Montreal police want stun guns in every patrol car in the city
Many voices of dissent spoke out at public meeting about non-lethal weapons, Tuesday
Montreal police want to more than double the number of stun guns in the force by 2020, equipping every pair of officers in a patrol car with a stun gun and upping the total number from 64 to 179.
The measure could even be extended to include security personnel inside the Metro and at Pierre-Elliot Trudeau airport, according to an internal memo written by Interim Police Chief Martin Prud'homme and obtained by Canadian Press.
Police say they are acting on a recommendation from Quebec coroner Luc Malouin, who wrote a report following the February 2014 death of Alain Magloire.
Magloire, who was homeless and mentally ill, was fatally shot by police while officers waited for the arrival of a stun gun.
Currently, there is at least one stun gun at each local police station and one per patrol car in downtown and the Plateau.
"If you're located in some part of the city, the north end, the east end, the west end, it could take several minutes before a Taser gun is available," explained police spokesperson André Durocher.
"These minutes could be crucial in a crisis. So this is why the decision was taken to equip all vehicles responding to emergency calls with those instruments."
Last year, the SPVM says officers drew their stun guns 236 times, but only fired them 23 times.
Durocher said that often the sight of the weapon is enough to get the situation under control.
He added that Toronto police have access to more than 500 stun guns.
The City held an open meeting of the Public Security Commission Tuesday, where citizens were invited to ask questions about the proposal.
Much of the response was critical, with citizens and representatives from advocacy groups cautioning against investing in more stun guns — which have resulted in fatal incidents in the past.
The Quebec Black Coalition put out a statement saying an increase in stun guns will only lead to an increase in police brutality cases targeting visible minorities.
Marvin Rotrand, councillor for Snowdon, told CBC he finds the idea "troubling," pointing to the 2007 death of Quilem Registre, who was shocked six times in the span of a few minutes.
The coroner's report is highly critical of how police used the stun gun, and concluded it might have contributed to his death.
Rotrand said he wanted to see more public consultation before the City takes any action on the file.
Alex Norris, councillor for Jeanne-Mance and chair of the Public Security Commission, said the city will continue to study the issue.
"Any purchase of weapons, of material of this nature must be approved by the executive committee, the city council and the agglomeration council," said Norris. "So, we're a long way away."
With files from Matt D'Amours, Radio-Canada's Benoit Chapdelaine, La Presse Canadienne.