'The system needs to change': Police associations join forces to decry officers' deaths

Four of Canada's largest police associations are pushing for action amid what they call a "growing wave of violence against police and the communities they serve to protect."

The statement comes just two days after the funeral for Const. Greg Pierzchala.

Pierzchala, a newly-minted member of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), died on Dec. 27  after being shot while responding to a call for a vehicle in a ditch west of Hagersville, about 45 kilometres southwest of Hamilton. He was 28 years old.

Pierzchala was the fifth officer to die in the line of duty in Canada in 2022, and the fourth to die on the job in Ontario in the last four months.

"We cannot allow the deaths of five of our members to go unchallenged," the Canadian Police Association, the Police Association of Ontario, the Ontario Provincial Police Association, and the Toronto Police Association said in the statement.

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"Enough is enough," Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario, told Power & Politics Friday. "We can't allow the deaths of these officers and the violence in our communities to go unchallenged."

The associations, which collectively represent more than 60,000 police officers, say it's necessary to identify the issues underlying the violence and take steps to address them.

"It's troubling to have so many deaths in such a short period of time," said Howard Sapers, a criminal justice policy consultant and former Correctional Investigator of Canada.

However, Sapers said, "the issues that are in play aren't new. They've been studied and talked about and debated for decades literally."

Const. Andrew Hong, 48, of the Toronto Police Service was fatally shot in a Mississauga, Ont., coffee shop on Sept. 12.  A month later, both Const. Morgan Russell, 54, and Const. Devon Northrup, 33, of the South Simcoe Police Service died in hospital after responding to a call at a home in Innisfil, Ont., on Oct. 11.

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At a funeral on Thursday, family members paid sombre tributes to Constables Morgan Russell and Devon Northrup, who were fatally shot while responding to a call in Innisfil, Ont. last week.

Across the country a week later, Const. Shaelyn Yang, 31, of the RCMP was stabbed to death in Burnaby, B.C., while working on a mental health and outreach team.

"Losing one police officer is obviously losing one too many," said the joint statement. 

The associations say they plan to conduct reviews and research to better understand what is and isn't working in the existing public safety and judicial systems over the coming "days, weeks, and months."

"Everything will be on the table," according to the statement, "from bail to sentencing, to enhancing Crime Stoppers, to a growing and chronic shortage of police officers."

Sapers said it's good to see the associations say their review will be expansive in nature since creativity will be key to finding solutions.

"The worry always is that we're going to react in such a way that can actually make things worse," he said. "When there is a tragedy such as those deaths, people tend to look for simple answers and there aren't any. Simply tightening up bail won't change anything, simply changing gun control legislation won't be enough."

Calls for changes to the bail system were revived last week following Pierzchala's death, which OPP Commissioner Thomas Carrique said "should never have happened" given the alleged shooter was out on bail and had a lifetime ban from owning a firearm.

In a separate statement, Canadian Police Association president Tom Stamatakis said there is a need for reforms to address the cases of violent offenders who engage in criminal activities repeatedly.

"We recognize that the majority of offenders don't reoffend," he said. "There are a small number of prolific and violent offenders who continue to present a danger to society when released, and we need to find common-sense reforms that will address those cases."

The associations say they intend to involve communities in their work, which they plan to turn into recommendations they hope governments of all levels will act upon.

In a statement to CBC News, Federal Safety Minister Marco Mendicino thanked the associations "for their tireless commitment to serve and protect their communities."

"We support their continued efforts to identify best practices to keep officers safe, while also recognizing the needs and vulnerabilities of the communities and populations that they serve," he said.