

Blue Line’s Supply & Service Guide is the national law enforcement community’s year-round information tool for sourcing cutting-edge products as well as finding new vendors and suppliers.

7 @Blue_LineMag

14 22 January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

3

EDITOR’S COMMENTARY

BY BRITTANI SCHROEDER

www.BlueLine.ca

Tackling trends in crime

H

appy New Year to all of our present. It is important to note that this readers! I’m so delighted to study did not specify whether the crimes be starting off another year were committed with legal or illegal firewith Blue Line and excited for arms. You can read more from this report the stories and events that we will bring at www150.statcan.gc.ca. you in 2023. From articles on trends in In recent conversations with Chris D. policing, new technologies, innovations Lewis, retired Ontario Provincial Police and gear, to our three events – Security · commissioner, he shared with me his Police · Fire Career Expo on March 9, thoughts on whether new federal firearms OACP & Blue Line Expo 2023 on May 9, laws would reduce gun crime in Canada. and Blue Line Expo International in au- His short answer? No. You can read more tumn – I think there is so much that we of his opinion and his examples on the can all learn this year. matter on page 16.

When looking at trends in Even with the The third trend I wanted to policing for the first Blue Line advancements look at in this edition of Blue edition of the year, there were and security Line was how the public calls for many topics that could have measures put police modernization (or police been focused on. In the fall of in place for our reform) have led to new train2022, I attended the 25th Annual Canadian ing in police agencies across the Fraud & Anti-Counterfeiting currency, this country. Some of these trainConference in Toronto, and I sat trend of ings are made to ensure police in on a session that looked at the counterfeiting officers are being properly issue of counterfeit currency, is ongoing. taken care of, so that they in which was presented by memturn can better serve their bers of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police communities. In an article written by (RCMP), the Bank of Canada, and the U.S. Chief Neil Dubord of the Delta Police Secret Service. It was interesting to hear Department in British Columbia, the chief that, even with the advancements and shares his experiences with ABLE training, security measures put in place for our which is active bystandership for law enCanadian currency, this trend of counter- forcement. You can read all about this feiting is ongoing. training on page 14.

I later spoke with Cst. Michael Moving forward into the rest of 2023, Scott-Doornink, who was the conference new crime trends may emerge and you, as session’s RCMP representative, about members of law enforcement, will do what what trends he and the RCMP have been you do best and find a way to stop it. I will seeing in counterfeit currency over the be here to share and champion your suclast few years, and what they—and other cess stories, in the hopes that it will go on law enforcement agencies—can do to stop to help other policing agencies in their this kind of crime. You can find that full fight against crime. story on page 10.

As always, if there is something you’ve Another topic to focus on was illegal encountered over the last few years that guns and the crimes being committed by you think fellow officers could benefit and them. In 2022, Statistics Canada released learn from, or a topic you think we should data on trends of firearm-related violent be talking about, please reach out to me at crime in Canada, from 2009 to 2020. In any time (bschroeder@annexbusienssthis study, they found that in 2020, police media.com). reported a total of 743 homicide victims in Until next time, happy reading and be Canada, and 277 of these victims were well. killed with a firearm. In addition, there were 8,344 victims of police-reported violent crimes where a firearm was

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Reader Service Print and digital subscription inquiries or changes, please contact customer service Angelita Potal Tel: 416-510-5113 Fax: (416) 510-6875 email: apotal@annexbusinessmedia.com Mail: 111 Gordon Baker Rd., Suite 400 Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 GROUP PUBLISHER | PAUL GROSSINGER pgrossinger@annexbusinessmedia.com PUBLISHER | ADAM SZPAKOWSKI aszpakowski@annexbusinessmedia.com EDITOR | BRITTANI SCHROEDER bschroeder@annexbusinessmedia.com EDITORIAL DIRECTOR EMERGENCY SERVICES GROUP | LAURA AIKEN laiken@annexbusinessmedia.com ACCOUNT MANAGER | JANICE EATON jeaton@annexbusinessmedia.com MEDIA DESIGNER | SVETLANA AVRUTIN savrutin@annexbusinessmedia.com ACCOUNT COORDINATOR | KATHRYN NYENHUIS knyenhuis@annexbusinessmedia.com AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER BEATA OLECHNOWICZ | (416) 510-5182 bolechnowicz@annexbusinessmedia.com COO | SCOTT JAMIESON sjamieson@annexbusinessmedia.com ANNEX BUSINESS MEDIA 111 Gordon Baker Road, Suite 400 Toronto, ON M2H 3R1 Tel. 416-442-5600 • Fax 416-442-2191 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40065710 ISSN 0847-8538 Printed in Canada SUBSCRIPTION RATES Canada — 1 Year $31.50; 2 Year $52.50 plus tax USA — 1 Year $136.50 CAD Occasionally, Blue Line will mail information on behalf of industry-related groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above.

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NEWS business for a criminal organization and made life a bit safer for people struggling with illicit substance use.”

– Courtesy of Vancouver Police Department ALBERTA SASKATCHEWAN

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Regina Police Service test virtual police reporting system

VPD seizes millions in drugs, weapons from organized crime

PHOTO CREDIT: REGINA POLICE SERVICE

In 2022, the Regina Police Service (RPS) employed the use of a Virtual Police Reporting System (VPRS). The platform expanded their service delivery by linking members of the public with police officers via video.

When a member of the public comes into the police station to report a crime that meets the criteria for VPRS, they are sent to a booth equipped with a computer and headphones, rather than waiting in the queue to speak with an inquiry officer at the front desk. Once seated in front of the monitor, that member of the public is greeted by a uniformed officer who takes the report virtually, in real time.

Between June 1 and Oct. 31, VPRS members took 178 reports through the platform. On average, each report took just over an hour. The ability to take these reports virtually increases options for reporting and ultimately reduces wait times for members of the public in queue to speak to an inquiry officer at the front desk.

Due to the early success of this virtual platform for both the public and the Regina Police Service, the RPS is exploring expansion options of the Virtual Police Reporting System in 2023. They plan to expand reportable crime categories appropriate for the VPRS, place additional booths in the lobby, and make other technical upgrades which will enhance/increase service delivery options for members of the public.

– Courtesy of Regina Police Service

The Vancouver Police Department (VPD) has seized approximately $3 million in deadly drugs, guns and cash following a year-long investigation into a sophisticated organized crime ring fuelling the illicit drug market in the Downtown Eastside and beyond.

VPD launched Project Torque in Nov. 2021 to target a drug-trafficking operation that was believed to be manufacturing and distributing fentanyl pills disguised as generic Percocet (an opioid that is often prescribed to people who live with moderate to severe pain). While some of the drugs were sold in places like the Downtown Eastside, others were sent out of province and exchanged for cash.

In October, VPD investigators executed multiple search warrants, seizing 72 kilograms of the fake, fentanyl-laced pills, along with 16.5 kilograms of cocaine, 88 kilograms of cutting agents, methamphetamine, MDMA and benzodiazepine. If sold on the street, the drugs would have netted $3 million to fuel organized crime and violence in Metro Vancouver. VPD investigators also seized three handguns, ammunition, body armour, and $123,000 in cash, resulting in three arrests.

“We are committed to rooting out organized and predatory criminals who manufacture and produce the harmful street drugs that kill vulnerable people in our communities,” says Inspector Phil Heard, commanding officer of VPD’s Organized Crime Section. “This seizure has disrupted

CPS continues its work with LGBTQ2S+ community

Dec. 12, 2022, marked the twentieth anniversary of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) legally executing a search warrant at Goliath’s Bathhouse, after complaints from the community led to a police investigation into activities at the business. Goliath’s is a club that was established in 1987 and serves male-identified patrons.

While a legitimate and professional investigation, the Goliath’s Bathhouse case in 2002 was a flashpoint for many in the LGBTQ2S+ community and shaped the views of many in Calgary’s gender and sexually diverse community. It is an event that is regularly singled out by community members as a negative experience with the police – whether they were arrested in the bathhouse or not.

On Dec. 12, Chief Constable Mark Neufeld joined members of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisory Board to deliver an acknowledgment of the Goliath’s Bathhouse raid. This was the second time the service and the board have worked together towards reconciliation.

In 2018, the CPS issued a formal apology to Calgary’s gender and sexually diverse community for actions of the past. The apology was released publicly on July 27, 2018.

It is Calgary Police Service’s hope that this acknowledgement, along with the other ways they are reaching out to and engaging the community, will help their relationship with the gender and sexually diverse community to continue moving forward.

– Courtesy of Calgary Police Service

BY THE NUMBERS In August 2022, Statistics Canada released recent data on the trends in police-reported crime in Canada, 2021. For more information, please visit www150.statcan.gc.ca.

3,360 The number of police-reported hate crimes increased 27 per cent to 3,360 incidents.

@Blue_LineMag

11%

From 2019 to 2021, the crime rate in urban areas was down 11 per cent, including a 16 per cent drop in property crime.

788 In 2021, there were 788 victims of homicide in Canada, which is 29 more than in 2020.

13%

The rate of police-reported opioid offences (excluding heroin) increased 13 per cent in 2021.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

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NEWS DISPATCHES Sadly, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) lost a member of its family on Dec. 27, in the line of duty. Provincial Cst. Grzegorz (Greg) Pierzchala, of the Haldimand County Detachment, was shot and killed while responding to a motor vehicle collision in Hagersville, Ont. Provincial Constable Pierzchala had dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a young boy. He had a brief opportunity to live out his dream and to do his best to keep the community safe. The OPP grieves alongside Provincial Constable Pierzchala’s family and will continue to support them in the days, weeks and months ahead.

Dan Defer has been promoted to Chief of the Altona Police Service. Defer started out as a constable in the Altona Police Service 33 years ago and has spent a number of years as a sergeant, where he was second-in-command. He also stepped in to fill the acting chief of police position whenever needed.

Defer’s first day as chief was Sept. 1.

The Waterloo Regional Police Services Board has appointed Mark Crowell as the new Chief of Police of the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS). Chief Crowell is a 22-year-member of the WRPS, and he served as the Deputy Chief of Police – Administration & Member Services for the past two years. “As Chief of Police, I look forward to working with the Board and our members to continue to provide the most effective and innovative service to Waterloo Region residents while pursuing a diverse and inclusive workplace,” said Chief Crowell.

Chief Chris Herridge of the St. Thomas Police Service, will be stepping down after nearly 35 years in policing. Herridge was appointed as the Chief in St. Thomas in 2017. “It has been both an honour and a privilege to serve the residents of St. Thomas as a police officer and your Chief but after almost 35, years it is time for a new journey… My heart will always be with the members of the St. Thomas Police Service and this community!”

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BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

CALENDAR The Toronto Police Services Board has selected Myron Demkiw as the new Chief of Police of the Toronto Police Service. Demkiw is a 32-year veteran of the service and was previously the Acting Deputy Chief of the Specialized Operations Command. Chief Demkiw assumed the role of Chief of Police on Dec. 19, following a three-month transition period. “I am deeply invested in the city of Toronto and its people, and I am committed to the integrity and success of the Toronto Police Service,” said Chief Demkiw.

The Ottawa Police Services Board has chosen Eric Stubbs as the new Chief of Police for the Ottawa Police Service (OPS). Stubbs was previously an Assistant Commissioner with the RCMP where he held the role of Criminal Operations Officer for British Columbia. He began his role as Chief of the OPS on Nov. 17. “I’m looking forward to working with the great civilian and sworn members of the Ottawa Police Service, as we all work together with the communities we serve,” stated Chief Stubbs.

The Barrie Police Services Board has appointed Rich Johnston as the next Chief of Police for the Barrie Police Service. Chief Johnston has been with the service since 1998, serving in a variety of roles throughout the service. The change of command ceremony took place on Dec. 22. “I am committed to leading the Barrie Police Service in delivering public safety services with a focus on transparency and legitimacy, through progressive policing practices that support the well-being of our members and our community,” said Chief Johnston.

Deputy Chief Marc Roskamp has been selected as the new Chief of the St. Thomas Police Service. He assumed the role in an acting capacity in January until he officially takes over in May. Roskamp, a 25-year veteran, was appointed as the Deputy Chief in April 2018. “It’s heartwarming to have

Police Tech Conference & Expo Date: Feb. 28 – Mar. 1, 2023 Location: Toronto, Ont. www.canadianinstitute.com/police-tech Canadian Policing Wellness Check Conference Date: Mar. 6 – 8, 2023 Location: Ottawa, Ont. www.cacp.ca Security, Police & Fire Career Expo Date: Mar. 9, 2023 Location: Mississauga, Ont. www.emergencyservicesexpo.ca CACP/MACP National Police Leadership Conference Date: Apr. 24 – 26, 2023 Location: Manitoba www.cacp.ca OACP & Blue Line Expo 2023 Date: May 9, 2023 Location: Vaughan, Ont. www.bluelineexpo.com Find more calendar events online at blueline.ca/events.

learned so much from so many great leaders before me. A main priority of mine will be to ensure the St. Thomas Police Service continues to deliver services to the highest standards of integrity and professionalism,” said Chief Designate Roskamp.

The York Regional Police Services Board has selected a new Deputy Chief for York Regional Police, Alvaro Almeida. Deputy Chief Almeida assumed the role on Oct. 3. Almeida has more than 34 years of law enforcement experience in a variety of assignments. “I look forward to continuing the important work our organization is doing in the community, and internally, working closely with the members of our service, the Police Services Board and the public,” said Deputy Chief Almeida.

PROMOTIONS, RETIREMENTS, RECOGNITION • If you have an officer in your agency recently promoted or retiring or an individual you wish to have recognized (major award or recently deceased) you can let Blue Line magazine know by emailing: bschroeder@annexbusinessmedia.com.

www.BlueLine.ca

Q&A Recently, editor Brittani Schroeder spoke with Detective Tom Comeau of the Toronto Police Service, about how he plans to summit two mountains in Nepal in support of first responder mental health.

Q: What is your background in policing?

I joined the Toronto Police Service (TPS) in 2005. Prior to becoming a police officer, I was a litigation lawyer in downtown Toronto for two years. I had been interested in policing and found the practice of law was not for me, so I applied to the TPS after completing all the pre-requisite testing.

Most of my career has been at 51 Division in the downtown core. I was promoted in 2016 and spent two years in a northwest division as a road sergeant before returning to 51 Division to join the investigative office. I’ve been working as a detective since 2018.

PHOTO: TOM COMEAU

Q: Can you tell me about your mental health journey?

I truly believe that if you spend enough time in this business, you will develop some post-traumatic stress. It’s inevitable. No one calls the police because something nice has happened in their lives; they call us when something terrible has happened. When we respond and deal with the issue(s), we carry the residual stress and their pain with us long after we have finished the call.

Over time it builds up, and for some it can become overwhelming. The key—or at least something that has worked for me—is finding a healthy way to release the stress that comes with our work. My wife and I love to travel, and we love being able to introduce different parts of the world to our children. Further to that, for me, I found that being in the mountains is very soothing for the soul. There’s a suffering that comes with being at a high @Blue_LineMag

altitude and exerting yourself physically and mentally. I find that it melts away any stress and the main focus becomes completing the goal at hand.

portance of good mental health fresh on everyone’s minds is key to helping to keep all of us effective in our careers.

Q: How do you think it will feel when you reach the summits of the mountains?

How will you feel as, potentially, the first Canadian law enforcement member to do this?

Q: When did you become a climber? What started you on this passion?

I’ve always enjoyed travelling, but my first taste of altitude came in 2015 when my wife and I travelled to Peru to hike the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu. My wife became very ill because she couldn’t acclimatize to the altitude, but she fought hard and was able to complete the hike despite developing mild symptoms of altitude sickness.

On that hike, we got as high as 4,200M, and I knew that I wanted to go higher.

Fast forward to 2020 when I was talking with a colleague at work about wanting to trek to the Everest Base Camp. As it turned out, he was very interested in doing the EBC trek, so in April 2022 we travelled to Nepal and completed the twoweek trek to an altitude of just over 5,300M at base camp.

The altitude was difficult, and there isn’t a flat surface to be found once you arrive in Lukla to begin the trek, but I loved it. I felt refreshed and my mind was clear of any stresses I felt before leaving. When we returned to Canada, I began toying with the idea of summitting some of the mountains I had seen along the trek. I had a few conversations with expedition companies and a plan was developed for me to double summit Mount Lobuche (6,119M) and Ama Dablam (6,812M).

From what I can tell, I am the first Canadian police officer to attempt this double summit.

Detective Tom Comeau

The five-week expedition will be difficult, not only because of the challenge of climbing two mountains to their summits, but because I’ll be away from my family for so long. But I’ve dedicated my climb to bringing attention to first responder mental health and to raise money for Toronto Beyond the Blue. I’m at 75 per cent of my $10,000 goal, which I hope to surpass by the time I leave for Nepal in mid-April.

Q: How important is it to you to raise awareness of first responder mental health?

It’s very important for me to keep the conversation going with regards to first responder mental health. For so many years it wasn’t a topic of conversation, but now with the help of certain organizations, first responders—and in particular police officers—have an outlet to help them address their mental health.

Our job as frontline responders is a difficult one, both physically and psychologically, so keeping the im-

I get goosebumps just thinking about it – it will be an incredible achievement and one I look forward to sharing with family and friends. Thanks to social media, I’ll be able to upload images soon after my return to base camp. I’ll be incredibly proud to represent Canadian law enforcement officers.

Q: Do you have any advice or words to share with other first responders who may be going through their own mental health journey?

I would suggest finding something healthy that can help you focus any negative energy. For years, we’ve heard about the importance of exercise and it’s true. Being active and setting goals can help you focus on positive outcomes rather than some of the negatives that we are forced to deal with in our career in law enforcement.

For many first responders, mental health issues can feel like their own mountain that they have to summit. I am going to summit these two mountains to help show them that they can get through any challenges they face with focus and a determination to reach whatever goal they set for themselves.

Editor’s Note: If you would like to learn more about Tom Comeau’s story, visit https://gofund.me/f1df65d1.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

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ADVERTORIAL

Podcasting - The most powerful law enforcement communications tool you’ve never heard of

by Sonya Holt, (Retired) Deputy Associate Director of CIA for Talent for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, currently Chief Strategist & Head of DC Relations, Obie & Ax Inc. and Andrew O’Brien, Founder & CEO of Obie & Ax Inc.

A

mong the first to market in its space, Obie & Ax Inc. is now the largest international full-service podcast production firm. We provide turnkey end-to-end services, from ideation to final production for government agencies and major brands worldwide.

Ideas empowered Podcasts are a vital tool for entertaining, engaging and informing all kinds of audiences. But law enforcement agencies have been late to the game, sticking with traditional media, which lacks the compelling and dynamic aspects of longer-form audio and video podcasts.

Diversity and inclusion in particular have remained conspicuously non-existent topics in those traditional forums.

Turn-key police podcasting is here

Podcasts produced by Obie & Ax actively engage your community for extended periods using audio and video, and are easily promoted via reverse-marketing on your social media platforms. Focusing on maximum communications clarity, Obie & Ax’s podcast production team consists of veteran producers, editors and innovators. Our team meets with your communications lead to identify topics, develop relevant questions, identify participants and hosts. The final product is produced and delivered by Obie & Ax.

The cost-effective way to reach the hard-to-reach

Thought leaders have rapidly come to grasp podcasting’s value, benefits and power to position their organizations in multiple ways to targeted audiences. Podcasts create intimate relationships between brands/organizations and their listeners, conveyed by natural dialogue and inclusivity. They can also be applied in a workplace context for talent recruitment and retention, to unpack business opportunities and solidify partnerships or other relationships. Podcasting is a smart, affordable way to educate listeners on your organization’s activities and core values, while augmenting your larger communications strategy.

Multiple uses and applications

Podcast clips are used as tools for outreach, engagement, recruitment events, advertising, heritage month celebrations and as adjuncts during conferences, etc. This permits mar-com executives to better focus on daily operations.

Bridge the communications gap

Police agencies across North America all face similar challenges in a range of issues: Building trust within communities; finding, recruiting and retaining talent; and humanizing their departments and leadership teams in the public realm. There’s never been a medium as powerful as podcasting to convey complex

From left to right: Scott McMillion, Chief Diversity Officer, Federal Bureau of Investigation Andrew O’Brien, Founder & CEO, Obie & Ax Inc.; Don Alway, Assistant Director in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation; Sonya Holt, (Retired) Deputy Associate Director of CIA for Talent for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, currently Chief Strategist & Head of DC Relations, Obie & Ax Inc. messaging by engaging audiences for extended periods of time.

Unlike social channels such as Facebook or Instagram (where average video watch times are 10-30 seconds at best), podcasts engage listeners for an average time of 28 minutes.

Over 1/3 of Americans and Canadians regularly listen to podcasts monthly

It’s where people are now, how they absorb and process content and control the flow-rate of information they take in. Podcasts can be stopped and started at will – while driving to work, exercising, cooking, lying in bed, mowing the lawn, etc.

The Swiss Army Knife of broadcasting

Podcasting provides opportunities for police agencies to put a public face on all their issues and needs, from diversity & inclusion, talent acquisition and community engagement to thought leadership, internal communications, cold cases, missing persons, etc. Video podcasts in particular give messaging and branding an authentic human voice. And content repositioning lets your organization upload short clips onto your social media feeds, strengthening your messaging, while promoting your podcast.

Long-term marketing upshot

Strategically preplanning a podcast series builds high-quality content libraries from which your stakeholders can extract and reuse content as supplements to their marketing efforts.

Tap into the fastest growing medium in the world

It’s no surprise that government agencies and corporations rely on podcasts to intensify their communications impact. That said, putting together a world-class production isn’t easy. Police communications teams typically cannot accommodate the extra workload required to churn out regular full-blown podcasts. It takes experienced professional podcast teams like ours – familiar with the medium’s intricacies and the specialized equipment needed – to create a consistently high-quality end product.

Enter Obie & Ax

Engaging us to produce your podcasts is an instant game-changer. It removes barriers to the cost-effective achievement of your communications and community outreach objectives. It requires very little of your existing mar-com team. It’s a full plug & play turnkey offering. Additionally, we provide movie trailers/teasers for each episode which can be fed onto your existing social channels to advertise each new podcast. We also encourage our clients to host their podcasts on their websites, as the increased traffic encourages listeners to explore other aspects of their sites.

Obie & Ax’s Advisory Board members include an array of exemplary government and industry representatives. They include Betsy R. Glick, Former Public Affairs Specialist, FBI; Dr. Michele Perchonok, Former Manager, NASA Human Research Program (HRP); Diana Frost, Chief Growth Officer, North America, Kraft Heinz; Shawna Coxon, Deputy Commissioner of Strategy, Governance & Performance, An Garda Siochana. A complete list of Advisory Board Members and the Leadership Team Members can be found at https://www.obieandax.com/team and https://www.obieandax.com/leadership respectively.

Founder, Andrew O’Brien has enjoyed a longstanding working relationship with business partner, Michele Romanow (Dragon from CBC’s Dragons’ Den). During their years together at Buytopia, the team had successfully incubated SnapSaves (Acquired Nasdaq: GRPN) and subsequently purchased 17 competitors along the way. During his time as Partner and Chief Revenue Officer at Buytopia, the company had received three ‘Ernst & Young Entrepreneurs of the Year’ finalist nominations, was ranked third on Profit Guides’ “Fastest-growing Companies in Canada” list, and won a Toronto Board of Trade Award.

Andrew co-founded Obie & Ax Inc. and Obie & Ax United alongside Axel Villamil, Michele Romanow, and Anatoliy Melnichuk to help bridge the gap between industry leaders, government entities, corporations and podcasting. Obie & Ax’s clients include but are not limited to the FBI, Canada Border Services Agency, Toronto Police Service, Halton Regional Police Service, York Regional Police, Tempe Police Department, Blackberry, Sodexo and Walmart.

Testimonials

“Obie & Ax Inc. has collaborated with the FBI to produce A United Front, an educational podcast offering an exclusive insider perspective of diversity and inclusion within the Bureau.” - Scott McMillion Chief Diversity Officer, Federal Bureau of Investigation “As a DEIA leader/practitioner I am so excited about all the creative and innovative ways Obie & Ax’s podcasts allow you to take your program/company to the next level. As you are focused on the day to day, to have someone do end-to-end production of podcasts that you can use for things such as heritage month celebrations, recruitment, and personal stories, to name a few is amazing! It really does open the door for how we do business, and to do it smartly. I am so enjoying working with this world class team, who truly are the best in the business.” - Sonya Holt Former Deputy Associate Director & Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, CIA

“... The exposure garnered through the podcasts has been exceptional. Andy has been our primary point of contact throughout, and is always a pleasure to deal with and available to chat at a moment’s notice. Thank you Andy for your continued hard work and dedication - I look forward to our ongoing and future relationship!” - Hank Idsinga Homicide Inspector, Toronto Police Service

Give back and contribution to community

“SickKids is proud to be the charity partner of Obie & Ax Inc. and I am personally delighted to serve on their Advisory Board. We share a common mission to inspire people and communities to think about important issues like mental health, diversity and inclusion, innovation, and the kind of society we want for our children and each other. We live these issues every day at SickKids which is why it was so easy for us to say “yes” to become partners with Obie & Ax Inc.” - Ted Garrard CEO, SickKids Foundation

Statement from Founder & CEO, Andrew O’Brien

It’s important to remember that we can control how people see us and where they consume our messaging. Today, everyone is online and a third of the North American continent listens to podcasts, a number that’s growing at over 30% annually. It’s a platform that allows for a longer time with the user and acts as a basis to set the tone for the rest of our content. An organization cannot communicate a complex and sensitive message effectively without listening time and video aiding that communication. Part of the phenomenal growth of podcasts is how they allow listeners to stop and start content at will. Because they control it, their minds are prepared for long-form consumption. We have worked with some of the best communications minds in the world to step up their outreach strategies and tell stories that give a voice to real people.

Police communications are often predictable, generic, and delivered through dated mechanisms. Podcasting offers a powerful engine to communicate authentic content with video. It bridges the gap between police and public, while serving as a “content monster” fueling existing socials and harnessing snippets as calls to action, inviting audiences to explore police websites.

Links to examples of podcasts produced by Obie & Ax Inc. Obie & Ax - Highlight Reel https://f.io/JXbyeeRw 24 Shades of Blue: Cold Case Edition, Season 2 (Toronto Police Service Podcast) https://f.io/zvKIjp7M @CanBorder: Life of a Border Officer (Canada Border Services Agency Podcast) https://f.io/T78QzaqM Powering Journeys Podcast (Parkland Podcast) https://f.io/OHTYAKXu A United Front w/ Scott McMillion (FBI Podcast) https://f.io/YofX7qB4 The UnSmoke Conversation, Season 2 (Rothmans, Benson & Hedges Podcast) https://f.io/uZp6QRKv To learn more about Obie & Ax Inc. please visit our website at: https://www.obieandax.com To start your podcast journey, schedule an appointment via email at: info@obieandax.com

COVER STORY

Counterfeit currency How the RCMP, law enforcement and the Bank of Canada combat fake money

Current trends

There are two trends that the RCMP and the Bank of Canada (BoC) are currently seeing with counterfeits.

Since 2011, there has been a large decline in the amount of counterfeit currency detected in circulation. This was the year that the BoC introduced their first polymer series bank note. “Polymer notes have proven to be very difficult to replicate, which has contributed to the decline we’ve witnessed,” said Cst. Michael Scott-Doornink, RCMP. The polymer was much

harder to perfect and create a passable bill. However, there has been a movement toward being able to create high-quality passable polymer notes, as shown in recent investigations. “Hence, we must continue to be vigilant in all aspects of monitoring and enforcement of counterfeit money being passed into the system.”

As a result of the success and changes to the Canadian bank notes, criminals have shifted their approach by altering counterfeits, or using poor quality paper reproductions that can be mistaken for real money.

The second trend that the RCMP and the BoC are seeing is a shift to a higher denomination. “This is something that can change on a regular basis, depending on what denomination is passable at the time,” said Cst. Scott-Doornink. In the past, he explained, $20 notes would be the counterfeit of choice, as the point-of-sale might not give the same amount of scrutiny as higher bills and could more easily fly under the radar. This changes as counterfeits are detected.

COUNTERFEITING CANADIAN BANK NOTES FROM 2001-21

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BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

Criminality of counterfeit currency

30

The BoC aims to keep counterfeiting levels below a maximum target of 30 counterfeit notes per million notes in circulation (parts per million, or PPM).

In 2021, the level of counterfeit notes was 7 PPM and remains well below the target

The criminality, as it relates to counterfeit currency, is really two sides of a coin. On one side there is the manufacturer and on the other there’s the passer.

The manufacturer, depending on their level of sophistication, is constantly trying to adapt to new bank note security features, while the BoC is constantly working to thwart new counterfeiting techniques. To stay ahead of this, for many years the RCMP and the BoC have educated the public on detecting counterfeit currency as a means of deterrence while helping to minimize victimization. As demonstrated by the “Counterfeit Canadian Bank Notes from 20012021” graph, the introduction of polymer notes and other BoC initiatives have resulted in a decrease in the prevalence of counterfeit notes in Canada to a level of about one counterfeit note per every 142,857 genuine notes in circulation.

The passer, meanwhile, without wanting to oversimplify the known methodologies available to them, are overly reliant on person-to-person transactions which doesn’t really allow for a lot of sophistication or advancement in methodology. In fact, during the earlier stages of the pandemic, when consumers were being forced to utilize other www.BlueLine.ca

GRAPHIC IMAGES: NATIONAL ANTI-COUNTERFEITING BUREAU, RCMP

C

ounterfeiting currency is not a new crime. In fact, people have been creating fake money going as far back as the fifth century. So why is this still happening in 2023? How can law enforcement and the banks keep this from happening? From creating new polymer bank notes, to launching projects and initiatives and working with municipal law enforcement agencies, the RCMP shares the details that you should know, so you can help stop this crime.

PHOTO CREDIT: © DENNIZN / ADOBE STOCK

By Brittani Schroeder and Michael Scott-Doornink

forms of payment, there was a dramatic drop in counterfeit passing.

This reliance on person-to-person transactions is one of the main reasons that the relationship between the BoC and RCMP is so important, as it allows them to meet and engage with stakeholders to provide education and workshops for detecting counterfeit notes and other known methodologies to watch-out for.

Projects and initiatives

The RCMP has numerous projects and initiatives currently underway to improve the way they investigate counterfeit crime.

In 2011, the RCMP and the BoC partnered to fight again counterfeiting. The RCMP investigates, and the COUNTERFEITING ACTIVITY IN 2021 - BY PROVINCE

@Blue_LineMag

BoC provides the awareness and outreach components. “Approaching the fight against counterfeiting as a joint operation, rather than separate entities, streamlined the process and information sharing became simplified. The Bank also works closely with law enforcement, financial institutions and retail partners to address counterfeiting and to minimize its impact on Canadians,” said Cst. Scott-Doornink.

Education has become a focus with the RCMP and the BoC, and they provide presentations, workshops and conferences for law enforcement, retailers and the general public.

“Our bank notes are only secure if everyone checks them at the point of sale. Educating the public to routinely check all notes—no matter the series or value—allows cash handlers to intercept counterfeits and keep them out of the till and out of our pockets,” Cst. Scott-Doornink said.

Working in partnership

44% In 2021, the NACB reported 44 per cent of the counterfeits passed were in Ontario.

The RCMP has always had a very special relationship with their neighbours to the south, but also law enforcement globally. As part of the RCMP’s education awareness and enforcement initiatives, they have partnered with the BoC, the United States Secret Service and U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

In partnership with the BoC and Niagara Regional Police, the RCMP is organizing the 30th Annual Niagara Counterfeit and Fraud Workshop in May. This event provides investigators from the law enforcement, retail and financial institution communities the opportunity to hear about relevant topics that impact their communities and organizations. Those in attendance are also provided with techniques and resources to stay ahead of criminals in the fight against counterfeiting and fraud.

The RCMP also has the National Anti-Counterfeit Bureau (NACB).

The NACB maintains a national database of bank notes recovered from circulation in Canada. It assists in establishing counterfeit trends and supporting criminal in-

vestigations for all of Canada, not just the RCMP.

Provincial and municipal law enforcement agencies

The RCMP’s fight against counterfeit currency is aided by its partners in municipal and provincial law enforcement agencies (LEAs).

LEAs can ensure the proper submission of seized counterfeit currency notes and the instruments used to produce such notes to the NACB. “Proper fanouts or notifications through police working groups, such as the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), which are then disseminated to other LEA investigators, is key to keeping the line of communication open to notify of these types of crimes and trends in each jurisdiction,” said Cst. Scott-Doornink.

When thinking about the most important pieces of information for members of law enforcement to know about counterfeit currency, Cst. Scott-Doornink reiterates that the timely submission of counterfeit currency to the NACB is essential in determining the current trends in the counterfeit passing incidents, and to link similar incident to identify those responsible for the counterfeit currency being passed. Therefore, information sharing between LEAs and good record maintenance on interagency databases are essential to a successful prosecution.

Editor’s note: Resources geared at law enforcement, retailers and the general public are available on the Bank of Canada’s website, Bank notes - Bank of Canada. This includes a variety of educational materials and legal resources for law enforcement and Crown prosecutors. The 30th annual Niagara Counterfeit and Fraud Workshop will be held in May 2023, and more information can be found at https://www.counterfeitinvestigators.com/.

Constable Michael Scott-Doornink joined the RCMP in 2018 and started in the Integrated Counterfeit Enforcement Team within the Financial Crime Section of the Toronto West RCMP office.

The RCMP has now amalgamated their Financial Crimes Section into a new section called the Transnational Serious and Organized Crime Section where Cst. Scott-Doornink works with regional and national partners on a wide range of investigations from banking, traditional organized crime, market manipulation and cryptocurrencies.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

11

BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCES

BY PETER COLLINS

Memory, recovered memory and false memory in sexual assault and homicide investigations: Part 1

T

here has been a great deal written over the past few decades about the phenomenon of the recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. When recovered memories are shown to be false, they are regarded as a false memory. Many of these memories are iatrogenic in nature – they are suggested, supported, validated, encouraged and “recovered” through unproven and pseudo-scientific practices and methods of therapists, who are often well-meaning. There are some individuals who can also develop a belief and a memory regarding a trauma, that is internally motivated and generated, rather than being the result of a suggestion during counselling or therapy. In order discuss recovered memory, one must examine what memory is and how it works.

A simple model is to regard memory as involving a series of systems, with each system operating on its own set of principles.

Sensory memory

Sensory memory is a collection of memory stores that correspond with each sensory modality – vision (iconic memory), hearing (echoic memory), touch (haptic memory), as well as taste and smell. It’s the storage of information that we receive from our senses.

Sensory memory may be accurate, but it exists very briefly. Before memories go into short term memory storage, they sit in sensory memory. While some types of sensory memory are in our minds for up to four seconds, other disappear within milliseconds. During the brief time that this information remains, the brain only pays attention to the most salient aspects.

The sensory registers allow us to only hold this information for these brief periods to determine if it is worthy of further attention. That information is matched to recognizable patterns and assigned meaning. Only the most significant features are transferred to the next stage, short-term memory, for further processing.

Short-term memory

Short-term memory is where conscious thought occurs. When a person recalls an event, performs addition mentally or reads a string of words, the information to execute these functions is held temporar12

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

ily in short-term memory. Information in short-term memory remains longer than that held in the sensory registers, but much of the data is forgotten in less than a minute unless some further processing occurs. Another characteristic of shortterm memory is its capacity – the amount of memory that can be held in an active state. Research has shown that it is somewhere around seven items or less.

To prevent short-term memory loss, one must repeat the information to keep it active and prevent it from being displaced by new material. However, before the brain can retain material, it must transfer it to long-term memory. Like the transfer of sensory memory to short-term memory, information that relates easily to existing memories has a better chance of being retained compared to new data.

Long-term memory

Long-term memory is the storage of information for an extended period. Unlike the limited capacity of short-term memory, the amount of information stored in longterm memory is theorised to be unlimited.

Confused? There is more to consider.

Procedural memory represents knowing how to perform activities, such as driving a car, using a computer or throwing a baseball. This is the memory of skills.

This is unconscious and procedural.

Declarative memory refers to facts and knowledge we remember—the capital of Nova Scotia or, perhaps, what a robbery suspect was wearing—that are consciously recalled. Sometimes the significance of an event helps encode the memory. Significance is truly important. For example, most individuals can remember their first kiss, but do many remember their 14th kiss?

Recovered memories and false memories

When recovered memories are shown to be false, they are linked to what is called “false memory syndrome”. False memories are memories of details or events that were not experienced. These pseudo-memories usually arise in the context of therapy and are often quite vivid and emotionally charged. The person truly believes their memory of the events are accurate, even in the face of proof otherwise. These false

memories can have devastating consequences as they can lead to false accusations and wrongful convictions.

The concept of false memories was due to two intertwined developments that unfolded in the 1980s and 1990s that are now referred to as the “memory wars”.

There was heated debate on the existence of unconscious repressed memory. One theory was that because of the overwhelming nature of traumatic experiences, memories of these experiences were unconsciously blocked and not accessible.

Naïve and misinformed counselors believed that the key to uncover these unconscious repressed memories was through therapy.

Also contributing to the memory wars were high-profile cases involving abuse in daycare facilities. A notorious Canadian case occurred in Saskatchewan in 1992. A woman in the community of Martensville alleged that a woman who ran a local daycare centre had sexually abused her child. After the police began to investigate, allegations began to snowball and ultimately over a dozen persons, including five police officers from three different services, faced over 100 charges connected with running a Satanic cult called The Brotherhood of the Ram, which allegedly practiced ritualized sexual abuse of numerous children at a satanic church.

The son of the day care owner was tried and found guilty of sexual assault, but not on the scale that had been alleged. Also, of note, was that the interviews of the children involved questions that were leading in nature, and the children were praised for giving incriminating answers.

Looking ahead

In the March/April column, I will explore more of why false memory occurs, how to recognize it and provide case examples.

For a full list of references, please visit www.blueline.ca/memory-recovered-memoryand-false-memory-part-1/ Peter Collins is the operational forensic psychiatrist with the Ontario Provincial Police’s Criminal Behaviour Analysis Section. He is also a member of the crisis/ hostage negotiation team of the Toronto Police Service Emergency Task Force. Dr. Collins’ opinions are his own. Contact him at peter.collins@utoronto.ca.

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TRAINING

Transforming the culture of policing Creating a culture of care through active bystandership training

O

ver the past two years, police services throughout Canada have witnessed increased calls from their communities for multi-faceted changes to policing, collectively grouped into terms such as police modernization and police reform. One such change focuses on the prevention of officer misconduct.

The prevention of officer misconduct is not only paramount in instilling public confidence and trust in policing but is also a key element in officer wellness. Research has repeatedly demonstrated that internal professional standard investigations are the most stressful part of police officers’ jobs. In response to the feedback from our communities, the core focus for police leadership should be on taking a proactive approach to prevent officer misconduct whilst promoting officer wellness.

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Active bystandership

An evidence-based approach for the prevention of officer misconduct is the utilization of Active Bystandership for Law Enforcement (ABLE) training. ABLE training is a tool that focuses on creating a transformational cultural shift supporting peer intervention. Created by the Georgetown Law Center for Innovations in Community Safety, in partnership with the global law firm Sheppard Mullin, ABLE training has 10 standards which those wishing to utilize the training must adhere to. An organization wishing to participate in the ABLE training must partake in an extensive application process.

In late 2021, the Delta Police Department (DPD) in British Columbia became the first police organization in the province to deliver ABLE training to its entire membership.

After the successful implementation and evaluation of the ABLE training program at the DPD, it was brought to the attention of the Justice Institute of B.C. (JIBC)1 and it is now part of the mandatory curriculum for all recruits attending the JIBC. Put simply, ABLE training empowers officers to strategically and successfully intervene, regardless of their rank, to prevent officer misconduct. By preventing harm and avoiding mistakes, which are the intended outcomes of the active bystandership training, we support the mental and physical well-being of our officers.

Undoubtedly, our officers frequently make high-stress and critical decisions and are active bystanders daily throughout their duties because of the very nature of police work. When our officers hear gunshots, they are the ones who run towards the sound of those gunshots. When our www.BlueLine.ca

PHOTO CREDIT: DELTA POLICE DEPARTMENT

By Neil Dubord

officers witness a car zip past them at high speeds in a school zone, they make every attempt to stop that car and take necessary action. Our officers are some of the most dedicated, committed and selfless persons, and we, as leaders, get the front row seat to witness their heroic actions daily.

However, a gap exists when it comes to intervening in the harmful actions of other officers, especially those who are senior in experience or rank, often resulting in officers becoming passive bystanders. To address this gap, we must deliver meaningful training on how to perform the duty of “active bystandership” effectively, safely and consistently. And this is where active bystandership training comes into play.

Following the research

ABLE training is based on the extensive research of Dr. Staub.2 He notes that intervening in another person’s conduct is actually much harder than it looks; there can be various inhibitors to active bystandership, such as diffusion of responsibility, pluralistic ignorance, potential costs and devaluation of those who need help.

In the policing field, our focus is on implementing evidence-based initiatives.

Quantifying the success of the ABLE training is challenging because, as we all know, when the training works as it’s designed to, nothing happens. When nothing happens, it will not go viral on social media or become the feature story of every news channel.

However, there is strong evidence vouching for ABLE training’s effectiveness.

ABLE training incorporates evidence from Dr. Staub2 and various other researchers’ bystandership experiments in lab and field settings, highlighting the power bystanders have over the action of others. This research has shown that active bystandership can be learned, practiced and absorbed, just as any other skills we teach our officers, such as firearms and use-of-force training. Hospitals, aviation and post-secondary institutions have already employed active bystandership training.

Additionally, a post-training survey conducted with the DPD membership demonstrated positive results, noting improvement in officer perceptions, attitudes and likelihood of peer intervention compared to the pre-training survey. It is noted that annual reinforcement training will be critical to maintaining the program’s success, just as we focus on re-certification training for firearms and other policing skills. The inspector in charge of @Blue_LineMag

A gap exists when it Accountability: the organization must a robust anti-retaliation policy to comes to intervening have ensure that interveners are not punished, in the harmful actions targeted or ostracized in any way, and the organization will investigate any alleged of other officers. instances of retaliation and hold those the training section at the DPD noted the following about ABLE training: “I believe it will be one of the most impactful programs that this department will have ever delivered. A senior officer about to retire told me ABLE training was one of the most profound training sessions he had participated in and wished he had the training earlier in his career.”

As I mentioned, there is a comprehensive application process in which the DPD participated, committing to 10 ABLE standards to be accepted into the program, which are summarized below. Upon acceptance into the program, we sent our officers to receive training from Georgetown Law and become certified ABLE trainers for the DPD.

The ABLE standards

Community support: DPD submitted four letters of support, two from community-based organizations, one from myself as the leader of the organization, and one from the leader of the jurisdiction in which the agency is based (e.g. the Mayor).

Meaningful training: all sworn officers and recruits must receive at least eight hours of initial and at least two hours of annual refresher training, with a maximum class size of 25.

Dedicated coordination: ABLE training implementation must be spearheaded by a designated program coordinator at the organization. This person will roll out, promote and reinforce the program, providing guidance and assistance to the department as necessary. Additionally, officers from the department must be sent to the ABLE Train-the-Trainer (TTT) events with uninterrupted time to attend and train the event and complete homework assignments. The trainers then facilitate the training to the rest of the department.

Program awareness: the agency must create internal and external awareness of the program, including the benefits and principles of peer intervention.

accountable if found to be true.

Officer wellness: the organization must have a meaningful officer wellness program providing officers access to professional counsellors for guidance and support.

Reporting: ABLE training isn’t intended to alter an agency’s reporting policies, and thus, an agency must continue reporting as standard practice.

Measuring officer perceptions: the organization must conduct a pre-implementation and post-implementation perception survey amongst those who receive the training.

Follow-through: ABLE training must be implemented department-wide with the full support of management and leadership.

Pay it forward: organizations with ABLE-certified instructors are to make reasonable efforts to make the training and instructors available to surrounding law enforcement agencies that have been accepted into the program.

Final thoughts

Over the past few years, police officer health and wellness initiatives have rightfully taken center stage. Significant efforts have been made to address the stigma around officer mental health and ensure that we deliver the proper services and resources for our teams’ mental and physical well-being. We must also recognize that officer misconduct is interconnected with our team’s wellness; thus, investing in initiatives such as ABLE training to prevent officer misconduct is critical.

Notes

1. The JIBC is the only accredited organization providing training to police recruits for all municipal departments in B.C.

References

2. Staub, Ervin. (2018). Preventing Violence and Promoting Active Bystandership and Peace: My Life in Research and Applications. Peace and Conflict: The Journal of Peace Psychology, 24(1), 95–111. https:// doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pac0000301 Neil Dubord is the Chief Constable of the Delta Police Department.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

15

Will proposed federal firearms laws reduce gun crime in Canada?

By Chris D. Lewis

Q

uick answer: No, not in my opinion.

When Bill C-21 was first introduced, it was all about reducing legal handgun sales and ownership transfers, which in itself will not have any impact on rising gun crime in this country.

It would only stop new and used handgun purchases by those who are either already licensed to possess restricted weapons under Canada’s already robust regulations, or those who are seeking to legally go through the rigorous steps required to be appropriately licensed. More recently, a number of currently legal rifles and shotguns have been added to the legislated ban. Essentially, the legislation will hurt the law-abiding gun community and licensed firearms dealers only. These are not the people that are committing murders or other crimes of violence in our communities – with rare exception.

It’s no secret that the vast majority of gun crime is committed with handguns smuggled into Canada through our porous border with the United States. Robberies, violent interactions between rival street gangs and occasionally the shooting of innocent victims are largely not occurring with legal handguns. Nor are they often happening through the use of rifles and shotguns that are legally owned by licensed hunters and sport-shooters in Canada.

There is no statistical data to show that

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BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

legally owned handguns or the recently targeted semi-automatic long rifles are significant in the murders of Canadians.

Occasionally, crimes do occur through the use of such firearms. Undoubtedly, they are also used at times by those intent on taking their own lives. As tragic as that is, that is not a gun problem, it’s a mental health issue. Similarly, many poor souls have ended their lives through a variety of other unregulated means. We cannot legislate against every potential implement that some may use to injure themselves or others. The Saskatchewan stabbing murders of 2022 and the 2018 Toronto van attack are proof of that sad reality and impossible to prevent through legislation.

Canada already has very strict federal gun controls. True ‘assault rifles’ have been banned for years, as have large capacity magazines. It is also very difficult to legally own a handgun in this country.

Background checks, training requirements and safe storage laws contribute greatly to the fact that per capita Canada has a very small fraction of the gun murders of the U.S., where firearm laws are largely weak, inconsistent from state to state, and there are more guns than people.

It’s important to note that the Nova Scotia shooter was not licensed to possess any firearms before he took 22 innocent lives there in 2020. He violated many of the current gun laws as he committed the

worst of the worst of crimes – murder. He didn’t care about firearms bans and legislation as he carried out his devastating murder spree. Similarly, street gang members across the land are not worried about gun laws when they carry or use smuggled handguns. They are only concerned about financial gain, neutralizing competitors and personal protection. None of the proposed legislation will change that and cause gangbangers to turn to legal careers.

Very recently, a number of organized crime investigations in the Greater Toronto Area netted seizures of large quantities of firearms, many being handguns. Almost all of them were smuggled into Canada and not stolen from legal owners here. In addition, most police chiefs and their crime experts will say that the overwhelming majority of guns used in crimes in their jurisdictions are illegally brought into Canada from the U.S. There are many socio-economic issues behind the rise in violent crime in this country. Accordingly, more focus and funding are required to discourage highrisk youth from choosing destructive lifestyles, including the gang/gun culture.

What Canada does need to do is strictly enforce the current legislation and keep guns out of the hands of those that for criminal or mental health issues should not possess them. The RCMP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have the primary responsibility to enforce our smuggling laws and keep illegal handguns from entering this country. But both agencies are short of personnel, and in the case of the RCMP, beyond responding to calls for service, they have little to no resources left to focus on organized crime enforcement or to stem smuggling. The federal government would be well-advised to focus more funding on those fronts, as opposed to enhanced legislation and useless ‘buy back’ programs targeting currently legal guns that aren’t a threat. The RCMP, provincial and local police must also work together to deal with those guns that do slip into Canada, as well as taking guns away from former legal owners who subsequently show that they should no longer be allowed to own or possess them.

In other words, Canada needs to focus its limited time and money on the real threat to public and officer safety to truly make a difference.

Chris D. Lewis served across Ontario in the OPP, retiring as Commissioner in 2014. He continues to lecture and write on leadership and policing issues, and is the author of the book Never Stop on a Hill. He is also the Public Safety Analyst for the CTV Television Network.

www.BlueLine.ca

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CASE LAW

BY MIKE NOVAKOWSKI

Unlawful police entry denies domestic assault victim her day in court

T

he Nova Scotia Court of Appeal has upheld the imposition of a judicial stay of proceedings on 32 domestic violence related charges because the police entered the accused’s home unlawfully to arrest him.

In R. v. Mitchell, 2022 NSCA 77, the police attended the accused’s residence at 1 a.m., a few hours after receiving a complaint from his former girlfriend. The police intended to arrest Mitchell on 32 charges related to allegations of numerous instances of intimate partner violence arising from the relationship that had ended months earlier. These allegations included assaultive behaviour with choking, use of a knife, and breaking an ankle. The police expected to find Mitchell at home because he had a court-imposed daily curfew associated with other unrelated charges he was facing. In advance of the arrest attempt, a supervisor instructed two officers to attend Mitchell’s home under the pretense of performing a curfew compliance check. The officers were to have Mitchell exit the house and arrest him once outside. Although police were aware of the requirement to have a Feeney warrant to enter a private residence to effect an arrest in the absence of fresh pursuit, exigent circumstances, or consent, there was no discussion about or effort to get one.

When the two officers knocked on the door, Mitchell opened it. He was told the police wished to arrest him but did not have a warrant to do so. Mitchell then closed his door and locked it. The supervisor, who was also in attendance, sprinted across the yard and kicked open the door.

All three officers entered the home and struggled with Mitchell. He was pulled down the stairwell, forcibly removed from his home shirtless and barefoot, put on the ground and arrested. A previous surgical reconstruction of his right hip joint – which was not known to police – was aggravated during the arrest.

Before trial in Nova Scotia Provincial Court, Mitchell argued his Charter rights had been breached by the conduct of the police and he wanted all the domestic related charges against him stayed. A stay of proceedings is the most drastic remedy a 18

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

“At times, state conduct will be so troublesome that having a trial—even a fair one—will leave the impression that the justice system condones conduct that offends society’s sense of fair play and decency.”

– Justice Beaton criminal court can order as it permanently halts the prosecution of an accused. The application judge agreed a stay was warranted, stating: I am finding there was a section 8 breach. I am also finding a section 7 breach. Officers ignored the law. The corporal deliberately attempted to employ an unlawful strategy and when that did not work, (as he testified to) out of frustration and anger stormed into a private dwelling attempting to justify through his own perspective that there was hot pursuit. He was followed by two officers. Both knew or ought to have known that their entry was unlawful … They should have been hauling their corporal out of the home, not Mr. Mitchell.

The application judge went on to hold that the circumstances of the police entry into Mitchell’s home was over-the-top.

They used significant force – their fists, knees and feet – and deliberately chose not to respect Mitchell’s right to be free from police entering his dwelling unlawfully and administering force. And there were no urgent circumstances that required the police to execute the arrest at 1 a.m. and in the manner they did, all while “heavily armed”.

A stay of the 32 charges was an appropriate response to properly sanction the conduct of the police. No lesser remedy would redress the prejudice occasioned on the integrity of the justice system by the police conduct. Staying only some of the charges would convey the message the police misconduct was trifling, and a civil judgment or a reduction in sentence

would have little impact because the matter was not at the trial stage.

The Crown appealed the application judge’s ruling that the unlawful entry into Mitchell’s home without a warrant was not egregious as to be one of those “clearest of cases” requiring the drastic remedy of a stay of proceedings.

Stay of proceedings

A three-member panel of the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal reviewed case law concerning the imposition of a judicial stay of proceedings and found the application judge did not make a mistake in ordering it. “There are limits on the type of conduct society will tolerate in the prosecution of offences,” said Justice Beaton for the Court of Appeal. “At times, state conduct will be so troublesome that having a trial—even a fair one—will leave the impression that the justice system condones conduct that offends society’s sense of fair play and decency. This harms the integrity of the justice system.”

Beaton agreed that that the police conduct was shocking.

Further, the application judge’s decision was entitled to deference. He was deeply concerned about the conduct of the police and identified a systemic problem that required future prevention. He noted the conduct in this case was not an isolated incident and the case law was replete with examples of police entering dwellings unlawfully and administering force against suspects. He appropriately exercised his discretion in weighing the merits of other possible remedies to sanction the police conduct.

Finally, in deciding to impose the stay, the application judge properly balanced the egregious actions of the police against the community’s and the alleged victim’s respective interests in the prosecution of the serious domestic violence allegations. As a result, the Court of Appeal refused to disturb the application judge’s ruling. The Crown’s appeal was dismissed and the imposition of the stay of proceedings was upheld.

Mike Novakowski is Blue Line’s case law columnist.

www.BlueLine.ca

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BY ISABELLE SAUVÉ

COVID-19 and sextortion: An epidemic within a pandemic

PHOTO CREDIT: © LEA / ADOBE STOCK

Perpetrator (P): “Hey cutie.”

Victim (V): “Hey. You are cute, too.”

P: “You think so? You are so special.”

V: “Thanks.”

P: “What are you up to?”

V: “I’m bored.”

P: “Want to have some fun?”

V: “What do you mean?”

P: “Well unless you are too scared?”

V: “Lol.” P: “Why don’t you show me how cute the rest of you is!”

V: Explicit pic sent.

P: “Ok, HEAR ME OUT. Send me $1,000 via PayPal or I will send this to everyone you know and post it for the entire world to see. I will ruin your life if you do not do as I say.”

V: “Please don’t. I don’t want my parents to know. Why are you doing this? Please don’t ruin my life...”

A short bout of online exchanges between strangers can be enough to be life changing for victims of the most contemporary pandemic: sextortion. Largely affecting youth under the age of 18, sextortion is a form of blackmail which takes place mainly online through various platforms. It is a particularly insidious form of abuse, preying upon vulnerable and unsuspecting individuals. It’s predominantly perpetrated remotely, which creates challenges for law enforcement to investigate and even more to prosecute.

In a typical case of sextortion, the young person is coerced, often within minutes or a few hours of starting the conversation, into sending an unclothed picture or video of themselves. The perpetrator attempts to extort money, additional pictures and videos, or to make other demands such as self-harm by threatening widespread distribution of the sensitive material.

Victims are targeted on various online sites, apps, dating forums and on messaging or gaming platforms. They are typically deceived into believing they are communicating with someone close in age and of their sexual preference or orientation. It often involves a cybercriminal posing as someone else—such as an attractive person—in order to initiate communication of a sexual nature with the victim. Frequently, @Blue_LineMag

a fake sexualized picture is first shared with the victim to normalize and coerce the youth into reciprocating. Once the youth shares media containing compromising content, they become entangled in a web of threats and demands.

Sextortion often has a detrimental impact on its victims – it has even been linked to the self-harming and death by suicide of many young people. Victims can become overwhelmed with feelings of shame, helplessness, fear and confusion that prevents them from asking for help or telling anyone. The emotional and psychological impact of sextortion on victims can be severe and long-lasting. In addition to feelings of extreme humiliation and self-blame, victims may also experience depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and suicidal ideation.

In the wake of COVID-19, sextortion has grown exponentially. Indeed, according to Cybertip.ca, there was a 56 per cent increase of reported youth being sextorted between March and August 2022 in Canada.

In July and August 2022 exclusively, there were over 600 reports of sextortion. Despite these striking statistics, research indicates this crime remains largely unreported.

Sextortion typically originates from fairly sophisticated international organized criminal networks, but it can also be perpetrated by current or former intimate partners. The large majority of those affected are boys. Girls are most often extorted for more images or videos while boys are mainly extorted for money. Pay-

ment demands are frequently made through online payment methods or gift cards. The amounts requested range from a few dollars to multiple thousands of dollars. Cybercriminals will typically entertain negotiation to meet at an amount the victim can afford.

Undoubtedly, law enforcement agencies have a vital role to play in combating sextortion and supporting victims.

To effectively address this issue, officers must be trained on how to best intervene in these cases. For most officers, this intervention will entail referring the case to a sexual exploitation unit. From there, the unit can investigate and there could be the possibility of account takeovers and conducting undercover work.

Police who assist victims of sextortion should also demonstrate a non-judgmental approach. Many underage kids don’t view the sharing of intimate media of themselves as being fundamentally bad; while engaging in this behavior poses a variety of dangers, it can be attributed to natural curiosity and a desire to be accepted or loved. It’s important that youth who fall prey to sextortion be informed that they are indeed victims of a crime. Law enforcement officers can provide support to victims by assisting them in safely removing explicit material from the internet and by connecting them with victim advocacy professionals. When a suspect can be identified, officers should work closely with prosecutors to ensure the bad actors are held accountable for their actions.

Public education remains a key strategy for preventing crime, including sextortion.

It is critical for the public, particularly young people, to know about the risks of sharing explicit photos or videos online.

Law enforcement agencies should work with schools and agencies to provide age-appropriate education on safe online practices. With collaboration, a larger audience can be reached, and a greater preventative impact can be achieved.

Isabelle Sauvé has a MA in psychology and is a PhD candidate. She is also an ultramarathon/endurance athlete and the Racing the Planet/4 Deserts 2018 Series winner as well as a Guinness World record holder. She can be contacted at: isabelle.sauve@hotmail.com.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

19

INCLUSION

Improving service delivery for those on the spectrum

A

utism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is topical these days, and rightfully so. ASD prevalence is rising exponentially globally. Researchers wrestle with explaining this uptick, and most suggestions oscillate between 1) environmental and cultural influences and 2) expanding diagnostic criteria, earlier age at diagnosis, and increased awareness of ASD. Here in the Great White North, the National ASD Monitoring System indicates that one in 66 children are autistic. Interestingly, males are four times more likely than females to be diagnosed with ASD. Historical data from three provinces indicated ASD diagnoses had significantly increased in the past decade, nearly three times. An American study affirms that ASD prevalence in the U.S.A. in the late 1980s was two to five people per 10,000, and at the turn of the millennium, one in 250 people.

A quick overview of ASD

ASD is a complex, life-long neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social skills, language, learning, cognitive function, physical abilities and behaviour. In Canada, medical teams, including psychologists and physicians, diagnose ASD in children. As a law enforcement practitioner (LEP), how20

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

ever, the following inexhausted list of ASD-specific features is exceedingly necessary to recognize: The individual may appear uncooperative or unwilling: Autistic people often struggle with eye contact. Also, they may not understand conversation etiquette, such as reciprocating or listening appropriately. They might default to repeating comfortable phrases, topics, or familiar stories when encountering unfamiliar situations. This appearance might rub off as rudeness or indifference.

They may be unable to understand behavioural cues and symbols: Autistic individuals may not recognize or interpret behavioural cues, such as countenance, posture, stance and verbal intonation.

Moreover, autistic people might not comprehend environmental symbols that are recognizable and easily interpretable to the layperson. For instance, the police uniform, vehicle, lights and sirens, might confuse the person. Because of their social cognitive limitations, people with ASD might not obey standard commands.

Resistance to change: People with ASD can fixate on rituals and routines. This insistence on familiarity and sameness bonds the person to their usual patterns of activities. Naturally, when something

disturbs and interferes with these routines, the autistic individual can become escalated and perturbed. When LEPs interact with autistic individuals, disrupting their familiar patterns and relocating them to unfamiliar environments, these incidents could heighten emotional responses, such as anger.

Inability to express their needs: The person may not gesticulate or verbally articulate well, making providing care difficult, especially when in an escalated state.

This frustration can, although not exclusively, result in self-stimulating behaviours, where people with ASD flap their arms, twirl objects or move their hands in a repetitive motion. These behaviours can convey to the unskilled LEPs that the person is not listening or cooperating when these are actually typical actions, especially during heightened emotional crises.

Interactions with the criminal justice system

There is no evidence that people with ASD commit more crimes than non-autistic people. Nevertheless, people with ASD can expect to interact with LEPs up to seven times more often than those without autism. However, these interactions primarily result from victimization and www.BlueLine.ca

PHOTO CREDIT: ©MYBOYS.ME / ADOBE STOCK

By Thomas Leydier

witness reports. Indeed, autistic people are more likely to be victimized, harassed and bullied than others. People with ASD encounter more significant harassment and bullying in prison if arrested.

According to several studies, outcomes between people with autism and LEPs generally end unsatisfactorily, including the application of physical restraint and injury. Given that people with ASD are steadfast creatures of habit, one can appreciate how the range of exchanges between LEPs can quickly deteriorate. The bright lights, the cold handcuffs, the austere prison cell and the police uniform; these unfamiliar situations and symbols can exasperate ASD symptoms. Abject stress and confusion can underlie interactions between LEPs and autistic individuals, including the subsequent confrontations with custodial set tings.

Consequently, people with ASD often will not disclose their diagnosis, communicate, or openly express their needs.

Improving service delivery and reducing risk

As autism becomes increasingly prevalent, LEPs will invariably interact more frequently with this population. Therefore, LEPs and decision-makers must undertake efforts to serve this population better.

From an aggregation of the literature, a combination of strategies is needed to address people with ASD adequately. This comprehensive approach consists of: Implementing Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) trained specially in ASD; Training LEPs on ASD using a rigorously evaluated curriculum (something needing much more research); and Proactively engaging the ASD population to build trust and understanding.

Although many law enforcement agencies might already have implemented or entertained some of these suggestions, there is continuous room for improvement.

These recommendations aim to augment existing approaches or springboard agencies onto newfound and promising paths.

Training

The better LEPs can recognize the noticeable features of ASD and the diversity of ASD itself, the more equipped they will be to interact with this population. This hypothesis is supported by the Autism Society of America, which advocates training for LEPs, among other researchers. Of course, mental illness – think psychosis, depression, etc. – training has become a fixture in modern LEPs training. Notably, 70 per cent of @Blue_LineMag

people with ASD have a co-existing mental illness. Notwithstanding this connection, ASD training in Canada remains insufficient. Police academies generally do not offer ASD training. The ASD training sessions that do happen regrettably produce unsatisfactory and ineffective outcomes of self-efficacy and knowledge acquisition – two critical qualities for reducing harm.

Training that shows promise and community engagement

There is a shortage of research when it comes to ‘what works’ in Autism training for LEPs. What is known is that short video clips and vacuous slide shows and lectures are unlikely to yield enduring knowledge retention and self-efficacy. Conversely, engaging with stakeholders, caregivers and the local client-based autistic community does show utility. Training materials should engage those with autism and their caregivers. Also, the curriculum should possess practical elements, including scenario-based training. Understanding and trust cultivate through engaging local relevant community members and groups. Through these relations, collaboration forms.

One excellent example of community engagement for the ASD population and other developmental disorders is found in the York Regional Police department, which stewards a vulnerable section registry. The department holds a databank where caregivers or vulnerable individuals can register various distinctive features, such as communication deficits, atypical social responses and situational triggers.

Programs such as these prepare officers for crisis arrival and help to mitigate unfavourable outcomes during an interaction. These services are auspicious preliminary stepping stones toward extending more fulsome community engagement activities. Equally important, these services create rich social environments for ongoing interaction between parties.

However, researchers caution that these services are underutilized and require the additive of public engagement to spread their awareness and familiarity.

Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT)

CITs and mental health units are becoming more common in Canadian policing.

Numerous studies have underscored how CITs show utility and efficacy in reducing harm to people with mental illnesses, diverting them to care facilities and hospitals rather than executing punitive measures. However, CITs in Canada are underutilizing ASD training in their teams.

Researchers suggest Canada should extend its CITs and mental health training to include ASD training, keeping in mind what promises to be valuable and productive in ASD training for LEPs. One exemplar model is the Memphis CIT. For instance, CITs train select volunteer LEPs on various mental health disorders. Moreover, the CIT members receive collaborative training, including the practical expertise of family members, advocates and medical teams. Although presently specific to mental health, the training can include developmental disabilities like ASD. Further, the training involves networking, partnership and joint engagement to resolve mental health crises and responses.

The success of the CITs hinges on developing a core group of LEPs responding to mental health incidents and their police dispatchers’ comprehension of the CIT’s mandate. In this way, the CIT typically comprises LEPs who exhibit a passion for serving this population and are wellskilled in these interactions, expressing empathy and patience. Further, the CIT members understand their partnerships and resources in their community through combined training, thus, integrating and referring clients to various mental health outreach groups and external services.

Desired qualities for approaching crises

Researchers show a shared consensus among LEPs, people with ASD and caregivers that the most desired qualities for approaching crises involving LEPs and people with ASD were: de-escalation, clear communication, keeping distance, patience, leveraging caregivers and engaging with empathy. This necessity requires LEPs foremost to understand and recognize ASD. This article has suggested that proper training, community engagement, and CITs are valuable access points to serve your community’s valuable and deserving ASD population better. As ASD prevalence increases, it is judicious to undertake and consider these practices sooner than later.

References

For the complete reference list and to read the full article, “Policing along the spectrum: Reducing risk and improving service delivery”, please visit: https://journals. sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14613557221119117

Thomas Leydier is a police officer in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in his 17th year of service.

He is soon finishing his masters of public safety and was the 2020 recipient of the Governor General’s Silver Academic Medal.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

21

TECHNOLOGY

BY CURTIS GRABER AND LINDA MOORHOUSE

M

ost police services are guilty of doing tasks in a certain way simply because it’s the way it’s always been done. One aspect of policing that hasn’t changed in generations is how we canvass the public for information regarding an investigation.

The Barrie Police Service, like most other services, used paper forms to canvass within the community. When a canvass was needed, investigators would brief officers on the questions to ask, the officers would go out and speak to members of the public and then write down the individual’s contact information and their statement. After the officer completed their canvassing duties, they would take the stack of papers and return to the station to deliver it to the investigator. If there was any specific information the officer wanted to point out to the detectives, they would have a conversation about it.

The result was hundreds of paper statements to review and scan, sort and prioritize, and then share with their team through in-person meetings and phone calls. When time is of the essence, this is an inefficient method. Members of the Barrie Police Homicide Unit believed there had to be a better way.

“For major occurrences, it’s vital that the canvass starts right away. If the frontline officer obtains relevant information, it needs to get to the investigators immediately,” explained Det. Kevin Scales. “Paper forms can be difficult to read, they can easily be lost or damaged, and the time it takes from when the statement is taken to when it is delivered to us can be hours later.”

Det. Scales consulted with the service’s Knowledge Management Officer, Cst. Curtis Graber, about upgrading this process. The Barrie Police had recently adopted Microsoft’s Power platform and have successfully used it for several internal and public facing projects that streamline processes to save frontline officers time, while delivering accurate information quickly and consistently.

Cst. Graber discussed the canvass forms with frontline and homicide officers to determine the priorities. He then used internal and external software to deliver a 22

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

From the time an investigator creates a canvass sheet, to when officers can start knocking on doors, is a matter of minutes. digitized canvassing solution that has entirely removed paper from the process.

Now, when a canvass is required, any member of the service can create one by entering the occurrence number and what questions they want the officers to ask.

Once created, the new canvass is immediately sent out to all officers’ work phones.

Using the canvassing app, officers can collect contact information and ask the questions the investigators already created. Officers can use the speech-to-text functionality to transcribe the statement and take photos that are immediately shared with the investigation team.

From the time an investigator creates a canvass sheet, to when officers can start knocking on doors, is a matter of minutes.

The investigators can view the results in real time and from any location once the canvass form is saved. The benefits from this savings in time are huge.

The moment the officer saves a canvass, the investigative team can review it to learn if there were any witnesses, if the address has access to security cameras, or

if they have any other useful investigative information. They also see which officer submitted the canvass so they can follow up with them immediately if more details are required. If the officer identifies that the person they spoke to should be followed up with an investigation team, the officer can easily flag it on the canvass dashboard. Whomever is monitoring the dashboard will see the flag and act on it immediately, rather than having to wait for the officer to return to the station.

This new canvass application was put into operation just a few weeks after it was created, for a homicide investigation.

Frontline officers began collecting information within an hour of the call that occurred in the middle of the night. As the investigative team arrived, they could immediately get to work and process the information being gathered. They saw what addresses needed attention and had contact information for witnesses that needed to be re-interviewed.

Through the elimination of the time-consuming paper canvass form, information gathering is quick, accurate and specific to the investigation. Further, there are no issues with the legibility of an officer’s handwriting. Information is passed along and acted upon in real time, and that is crucial for serious crimes.

“The real beauty of the Microsoft Platform is that this went from a high-level idea, to being in production within a few weeks and without any developers,” said Cst. Graber. “Shortly after this successful use, word quickly spread and other police agencies began contacting me wanting a similar solution for their teams. I was able to package it up and provide it to them so they can see the same benefits we have. When you consider the number of paper-heavy and repetitive routines we do as a police service, I think we’re only just getting started.”

S/Sgt. Linda Moorhouse is in her 28th year with Barrie Police Service and is currently assigned to Executive Services, overseeing Strategic Business Planning, Diversity and Inclusion, Fleet and Grants.

Cst. Curtis Graber is in his 8th year with Barrie Police Service and has a strong interest in developing software applications to enhance law enforcement practices.

www.BlueLine.ca

PHOTO CREDIT: BARRIE POLICE SERIVCE

Using a mobile canvassing application at Barrie Police Service

SUPPLY & SERVICE GUIDE 2023 CORPORATE LISTINGS

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Annex Bookstore 105 Donly Dr. S., PO Box 530 Simcoe ON N3Y 4N5 Tel: 877-267-3473 Email: info@annexbookstore.com www.annexbookstore.com Artcal Graphics & Printing Inc. 779 Industrial Road London ON N5V3N5 Tel: 519-453-6010 Toll Free: 800-265-6128 Email: bmyers@artcal.com www.artcal.com

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Avon Protection is an innovative capability provider specializing in the design, development, testing and manufacture of integrated protective systems. Our portfolio of life-critical protection solutions includes full face respirators, ballistic helmets, escape hoods, SCBA systems, modular PAPR units, thermal imaging cameras and underwater equipment. Through that portfolio that includes Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (“CBRN”), respiratory and head protection products, our mission is to relentlessly advance the future of protection.

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Canadian Critical Incident Inc. 194 Westmount Drive North Orillia ON L3V 7X9 Tel: 289-387-3250 Email: tom@canadiancriticalincident. com canadiancriticalincident.com CCII offers current and comprehensive training in Major Incident Command, Crisis Negotiations, Scribe, Crisis Communications for Police Communicators and Crisis Negotiators Introduction Courses.

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Toll Free: 800-265-0182 Email: info@cdnsafety.com http://cdnsafety.com We offer a complete line of Respiratory equipment for protection in Clan labs, confined spaces etc. We are also a major supplier of Hazmat/ Decon equipment, High Angle fall protection including ropes, gloves and harnesses, ballistic and non-ballistic helmets, thermal imaging, portable gas detection and intrinsically safe electronic road flares. Also in addition to all of the above we carry a full line of ventilators and decon and command shelters.

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Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. 13-8201 Keele Street Concord ON L4K 1Z4 Tel: 855-951-1001 Email: info@cmo-online.ca www.cmo-online.ca

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Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. 133 Walgreen Road Ottawa ON K0A 1L0 Tel: 613-831-6009 Fax: 613-831-6009 Email: john.hartley@davtech.ca www.davtech.ca DAVTECH is a privately held, federally incorporated company based in Ottawa, ON. As a leading supplier of equipment and support services to Law Enforcement and Public Safety in Canada for close to 30 years, our technicians and sales individuals are factory-trained and certified with the products they manage. Representing manufactures with solid reputations for quality and leading-edge technology, DAVTECH provides complete parts, service and technical support for all product lines.

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Defense Aerosols PO Box 13 Chilliwack BC V2P 6H7 Tel: 604-701-6495 Toll Free: 888-233-3340 Fax: 866-899-8884 Email: sales@defenseaerosols.com http://www.defenseaerosols.com We are a Canadian manufacturer of Oleoresin Capsicum pepper spray for law enforcement.

Digital Mobility Inc. 250 Ferrand Drive, Suite 408 Toronto ON M3C 3G8 Tel: 647-558-5747 Email: info@digitalmobilityinc.com digitalmobilityinc.com

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

23

SUPPLY & SERVICE GUIDE 2023 • CORPORATE LISTING

Emergensys Solutions Inc 400 boulevard Jean-Lesage suite 120 Quebec QC G1K8W1 Tel: 418-380-8911 Toll Free: 800-341-4124 Email: marketing@emergensys.net www.emergensys.net/en

Fern Creek Psychotherapy 60 Liberty St South, Unit 201 Bowmanville ON L1C2N5 Tel: 289-355-4215 Email: hello@ferncreek.ca ferncreek.ca

Geotab 2440 Winston Park Drive Oakville ON L6H 7V2 Tel: 416-992-1273 Toll Free: 877-436-8221 Email: nathaliecrewes@geotab.com Geotab is advancing security, connecting commercial vehicles to the internet and providing web-based analytics to help customers better manage their fleets. Geotab’s open platform and Marketplace allow both small and large businesses to automate operations by integrating vehicle data with their other data assets. As an IoT hub, the in-vehicle device provides additional functionality through IOX Add-Ons. Processing billions of data points a day, Geotab leverages data analytics and machine learning to help customers improve productivity, optimize fleets through the reduction of fuel consumption, enhance driver safety, and achieve regulatory compliance. Since being established in 2000, Geotab Inc. has grown from a small, family business to a global leader in solutions for fleet management and vehicle tracking. We are now one of the largest telematics outfits in the world and have become the first to surpass three million connected vehicles built on a single, open platform.

Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers 760 Vernon Ave Victoria BC V8X 2W6 Tel: 800-222-8477 Toll Free: 800-222-8477 Email: pdownie@saanichpolice.ca

24

http://victoriacrimestoppers.ca Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers is a community, media, and police cooperative program designed to involve the public in the fight against crime. We are located in Victoria, the capital city of British Columbia, on beautiful Vancouver Island.

Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers encourages members of the community to assist local law enforcement agencies in the fight against crime by overcoming the 3 key elements faced by law enforcement in generating information that inhibit community involvement: fear of reprisal, apathy and reluctance to get involved.

GTD Scientific Inc. 2037 MacKay Ave North Vancouver BC V7P 2M8 Tel: 604-842-4831 Email: admin@gtdscientific.com gtdscientific.com When violence occurs and fingers are pointed we find out what really happened.

Havis, Inc 75 Jacksonville Road Warminster PA 18974 Tel: 215-588-7440 Email: sales@havis.com www.havis.com Havis is the leader in providing end-to-end rugged mobility solutions in demanding environments. The Havis legacy dates back over 80 years as a trusted designer and manufacturer of mission-critical equipment.

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BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

Email: marketing.sig@hexagon.com hexagon.com/company/divisions/ safety-infrastructure-geospatial

International Police Mountain Bike Association 583 Frederick Road, Suite 5B Baltimore MD 21228 Tel: 410-744-2400 Fax: 410-744-5504 Email: info@ipmba.org ipmba.org IPMBA promotes the use of bikes for public safety, provides resources and networking opportunities, and offers the best, most complete training for public safety cyclists.

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Issured Ltd First Floor, Unit 18, Bradbourne Drive Milton Keynes IL MK7 8BE Tel: +44(0) 1908 470 888 Email: info@issured.com www.issured.com We at Issured have an established background of working in partnership with critical public policing services, domestically within the United Kingdom and overseas, improving efficiency, effectiveness, and public satisfaction. The focus has been on improving investigative, intelligence and public contact capability through digitally transforming traditional ways of work through the use of cutting-edge solutions.

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Logistik Unicorp 820 chemin du Grand-Bernier Nord Saint Jean sur Richelieu QC J2W 0A6 Tel: 450-349-9700 Toll Free: 888-326-8690 Email: ventes_sales@logistikunicorp.com www.logistikunicorp.com

Mobile Innovations Corp.

5833 Marshall Rd Niagara Falls ON L2G 0M5 Tel: 416-889-9997 Email: gary.bauer@mobinnoco.com www.mobinnoco.com Our Mobile Police Assist platform offers secure, Multi-Factor Authenticated smartphone apps for law enforcement. We empower Officers on the beat and in the vehicle: • Niche RMS, CPIC, eTickets and integrated Electronic Pocket Notebook (EPNB) • EPNB working with Versaterm and Samsung DeX • GPS tracking for Geotab, reporting to Hexagon CAD

Obie & Ax Inc. 2 Bloor Street East, Suite 3500 Toronto ON M4W 1A8 Tel: 647-554-9782 Email: info@obieandax.com www.obieandax.com Obie & Ax Inc. is a full-service podcast firm that is focused on producing podcasts for leading brands, charities, and government agencies. We are the largest Police Podcast Production firm in the USA and Canada. We work with clients to tailor a podcast to their specific needs. Sonya Holt, former Deputy Associate Director of CIA is our Chief Strategist and Head of DC Relations. She works directly with our clients to provide world class guidance and expertise.

Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) 40 College Street, Suite 605 Toronto ON M5G 2J3 Tel: 416-986-9797 Fax: 416-926-0436 Email: sharons@oacp.ca www.oacp.ca/en/index.aspx

@Blue_LineMag

Outdoor Outfits 372 Richmond Street West, suite 400 Toronto ON M5V1X6 Tel: 416-598-4111 Email: franklin@outdooroutfits.com www.outdooroutfits.com Outdoor Outfits has been manufacturing uniforms since 1945 and has been family-owned since its inception. Our business has been built on attaining the highest level of customer satisfaction through the manufacture, service, and supply of quality, innovative and value-added uniform garments. Garments are manufactured to meet the individual and high-performance needs of Law Enforcement and First Responders through our extensive line of protective outerwear: including duty-jackets, hi-visibility traffic vests and rainwear. We also manufacture and carry uniform cargo trouser and shirts, sweaters and ties. We have a special line of Tactical-operations clothing for special-response-units and Bicycle officers uniforms and outerwear. We are Ontario’s leading supplier of Uniform Headwear; peaked, baseball, toques and yukon hats. We are certified for Hi-Visibility Safety Apparel (CSA-Z96), Viral-Protection (NFPA-1999), Emergency Services Apparel (NFPA-1975) and quality assurance (ISO-9001)

Prefair 1055 Louis Marchand Beloeil QC J3G6S4 Tel: 450-446-7060 Toll Free: 866-855-7060 Fax: 450-446-7523 Email: info@prefair.ca http://www.prefair.ca

PRIDE IN SERVICE 106 Elk Street Aylmer ON N5H 1S6 Tel: 226-777-5510 Email: sales@prideinservice.com prideinservice.com PRIDE IN SERVICE is dedicated to recognizing and honoring Canada’s police, military, and emergency service personnel. Since 1993, we have been offering distinctive, heirloom quality rings, awards, and

gifts to emergency service organizations and individuals across Canada.

headquarters and command vehicles.

We specialise in Design, Build , Install and Support of all of our systems.

Provix is an approved Controlled Goods importer and can work with your department to facilitate the acquisition of specialized police and military equipment. Provix supplies and installs Escort Van camera systems, RED/BLUE lighting from CODE 3, Whelan, SWS, and other OEM emergency lighting.

PROD360 2500 Place Chassé, 104 Montréal QC H1Y 0A9 Tel: 438-490-5336 Email: info@prod360.ca www.prod360.ca Proven and Unique Solutions to make law enforcement professionals life safer!

Domestic Violence Deterrence System (GPS and RF continuous offender and victim monitoring) Best-in-class Forensic CSI Alternative Light Sources - Drone countermeasures, training, detection, net launchers & jammers - Cyber investigation Dark and Deep Web search engine - K9 vision, dog goggle with stealth camera, see, listen, record - Scanforce the glove & bracelet that detect metal - Ghosttracker thru walls detection system, make the invisible visible - Non Lethal Crowd Control Dazzling Laser - RFID Armoury Weapon tracking & asset management - Counter terrorism Ground Bomb Killer, BioBag, Explosive Transportation Equipment.

Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP 700 Ormont Drive Toronto ON M9L 2V4 Tel: 416-222-1773 Toll Free: 888-496-6772 Email: info@quantumlifecycle.com quantumlifecycle.com/en_CA

Provix Inc 3 Greengage Rd New Lowell ON L0M 1N0 Tel: 705-424-9960 Toll Free: 888-434-0253 Fax: 705-435-6419 Email: sales@provix.net http://provix.net Provix specializes in video solutions including FLIR thermal imaging and PTZ camera systems for tactical and command vehicles. We have designed, built and supported customized mast camera systems for police forces across North America.

We will work with your vehicle builder or retrofit your existing vehicle. We also supply handheld thermal cameras, vehicle cameras, LED lighting and LED Flares. We specialize in Night Vision equipment and supply mobile gas detection systems for police vehicles. We provide encrypted video communication tools and remote viewing solutions for tactical teams ,

Rampart Corp 2574 Sheffield Road Ottawa ON K1B3V7 Tel: 855-729-0446 Email: gov@rampartcorp.com rampartcorp.com RespondersPro.com 178 18th. Avenue Lachine QC H8S 3P7 Tel: 438-600-1077 Toll Free: 800-646-8834 Email: info@responderpro.com www.responderspro.com Securesearch, Inc. P.O. Box 91175, 2901 Bayview Avenue North York ON M2K 2Y6 Tel: 416-948-8832 Toll Free: 800-452-3130 Fax: 800-452-3130 Email: bkoffler@securesearchinc.com www.securesearchinc.com

Stoeger Canada 1010 Thornton Road South Oshawa ON L1J 7E2 Tel: 905-436-9077 Email: info@stoegercanada.ca http://www.berettadefence.ca Stoeger Canada (1990) Ltd is a Beretta Group Company serving as the exclusive Canadian distributor for Beretta, Benelli, Sako, Tikka, Steiner, Burris, Centanex, and Ase Utra.

Creating a single source contact for the high-tech military & law enforcement hardware.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

25

SUPPLY & SERVICE GUIDE 2023 • CORPORATE LISTING

PRODUCT LISTINGS

visit our website www.trimtag.com and click the subscribe button to stay connected with us.

AIR GUNS Prefair Stoeger Canada AMMUNITION Korth Group Limited Rampart Corp Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies ARMOURED VEHICLES Artcal Graphics & Printing Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Digital Mobility Inc. InTime PROD360 ASSET TRACKING Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Geotab InTime PROD360 ASSOCIATION Canadian Security Association International Police Mountain Bike Association Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) AUDIO/VIDEO AIDS Axon Public Safety Issured Ltd Securesearch, Inc. AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE RECOGNITION (ALPR) Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Leslie & Associates AWARDS, BADGES, PINS PRIDE IN SERVICE TrimTag Trading Inc. BINOCULARS & TELESCOPES Korth Group Limited Provix Inc Stoeger Canada BIOMECHANICS GTD Scientific Inc. BODY ARMOUR Avon Protection Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. PROD360 Rampart Corp BODY WORN TECHNOLOGY Axon Public Safety Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Visual Labs Canada Inc. BOMB DISPOSAL PROD360 Securesearch, Inc. BOOTS, SHOES & FOOTWEAR 5.11 Tactical Prefair CAMERAS Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Provix Inc Visual Labs Canada Inc. CASES, DUTY BAGS, STORAGE 5.11 Tactical Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair PROD360 Rampart Corp CLOTHING & OUTERWEAR 5.11 Tactical

Tasmanian Tiger Canada 3521 Ashby Saint-Laurent QC H4R2K3 Tel: 514-585-5005 Email: info@tasmaniantiger.ca tasmaniantiger.ca Premium supplier of professional military and police equipment, all Tasmanian Tiger products are made of the very best quality and with the best functionality.

The Arena 6 Curity Avenue, Unit i Toronto ON M4B 1X2 Tel: 888-404-3291 Email: info@thearenatoronto.com www.thearenatoronto.com

Trident Training Solutions, Inc 5145 Pinedale Avenue Burlington ON L7L 3V3 Tel: 416-268-9703 Email: info@tridenttrainingsolutions.ca tridenttrainingsolutions.ca Trident Training Solutions has comprehensive training programs ideal for law enforcement and security agencies. Our training structure is scalable and flexible based on the client’s needs. We incorporate a blended program of virtual training sessions, an online school, and in-person instructor-led classes to allow flexibility. We specialize in de-escalation strategies, legislative authorities, defensive tactics and use of force with a strong focus on practical training.

TrimTag Trading Inc. 15 WERTHEIM COURT, SUITE 704 Richmond Hill ON L4B 3H7 Tel: 905-763-7300 Fax: 905-889-6409 Email: info@trimtag.com http://WWW.TRIMTAG.COM TrimTag supplies insignia and regalia.

Our expertise enables us to convert your brand into product. We supply product in metal; fabric, both woven and embroidered, as well as bullion finishes. Crests, Billboards, Badges, Wallets, Toques and Ballcaps are some of our product range. Please

26

Visual Labs Canada Inc. 101 Jefferson Drive Menlo Park CA 94025 Tel: 818-919-9802 Email: alp@visuallabsinc.com visuallabsinc.com Visual Labs Canada Inc. provides smartphone-based body camera, in-car camera and interview room camera solutions, along with a robust evidence management platform. The Visual Labs solutions provide an alternative to expensive, singlepurpose, proprietary hardware. Our body camera solution includes functionality as a digital camera, an audio recorder and a personnel locator, all while maintaining the full functionality of the smartphone itself.

Our in-car and interview room solutions can be up to 90% less expensive than other systems. Many automatic recording triggers are available to ensure that videos are captured in critical situations.

Livestreaming, including the ability to remotely activate a livestream, is included as one of many built-in officer safety features. Secure Canadian cloud storage is included in the low monthly fee, and there is not any long-term financial commitment.

Wilfrid Laurier University 73 George Street Brantford ON N3T 2Y3 Tel: 519-900-8943 Toll Free: 844-528-8611 Email: veronica.franco@online.wlu.ca http://www.online.wlu.ca Wilfrid Laurier University 100% Online Public Safety Degrees | Earn your degree while you work, Honours Bachelor of Arts in Policing - Combined Honours Bachelor of Arts in, Criminology and Policing - Master of Public Safety - Public Safety Graduate Diplomas

Wolverine Supplies PO Box 729, #1 River Valley Road, North Virden MB R0M 2C0 Tel: 204-748-2454 Email: brent@wolverinesupplies.com wolverinesupplies.com

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

Logistik Unicorp Outdoor Outfits Prefair Rampart Corp COMMUNICATIONS - HANDHELD Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc COMMUNICATIONS - MOBILE Axon Public Safety Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc InTime Issured Ltd Mobile Innovations Corp.

Provix Inc Visual Labs Canada Inc. COMPUTER - ACCESSORIES Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Emergensys Solutions Inc Havis, Inc Leslie & Associates Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP COMPUTER - HARDWARE Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Leslie & Associates Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP COMPUTER - RECORDS / MANAGEMENT Axon Public Safety Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc Hexagon Visual Labs Canada Inc. COMPUTER - SOFTWARE Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc Geotab Hexagon InTime Issured Ltd Mobile Innovations Corp.

COMPUTER - STORAGE DEVICES D&R Electronics Co Ltd Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP CONFLICT RESOLUTION Emergensys Solutions Inc Trident Training Solutions, Inc COOLING VESTS Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. CYBER SECURITY Issured Ltd PROD360 DATA COLLECTION Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc Mobile Innovations Corp.

PROD360 DATA DESTRUCTION Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP DATA STORAGE Axon Public Safety DEFENSIVE TACTICS TRAINING Trident Training Solutions, Inc DISASTER PLANNING & RECOVERY Canadian Critical Incident Inc. DOG TRAINING & SUPPLIES PROD360 Securesearch, Inc.

www.BlueLine.ca

SUPPLY & SERVICE GUIDE 2023 • PRODUCT LISTING E-SERVICES Digital Mobility Inc. Issured Ltd ERGONOMIC DUTY BELTS & ACCESSORIES 5.11 Tactical EVIDENCE NOTEBOOKS Digital Mobility Inc. Mobile Innovations Corp.

EVIDENCE/EXHIBIT STORAGE Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Visual Labs Canada Inc. EYE, EAR & SKIN PROTECTION 5.11 Tactical Korth Group Limited Prefair Rampart Corp Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies FACILITATORS Trident Training Solutions, Inc FIREARMS - ACCESSORIES Korth Group Limited Prefair PROD360 Rampart Corp Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies FIREARMS - DISTRIBUTOR Korth Group Limited Rampart Corp Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies FIREARMS - LOCKS D&R Electronics Co Ltd Korth Group Limited FIREARMS - TRAINING Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies FIREARMS - TRAINING EQUIPMENT Rampart Corp Stoeger Canada FLASHLIGHTS 5.11 Tactical Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair PROD360 Rampart Corp Wolverine Supplies FORENSIC AIDS & INVESTIGATIONS GTD Scientific Inc. PROD360 FORENSIC SERVICES & EQUIPMENT Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. PROD360 GLOVES 5.11 Tactical Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Prefair PROD360 Rampart Corp GUN LOCKERS Korth Group Limited HAZMAT EQUIPMENT Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Korth Group Limited PROD360 HOLSTERS & ACCESSORIES 5.11 Tactical Prefair Rampart Corp

@Blue_LineMag

ID HOLDERS Prefair TrimTag Trading Inc. IN-CAR VIDEO Axon Public Safety Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Provix Inc Visual Labs Canada Inc. IT / SOFTWARE Axon Public Safety Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Digital Mobility Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc Geotab InTime Issured Ltd Quantum Lifecycle Partners LP JEWELRY PRIDE IN SERVICE RespondersPro.com K9 5.11 Tactical D&R Electronics Co Ltd Havis, Inc Leslie & Associates PROD360 Securesearch, Inc. LASER RANGEFINDERS Korth Group Limited LIGHTS - PORTABLE Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair Rampart Corp MARINE ELECTRONICS Provix Inc MOTORCYCLES & SUPPLIES D&R Electronics Co Ltd NIGHT VISION EQUIPMENT Prefair Provix Inc Rampart Corp Wolverine Supplies ONLINE TRAINING Axon Public Safety Canadian Critical Incident Inc. GTD Scientific Inc. Trident Training Solutions, Inc PODCASTING Obie & Ax Inc. The Arena POLICE SERVICE Emergensys Solutions Inc PUBLISHERS, BOOKS, PRINTING Annex Bookstore Canadian Critical Incident Inc. Securesearch, Inc. RADAR / LIDAR Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. RANGE SUPPLIES 5.11 Tactical Korth Group Limited Prefair PROD360 Rampart Corp RECORDS MANAGEMENT Axon Public Safety Digital Mobility Inc. Mobile Innovations Corp.

RESEARCH & TESTING GTD Scientific Inc.

RIFLESCOPES Korth Group Limited Prefair Stoeger Canada Wolverine Supplies SAFETY & RESCUE EQUIPMENT 5.11 Tactical Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair SCHOOLS / INSTITUTIONS Canadian Critical Incident Inc. Wilfrid Laurier University SECURITY - CONSULTING & SYSTEMS Emergensys Solutions Inc Issured Ltd SECURITY - PRODUCTS Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Prefair SECURITY - SERVICES The Arena SECURITY - TRAINING Canadian Critical Incident Inc. International Police Mountain Bike Association Securesearch, Inc. Trident Training Solutions, Inc SIRENS & EMERGENCY LIGHTING Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Provix Inc SPORTING/HUNTING 5.11 Tactical Korth Group Limited Prefair SUPPRESSOR/SILENCER Rampart Corp Wolverine Supplies SURVEILLANCE PROD360 SYSTEMS INTEGRATION / SUPPORT Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Emergensys Solutions Inc Issured Ltd TACTICAL TEAM EQUIPMENT 5.11 Tactical Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair PROD360 Tasmanian Tiger Canada Wolverine Supplies TELESCOPING MASTS & ANTENNAS Provix Inc THERMAL IMAGING Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Korth Group Limited Provix Inc Rampart Corp Wolverine Supplies TRAFFIC SAFETY Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Davtech Analytical Services (Canada) Inc. Prefair Rampart Corp TRAINING COURSES & SERVICES Greater Victoria Crime Stoppers GTD Scientific Inc. International Police Mountain Bike Association InTime

Issured Ltd Securesearch, Inc. The Arena Trident Training Solutions, Inc Wilfrid Laurier University UNIFORMS & ACCESSORIES 5.11 Tactical Outdoor Outfits Prefair RespondersPro.com TrimTag Trading Inc. UNMANNED AERIAL VEHICLES AND TRAINING PROD360 Provix Inc VEHICLES - ACCESSORIES Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Havis, Inc Leslie & Associates Leslie Emergency Vehicles LTD VEHICLES - FLEET Artcal Graphics & Printing Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Havis, Inc Leslie & Associates Leslie Emergency Vehicles LTD VEHICLES - LIGHTBARS Canadian Safety Equipment Inc. Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Leslie & Associates Provix Inc VEHICLES - OFF ROAD D&R Electronics Co Ltd Wolverine Supplies VEHICLES - SPECIALTY Artcal Graphics & Printing Inc. D&R Electronics Co Ltd Leslie & Associates Wolverine Supplies VIDEO - MOBILE & SURVEILLANCE Cloud Monitored Objects Inc. Issured Ltd Provix Inc Visual Labs Canada Inc. WEAPONS - ACCESSORIES D&R Electronics Co Ltd Prefair Rampart Corp WEAPONS - MAINTENANCE Korth Group Limited Rampart Corp WEAPONS - NON-LETHAL Axon Public Safety Defense Aerosols Rampart Corp Wolverine Supplies WEAPONS - SECURITY D&R Electronics Co Ltd PROD360 Rampart Corp Trident Training Solutions, Inc WEAPONS - TRAINING Trident Training Solutions, Inc WORKFORCE MANAGEMENT Canadian Critical Incident Inc. InTime Wilfrid Laurier University WORKPLACE WELLNESS Fern Creek Psychotherapy InTime

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

27

PRODUCT SHOWCASE

Find more product info at www.BlueLine.ca/products

Level III+ Rifle Special Threat Rated Mini Shield

RTS Tactical has launched the new Level III+ Rifle Special Threat Rated Mini Shield. Starting at 11 pounds, the RTS Tactical Mini Shield is designed to offer quick deployment for protection against brutal special threat rounds. The shield stops rounds like 5.56x45mm 62 gr.

M855 (Green Tip), Russian 7.62x39mm 123 gr. MSC (M43), and 7.62x51mm NATO M80 FMJ used in short barrel rifles and commonly found in active shooter situations. The Mini Shield is equipped with a heavy-duty handle, oversized trauma pad system, and quick release buckle for maximum effectiveness in the field. The Mini Shield is available in three sizes: 12 X 18 inches, 14 X 24 inches, and 16 X 30 inches. Learn more at rtstactical.com.

The OPSIN DNVM1

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SIONYX has introduced the OPSIN DNVM1, a helmet-mounted, color digital night vision monocular. OPSIN is designed to provide users low-light visibility beyond human eyesight to observe, The Competitor detect, identify and record targets of Smith & Wesson Brands has released a new member of the M&P interest in moonless-starlight environmetal-framed series, the Performance Center M&P 9 M2.0 ments. OPSIN was engineered with an Competitor. This metal-framed 9mm pistol comes with a 5-inch extra-large 1920x1080 HD micro-OLED barrel, has been designed to have an enhanced sear for lighter, display and minimally designed menus crisper trigger let-off, and includes a flared magazine well for fast and metadata overlays to keep the and efficient reloads. The lightening cuts on both the top and sides of the slide ultimately operator’s field of view clear. The ABOUT OUR reduce the amount of weight in front of the chamber and, in return, are engineered to objective lens is focusable and the eye ASK US EARLYhelpBIRD RATES! improve the recoil balance point. The slide is cut for optics, includes a fiber optic diopter is adjustablet. Learn more at front sight and blacked out serrated rear sight. Learn more at smith-wesson.com. sionyx.com.

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COLD CASE

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On August 23, 1988, a colleague of Ms. Davies came over to her new home for a OUT OF THE COLD brief visit sometime between the hours of 10:30 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. Aside from her Scotland to Sarnia: The unsolved killer, Morag’s co-worker may have been the murder of Morag Davies last person to see her alive.

Sometime that evening or the next day,

BY STEPHEN METELSKY something nefarious occurred inside the “We have viewed the crime scene photos. home on Retlaw Drive. After Morag failed to Those images never leave us. No one show up at work for two consecutive days, deserves to die that way,” said Gail her colleagues became concerned.

Longmuir Coltart.

On August 25, 1988, at 12:00 The crime pertains to the murder “The best p.m., two of Morag’s co-workers of Morag Davies, who was stabbed cases are decided to check on her. When when to death in her Sarnia home in their repeated knocks went cooperating unanswered, their suspicions 1988. Gail is the niece of Morag.

The case is unsolved and Morag’s witnesses heightened. Once they entered the come killer has yet to be identified, but home, they found Morag dead in forward.”

Sarnia police are optimistic a break her bedroom. She had been – Det. Sgt. will occur in the case with either stabbed multiple times. renewed assistance from the public Mike Kahnert “There were no signs of forced or from the new science of genetic entry,” said Kahnert. “Which genealogy. doesn’t negate that it was a stranger.”

Morag was born in Scotland and emigrated The murder weapon and number of times to Canada in the 1970s, opting to settle in Morag was stabbed have never been the city of Sarnia, Ont. She spent the bulk of divulged by police. It is “hold-back informaher professional career in nursing then tion” only the killer would be privy to. Before transitioned to establish herself as a real the killer left Morag’s home that fateful night, estate agent in the 1980s. they left valuable evidence behind at the In August of 1988 Ms. Davies, then 45, crime scene – their DNA. moved to a bungalow on Retlaw Drive. She There have been many investigators and had been recently divorced and was looking countless investigative hours invested in this forward to a fresh start – both personally and case over the years and Sarnia police are professionally. hopeful this case can be solved.

“It was considered to be a quiet neigh“We believe there are people out there who bourhood,” said Detective Sergeant Mike know things,” said Inspector Leo Murphy, who Kahnert, who manages the homicide unit oversees the criminal investigative division. and cold cases for Sarnia police. However, “The case has always been open.” mere days after Morag moved to the Sarnia “To date, over forty individuals have been suburb, a set of tragic circumstances would identified as persons of interest,” confirmed occur, unravelling the notion of tranquility in Kahnert. “There hasn’t been anyone this once serene area of southern Ontario. identified in the national DNA databank. A @Blue_LineMag

number of people were ruled out over the years through DNA at the time and nothing at this point has led us in the direction to identify an offender.”

Sarnia police are putting “a fresh set of eyes to the investigation” into Morag’s murder. They are actively working with the Centre of Forensic Sciences (CFS) in Toronto pertaining to advancements in DNA since the 1988 murder.

“We want to try to exhaust all DNA avenues with the CFS before we look at genetic genealogy. That is currently underway with the CFS,” confirmed Murphy.

Police have explored other investigative avenues over the years, including assistance from the RCMP and the FBIs behavioral sciences unit – in an effort to identify who was responsible for Morag’s murder.

However, investigators remain optimistic that someone out there has information and answers that can break this case wide open.

“It’s not a 100 per cent DNA case. The best cases are when cooperating witnesses come forward,” said Kahnert, who also questioned the reliability of some witnesses in the case file.

“Were all the witnesses interviewed over the years being fully cooperative? I don’t believe so. Are those people being truthful? That’s the number one question,” added Kahnert.

“Somebody out there knows something about what happened to Ms. Davies. The ultimate goal and main priority is to provide answers to the family. They deserve answers.”

Anyone with information about this case can contact the Sarnia Police investigative tip line at 519-344-8861 ext.

5300 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers: 1-800-222TIPS (8477).

Stephen Metelsky, M.A., is an author, professor and (ret.) sergeant. Follow him on Twitter @StephenMetelsky.

January/February 2023 | BLUE LINE

29

BACK OF THE BOOK

Do I know what is being said about me, and does it matter?

“T

he most important conversations ever held about us during our career are held when we are not in the room.”

During our lives there are many times when the opinions of others impact important relationships, both personal and professional. These two paths intersect for the first time when officers are applying for the profession and recruiters check character references. The conversations held about potential hires have a significant impact on their future, and they are not in the room. For successful candidates, similar conversations then continue in both formal and informal situations during the remainder of their careers.

In police leadership training there is power in considering this statement. Asking new officers or experienced police executives to reflect on whether they believe this statement to be true creates a focus on what is being said about them and, more importantly, what they want to be said about them. “What is speaking for you when you are not present?”

Usually, training participants respond to this follow-up question by connecting to their character, reputation, and work ethic in previous interactions as what speaks for them. Each of these measures are built, like trust and respect, through consistent thoughtful actions over a long period of time. Positive things must have been said during those initial hiring character checks and so the challenge becomes: how do police professionals ensure those same positive comments will be made at every stage in their career?

Officers create their reputation, positive or negative, by their actions over time. If the reputation they have built is positive, it is likely character-driven and intentionally built, while if the reputation is negative, it likely comes from reacting without disciplined thought and care. If it is not a positive reputation

30

BLUE LINE | January/February 2023

Officers create their reputation, positive or negative, by their actions over time.

the officer intentionally built, reflecting their true values and priorities, then next we challenge them to consider what can be done to change the conversation?

As part of a lesson on leadership and professionalism, officers place two words on a sticky note identifying what they want others to say about them when they are not in the room. This focus on how they want to “be seen”, “be known”, “be spoken about” and whether their actions are contributing to building the desired reputation, creates the opportunity to build congruence supporting professional practice. This activity reinforces the connection between competence and character as mutually important determinants of success.

Participants in the training session are encouraged to use their sticky notes as a visual cue reminding them of what character strengths they want to be known by. Each day as officers work to deliver on the promise of their organizational mission, every officer makes choices on how to engage with the public, their fellow officers of all ranks and their family. These simple sticky notes, whether placed inside a locker door, on a desk blotter or attached to the screen of a computer monitor, can be a daily reminder of the legacy they are working to build in their personal and professional lives.

Organizations are being pressed more than ever to build public trust

through professional police practices. Building this trust requires all members of police organizations to commit to professionalism. Police services can operationalize their values statements and support the development of professional service-oriented officers by both building their competence and, more importantly, reinforcing the significance of character-driven behavior.

Assisting officers of all ranks and responsibilities to reflect on what they want people to say about them, connects them to influential role models and the value of a character-based reputation. This training session is an important opportunity for leaders to recommit to their professionalism at all stages of their career.

A police service operating on a culture of competence and character will be well equipped to deliver on the promise of its mission. Whenever a police officer’s name is spoken in any room, inside or outside of the organization, descriptors like honest, trustworthy, hardworking, dependable, caring, dedicated, fair, kind, curious and generous should come to front of mind as a result of repeated disciplined and intentional actions.

So, back to our original leadership training question: if we believe the most important conversations ever held about us, are held when we are not in the room, and we know what character traits we want others to use to describe us, can we use this information as our call to action? What is the smallest action that can be undertaken today, and every day, to create the habits of positive character?

Perhaps a kind word or gesture, empathic listening or finding calm and patience at the end of a long and challenging day will be how you demonstrate leadership through action and build the legacy of character you want for yourself and your police service.

Irene Barath is an experienced police educator who has delivered training nationally and internationally, primarily on subjects related to progressive leadership practices, resilience and mental health in the workplace. The current focus of her work is mental health, police leadership, positive psychology and active bystandership training. She can be reached at irene.barath@gmail.com.

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PHOTO CREDIT: ©STOKKETE / ADOBE STOCK

BY IRENE BARATH

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DRAGON SKIN

®

The most comfor table 4 ERGONOMIC advantages over duty belt in the world any other duty belt in the world:

1 •No rubbing on upper hip bones 2 •No pulling on lower back 3 •No pinching the sciatic nerve 4 •No squeezing off blood flow to lower legs Sold only in sets ie: (INNER AND OUTER BELT)

100% ERGONOMIC STRETCH

Made in Canada

www.hi-tec.qc.ca

1-(888)-709-4400

service@hi-tec.qc.ca