Ottawa police report dramatic drop in 'dynamic entries' and use-of-force incidents since 2021 internal review

Officers were dispatched to 215,000 calls in 2022 and used force in 247 incidents, down from 2020, when there were 220,700 service calls and 348 incidents where force was used.

Published Aug 06, 2023 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 4 minute read

In 2021, former police chief Peter Sloly ordered a temporary suspension of “dynamic entries” by Ottawa Police Service officers while police conducted a review of policies governing the controversial no-knock raids. Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

The Ottawa Police Service reported a dramatic drop in “dynamic entries” in the two-plus years since former police chief Peter Sloly ordered a temporary suspension of the tactic while police conducted an extensive review of policies governing the controversial no-knock raids.

“The dynamic entry is a low-frequency, but high-risk technique used by Canadian police services that has evoked a great deal of scrutiny in the past from various audiences, including the media, the public, the courts and advocates for police reform,” Supt. François D’Aoust said last week during a presentation to the Ottawa Police Services Board.

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“We are aware of this criticism and have continuously monitored the use of this tactic and ensured we’ve used the least amount of force necessary in executing these high-risk warrants.”

D’Aoust said the 2021 internal policy review led to “the re-evalution of the methods of entry that has greatly reduced the instances where dynamic entries have been used during search warrants.”

Supt. François D’Aoust told the police board last week that a 2021 internal policy review led to “the re-evalution of the methods of entry that has greatly reduced the instances where dynamic entries have been used during search warrants.” Photo by Julie Oliver /POSTMEDIA

Of 88 high-risk search warrants executed by Ottawa police in 2020, 59 were dynamic entries that involved police entering a dwelling unannounced.

The following year, after Sloly paused the policy, dynamic entries were reduced to two.

Of 56 high-risk search warrants executed in 2022, three were dynamic entries, D’Aoust told the board. There have been three more no-knock raids so far in 2023.

In 2018, by contrast, police executed 82 warrants by dynamic entry.

The tactic is employed by police to “limit the movement of occupants and reduce the ability to formulate a plan of defence — or to limit the ability to destroy evidence,” D’Aoust said.

“The decisions to determine the optimal approach to executing a judicially-authorized search warrants are made by highly-trained incident commanders on a case-by-case basis, and they balance a variety of factors and risks,” he said.

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“We have to balance the responsibility to enhance community safety by performing the essential role of enforcement, which includes the execution of search warrants to obtain evidence for the successful prosecution of criminal offenders.

“We also need to balance and ensure we perform our role in a manner that helps victims, ensures the safety and wellbeing of members of the community and our (Ottawa Police Service) members while using minimal amount of force to achieve these positive outcomes.”

D’Aoust noted the OPS tactical team was the sole unit authorized to execute no-knock warrants and each team member had to undergo an “extensive” training regimen with a minimum 576 hours of tactical training each year.

In a high-profile case in October 2020, 23-year-old Anthony Aust died after falling from a 12th-storey bedroom window during a no-knock raid where police used a “flash-bang grenade” as they entered his family’s apartment in a Jasmine Crescent building.

The family has since pursued a lawsuit against the Ottawa Police Services Board.

“We recognize that the execution of search warrants can be traumatizing to the families and the residents where the warrant is being executed, regardless of method of entry,” D’Aoust told the board last week.

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He said police took appropriate precautions to “mitigate risk” and said the safety of all community members was “paramount.”

D’Aoust acknowledged the policy around dynamic entries had also been guided recently by court decisions.

In a February 2020 ruling, Superior Court Justice Sally Gomery concluded the OPS dynamic entry amounted to a “serious misconduct” that violated the charter rights of the woman whose home police had raided.

Gomery said the no-knock tactic “reflects a casual disregard for charter rights … The police cannot operate from an assumption that they should break in the door of any residence that they have a warrant to search. The court must be concerned about disassociating itself from this practice.”

In an update to the board last week, Ottawa police brass also reported a significant drop in overall incidents where officers used force in 2022.

Chief Eric Stubbs told the board the application of use-of-force tactics “is an area that has evolved and continues to evolve … I can confirm we are leading the way in how we train on use of force, how we employ the use of force model and our focus on de-escalation techniques.”

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Chief Eric Stubbs told the police board that the application of use-of-force tactics “is an area that has evolved and continues to evolve.” Photo by Tony Caldwell /POSTMEDIA

Ottawa police officers were dispatched to 215,000 calls in 2022 and used force in 247 incidents. Those numbers were down from 220,700 service calls in 2020 and 348 incidents where force was used.

Of the 247 incidents from last year, 222 involved use of force on one or more individuals, deputy chief Steve Bell said, including 52 mental health apprehensions, 20 weapons- or firearms-related calls, 17 for assaulting a police officer and 16 for assault with a weapon.

The majority of other use-of-force incidents involved officers discharging their weapons on animals, primarily on the road side to end suffering from severe injuries, D’Aoust said.

One logged incident was an “accidental” firearm discharge that resulted in no injuries.

“As the numbers indicate, officers used de-escalation techniques in the vast majority of circumstances and are required to use force occasionally to ensure the safety of the public, the subject and themselves,” Bell said.

Limiting the use of force, Bell said, “is critical to maintaining public trust.”

ahelmer@postmedia.com