Ottawa Police Service & Ottawa Police Services Board

[urbanforest]

Sorry folks, your property tax is going up so that OPS can buy more horses and shiny toys!

[rocketphish]

$50M federal funding for Ottawa police will keep Parliament Hill safe, minister says

By Ted Raymond, CTV News
Published: March 07, 2025 at 12:27PM EST | Updated: March 07, 2025 at 4:42PM EST

The federal government has announced a $50-million, five-year funding agreement with the Ottawa Police Service to improve policing around Parliament Hill.

The deal would see the Ottawa Police Service create a dedicated team to respond to calls for service, security concerns, protests, and more, in an area stretching from Wellington Street to Queen Street and including buildings such as the Senate of Canada and the Prime Minister’s Office.

The funding was first announced in the 2024 federal budget. Public Safety Minister David McGuinty said Friday the money is now flowing. Officers were first deployed in the area last fall.

Ottawa police and the City of Ottawa have jurisdiction and responsibility for Wellington and its surrounding streets, while the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS) is responsible for the security of Parliament Hill and the Parliamentary Precinct, including the buildings.

McGuinty said Friday that elected officials, particularly women, are dealing with increased threats.

“We see it every day, whether it be online or on our way to work in the morning,” he said. “Especially, as tomorrow is International Women’s Day … I know that the hate that they experience, online and on the street, is far worse than it is for their male counterparts.”

McGuinty said he wants Parliament Hill and the streets around it to remain open for residents, visitors, and protesters.

“We want to make sure Parliament Hill isn’t turned into some sort of fortress. We need to jealously safeguard and secure the right to protest, the right to visit… that’s a fundamental part of our democracy,” he said, “but, at the same time, we understand we’re facing a new threat landscape—we saw that with the (Freedom) convoy… What we’re seeing now is a five-year opportunity to improve the situation.”

Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs called the announcement a “big day” for the Ottawa Police Service.

“With this federal investment, all of us are building a stronger, dedicated police presence in the heart of our democracy,” he said.

Stubbs said it would take two to three years to get the parliamentary precinct up to its full complement of 49 employees—a mix of sworn officers and civilian members.

“This initiative goes beyond a visible police presence. It also represents our commitment to addressing the concerns of politicians, the residents, the workers, and visitors in the parliamentary district,” he said. “Together, we will continue to ensure that Ottawa remains a safe and welcoming place for everyone.”

Stubbs said Ottawa police officers will remain the first to respond, as they are the police of jurisdiction in the area, but the partnership with the RCMP and the PPS will help to improve response times and enable collaboration on investigations.

“It’s actually an international phenomenon where elected officials are facing a lot more intimidation and threatening behavior, both in person and online. So, that presence of us having that specific knowledge about the inner workings in around Parliament Hill will allow us to be more responsive to the needs that are happening there,” said Russell Lucas, acting superintendent with the Ottawa Police Service.

The government says the establishment of the Parliament District Policing Program responds to recommendations from the Public Order Emergency Commission’s report into the use of the Emergencies Act to deal with the convoy occupation, which pointed to the need to reconsider the division of responsibilities for policing and security in the National Capital Region.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said this would also allow other police officers to better serve neighbourhoods outside the downtown core.

“One of the challenges we’ve faced as a community has been the divided responsibilities and the pressures of not only serving the entire community but also serving the nation’s capital and the parliamentary precinct,” he said. “This is a win for our city.”

McGuinty said discussions continue around the ownership of Wellington Street.

Following the Freedom Convoy occupation of 2022, the federal government had expressed desire to purchase Wellington Street from the City of Ottawa and pedestrianize it. The road remained closed to vehicles for months after protesters were cleared out, but it has since reopened.

McGuinty said nothing has been finalized at this time.

“We want to make sure that we achieve the right balance between keeping our parliamentary precinct open to the Canadian public,” he said. “Discussions will continue to see what is the appropriate balance going forward. There are no decisions that have been taken now about the final decision about Wellington Street or other matters.”

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Natalie van Rooy

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/50...keep-parliament-hill-safe-minister-says/

[J.OT13]

Here are Ottawa's top paid public servants of 2024

By Marlo Glass, Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 04, 2025

==SNIP==

The second highest-paid city employee was Const. Daniel Montsion, who made headlines for his involvement in the 2016 death of Abdirahman Abdi. Montsion was charged with manslaughter after the Somali-Canadian man died following a violent arrest, but was found not guilty at trial.

==SNIP==

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/2024-sunshine-list-ottawa-daniel-montsion

[rocketphish]

Ottawa Police Mounted Unit about to take to the streets
The mounted unit will allow police to engage with residents, and respond to many different operational needs, including community patrols, crowd management and crisis response, police said.

By Staff Reporter, Ottawa Citizen
Published May 20, 2025



The public can expect to begin seeing police officers on horseback throughout the city after the Ottawa Police Mounted Unit was introduced Tuesday.

Officers and horses will continue their training in preparation for full operations, participating in select community events and familiarizing themselves with the city’s neighbourhoods and public spaces, the Ottawa Police Service said in a news release.

It did not specify how many horses would initially be part of the unit, but said it would continue to expand and “enhance its capabilities” leading up to becoming fully operational with eight horses and riders by 2026. An Ottawa Citizen story in November 2024 said the police planned to have four horses in service by the spring of 2025 before adding another four the next year.

“This launch of the Unit marks an important step in enhancing public safety and operational efficiency, reflecting the Ottawa Police Service’s commitment to improving community engagement and meeting diverse policing needs across the city,” the release read.

The mounted unit will allow police to engage with residents, and respond to many different operational needs, including community patrols, crowd management and crisis response, police said.

The officers will ride Clydesdales, which were selected for their strength, intelligence and calm demeanour.

“We are excited to introduce this new unit, which will greatly enhance our ability to address a variety of operational challenges, from managing large events to routine patrols,” Ottawa police Chief Eric Stubbs said. “It’s a powerful tool for ensuring public safety while also allowing us to engage with the community in a more visible and approachable way.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-police-mounted-unit-introduced

[Richard Eade]

Beautiful horses – Clydes are a great horse. My other choice would have been a Canadian.

Good to see officers out and about in the neighbourhoods. Any police presence is welcome. But are they allowed to ‘ride’ the horses in the ‘Bike Lanes’? Especially COUNTER-FLOW? Does this mean that all ‘Bike Lanes’ need to be at least two horses wide? (Why does that remind me of the old joke explaining railway gauge?)

Seriously, will the horses be allowed to travel on sidewalks? They are walking after all. Are they considered ‘Authorized Vehicles’? If they are on a two-lane road (one in each direction), will cars be allowed to pass them in the other lane? Will there be a minimum clearance distance when passing (like bikes have an obligatory – but not always respected – 1-metre buffer)? Who has the right of way in a ‘Bike Lane’ when a cyclist is approaching a pair of oncoming horses?

I think that there needs to be an education campaign launched. Police horses are a new feature in the city and they must be kept safe.

From the photo, it doesn’t look as if they will be carrying much equipment with their formal uniform. (Not even a ‘utility belt’.) Where is the red flashing light that mounts on the horse’s head? (Or, better still, mount it on the rider’s helmet. LEDs are small and powerful these days and a small battery would last for hours.) Do the officers even have a radio? How about a pad and pen to take notes of an incident?

These appear to be more like police ambassadors.

[FrostyMug]

So who gets to be the Scooper Trooper?

[Richard Eade]

I like the catchy name used in the CBC article:

The Horse Force.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by Richard Eade

Where is the red flashing light that mounts on the horse’s head? (Or, better still, mount it on the rider’s helmet. LEDs are small and powerful these days and a small battery would last for hours.)

What they need are tail lights (priced appropriately for ballooning police budgets, of course)



https://tail-lights.com/collections/mounted-patrol/mounted-patrol

[zzptichka]

Horse patrols is the stupidest idea. Somewhere in the helicopter territory. Why is it a thing?

[J.OT13]

‘Project Pantry’ results in 12 arrests for shoplifting at Centretown grocery store

Josh Pringle, CTV
Updated: January 27, 2026 at 1:19PM EST

Twelve people are facing charges after police targeted shoplifting at a grocery store in Ottawa’s Centretown neighbourhood that reported more than 650 theft-related incidents last year.

The Ottawa Police Service launched ‘Project Pantry’ on Jan. 12, a “targeted shoplifting reduction initiative” focused on the Bank Street corridor, Chief Eric Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Services Board on Monday evening.

Officers with the Neighbourhood Resource Team in Centretown worked seven shifts over two weeks with loss prevent officers at the Massine’s Your Independent Grocer on Bank Street, according to Stubbs.


“As a result of these efforts, 12 people were arrested, and 78 charges were laid,” Stubbs said.

“The initiative yielded a measurable reduction in theft-related incidents and associated calls for service at this location.”

Police said there were 671 theft-related incidents at the grocery store in 2025, up from 502 reported thefts in 2024.

Stubbs said police focused on the Bank Street grocery store after officers conducted a review of “general occurrences” in the Centretown area to identify “priority locations.”


“Our analysts identified an independent grocery store as a significant hotspot that accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the reported incidents among the addresses in this particular corridor,” Stubbs said.

“This included 671 files in 2025, which was a 34 per cent year over year increase. So, an operational plan was developed with a targeted enforcement at that location. A minimum of two NRT officers were deployed to support the loss prevention officers over a two-week period.”

Stubbs said the results of ‘Project Pantry’ demonstrated the “effectiveness of intelligence-led deployment” and “proactive enforcement” by police.

Speaking with reporters on Tuesday morning, Stubbs said retail theft is “something we’re hearing about” across the city.

“We want to be proactive; we want to hold these people more accountable,” Stubbs said, adding police want to be “evidence and data led.”

The chief said shoplifting complaints are a “big driver of our time” for frontline officers.

“It wasn’t focused on what grocery store is being victimized the most. It’s about calls for service,” Stubbs said, adding police had cooperation from the owner of the grocery store.

“Intelligence-led” investigations

Coun. Marty Carr, who is a member of the Ottawa Police Services Board, asked the chief during Monday’s board meeting why police focused on the Centretown grocery store.

“It was intelligence-led, or evidence-led,” Stubbs said.

“When the team looked in that area for what was causing the most calls for service for our frontline officers to respond to and what companies were being victimized the most, it brought them to this store, and it happened to be a grocery store.”

Carr also asked if the 12 people facing charges in connection with the investigation were stealing because they couldn’t afford food or if the thefts were “more organized.”

Coun. Marty Carr, who is a member of the Ottawa Police Services Board, asked the chief during Monday’s board meeting why police focused on the Centretown grocery store.

“It was intelligence-led, or evidence-led,” Stubbs said.

“When the team looked in that area for what was causing the most calls for service for our frontline officers to respond to and what companies were being victimized the most, it brought them to this store, and it happened to be a grocery store.”

Carr also asked if the 12 people facing charges in connection with the investigation were stealing because they couldn’t afford food or if the thefts were “more organized.”

“Important to be doing proactive work”

The Ottawa Police Service added 14 officers to the downtown core in mid-December, including the ByWard Market, Sandy Hill and Centretown.

Stubbs told reporters on Tuesday that police are looking to free up officers for “proactive policing.”

“We’re very reactive or our Neighbourhood Response Teams that are supposed to be proactive get pulled away to other events,” Stubbs said Tuesday morning.

“By raising our numbers down there, we have a better chance of actually doing work like this. It’s so important to be doing proactive work.”

In September, police charged three people in connection with the theft of $75,000 worth of merchandise from stores at the Rideau Centre.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/pr...shoplifting-at-centretown-grocery-store/

[J.OT13]

Stabbing just outside the Rideau Centre, steps away from Sutcliffe's police break room:

https://www.ledroit.com/actualites/justi...eau-a-ottawa-CMDC3KUKZBHA5OOX6JTFWTUI6I/

[rocketphish]

Calls for service drop as Ottawa police prepare to roll out Phase 2 of downtown strategy
Chief Eric Stubbs credited the downtown CORE team for a 25 per cent drop in calls for service in the downtown area over the past year

By Aedan Helmer, Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 29, 2026 | Last updated 4 hours ago

Ottawa police are reporting a significant drop in calls for service in the ByWard Market and Rideau Street area over the past year with an increased police presence and targeted enforcement in known “hotspots.”

Chief Eric Stubbs credited the downtown CORE (Community Outreach, Response and Engagement) team for a 25 per cent drop in calls for service in the downtown area over the past year.

A similar drop is also being seen in targeted “hotspot” locations as the Ottawa Police Service is set to roll out the second phase of its downtown safety strategy on Friday, May 1, aimed at reducing low-level crime and social disorder in the ByWard Market and Centretown.

“The biggest drops are in substance abuse-related and property-related incidents,” Stubbs told the Ottawa Police Service Board on April 27.

“It’s still early, but a positive indicator,” Stubbs said, with more positive results expected over the coming months following the May 1 rollout of the downtown safety strategy.

The CORE strategy was launched in June 2024 as a “proactive, evidence-based and harm-focused community policing strategy” to address the “unique challenges” in the ByWard Market, Lowertown, Sandy Hill and the Rideau Street corridor.

The strategy integrates city services with support from bylaw officers and housing, public health, transit and public works staff, along with outreach partners, shelters and addiction treatment services.

“Not every call needs enforcement, but every call needs a response,” said Central District Insp. Cory Robertson. “CORE ensures the right resources go to the right incidents, whether it’s the police and outreach team, our mental health teams or other city services.”

Mental health emergencies and drug-related calls “require co-ordination, not just enforcement,” he said.

The second phase of the strategy will expand from the ByWard Market area to targeted hotspot areas of Centretown, Chinatown and the Golden Triangle.

“What we’re seeing is not random crime, it’s repeat behaviour in repeat locations,” Robertson said. “A small number of locations and individuals account for a disproportionate amount of the calls for service.”

The next phase of the strategy will bring staffing “stabilization,” Robertson said, that will facilitate a shift from “reactive policing to planned and targeted deployments.”

The initial phase involved the CORE team gathering intelligence, analyzing data and taking input from officers and community partners, along with businesses, residents and councillors in the target areas.

The second phase, launching Friday, will see targeted enforcement and police presence that is “deployed surgically, not broadly,” Robertson said.

The deployment will be tracked and co-ordinated by the CORE team, which will decide “where, when and with what mix of resources we deploy,” Robertson said, with patrol officers aligned with specialty units and services.

“This plan ensures our presence is purposeful and not just visible.”

https://ottawacitizen.com/news/ottawa-police-downtown-safety-strategy

[ponyboycurtis]

I've said this before in the past. Get beat officers! Have them work the same neighbourhoods on a regular basis. That has to be the most effective way of policing problem areas like we have here in Ottawa which are more social economic issues/drug use and the types of anti social behaviour that go with it.

This isn't Compton.

Officers on the street can become familiar with the peoples in their areas and also have the ability to act as an olive branch to help connect them with services they may need.

I'm totally fine with a like.. brown paper bag law type of thing. Obviously you are allowed to loiter on the street since you basically have nowhere to go but you have to be cool about it. No sitting in doorways of commercial buildings. No littering or pissing in the streets. Behave yourself.

We already have that for the most part. The underpass at Rideau and Sussex is a prime example.

I would see beat officers as more of a social outreach than crime prevention while also reminding people to keep their nose clean so to speak.

I remember one time about 5 or 6 years ago I saw 2 officers walking down Montreal rd. Seemed slightly odd. I walked up and asked them.. are you walking a beat? Yep. Seemed like a one off thing I guess. Don't recall seeing it again that summer.

In my hypothetical scenario I could see a pair of officers play a good cop bad cop type of thing. One officer, perhaps a female or otherwise plays more of a sympathetic role and the other officer is just an oak tree of an enforcer who stands there stoically. Obviously they are both sympathetic and helpful but in my mind I envision the pair being visually different from each other. I think a female within the pair would be very helpful if not critical in dealing with female street people.

This is what effective policing looks like to me. You don't need a 60M budget boost for this.

Heck.. give me more bicycle officers. Bicycle officers would be very effective for combing through a wider area of observation but would lack the stop and talk approach of the beat.

I am sure all officers are different and plenty would like to just sit in their cars like they do now but you can tell me there wouldn't be a big sign up list for bicycle and beat assignments.

Just my two cents

[J.OT13]

I agree. We need more cops walking the beat instead of sitting tin their SUVs.

About a month ago, I was walking in Chinatown. There was a homeless elderly women being cared for by paramedics. For some reason, 4 or 5 cops were standing around looking a the paramedics do their job while their 3 SUVs were running.

No City department is more wasteful than the Police.