Saskatoon Police Service
Encyclopedia
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) is the municipal police force in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
and holds both municipal and provincial jurisdiction. Police Chief Clive Weighill is the head of the force. The deputy chiefs are Deputy Chief Gary Broste (Administration), and Deputy Chief Bernie Pannell (Operations). The SPS operates in partnership and cooperation with the Corman Park Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
.
In 1903 Robert E. Dunning was made the first Chief of Police
in the City of Saskatoon. In 1910 the first Rules and Regulations of the Saskatoon Police Department were approved.
In 1977 the new police station was opened on the spot of the old station which was demolished. The current parking lot is where the previous building stood. An abandoned tunnel still exists underground streching from the current parkinglot, across 23rd street to the old post office. The new building cost roughly $5.5 million (1977) and has a floor space of 101,000 feet squared. In 2010 The city of Saskatoon
drew plans to extend 25th street to Idylwyld Drive
and this is to be the location for the new police station. Construction is to begin in 2011 and should be finished in 2013.
calibre revolvers with .40 calibre Glock
22s in 1991. One event that would help accomplish this was the Canarama Mall Shootout
.
Andrew Johnstone went to Afghanistan
to train their police, and Sergeant
Pat Barbar in Kandahar
, Afghanistan. Other members of the SPS have worked in other countries for other UN operations, such as Sergeant Darcel Pittman and former Deputy Chief Keith Atkinson in Kosovo in 2000.
They play widely varying roles within each mission, from patrolling streets and training police recruits to providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring security for elections and investigating human rights violations.
Chief Donald 1915 - 1946
Chief Milne 1946 - 1953
Chief Kettles 1954 - 1977
Chief Gibbon 1977 - 1982
Chief Penkala 1982 - 1991
Chief Maguire 1991 - 1996
Chief Scott 1996 - 2001
Chief Matthews 2001
Chief Sabo 2001 - 2006
Chief Weighill 2006–present
was convicted of this murder but was later cleared of this charge through DNA evidence which was unavailable at the time of his trial.
, the practice of taking aboriginal men to the edge of the city in the dead of winter and abandoning them.
In January 2000, Darrel Night was dropped off on the outskirts of Saskatoon but was able to survive. The two officers involved were convicted of unlawful confinement in September 2001 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
Some other Aboriginal men that may have been subject to starlight tours are Rodney Naistus, Lawrence Wegner and Neil Stonechild
. Rodney Naistus and Lawrence Wegner died in 2000 and their bodies were discovered on the outskirts of Saskatchewan. However inquests in 2001 and 2002 into their deaths were unable to determine the circumstances that led to their deaths. The inquest juries made recommendations related to police policies and police/Aboriginal relations.
Neil Stonechild's body was found in 1990 in a field outside Saskatoon. A 2003 inquest was not able to determine the circustances that lead to his death. Two officers were dismissed from the Saskatoon Police Service for their alleged involvement in this matter. No charges have been laid in the death of Neil Stonechild. Their dismissal is presently under review and new evidence was recently presented (2007) suggesting that a criminal interested in preventing Stonechild from testifying against him was responsible. A friend of Stonechild who is currently in provincial jail talked to police and reported seeing his friend in the backseat of a car struggling with two native men, on the night Stonechild died, who have had problems with him. Indicating that the two officers had nothing to do with his death.
In 2003, police chief Russell Sabo admitted that there was a possibility that the force had been dumping Native people outside the city for years, after revealing that in 1976 an officer was disciplined for taking a Native woman to the outskirts of the city and abandoning her there.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and holds both municipal and provincial jurisdiction. Police Chief Clive Weighill is the head of the force. The deputy chiefs are Deputy Chief Gary Broste (Administration), and Deputy Chief Bernie Pannell (Operations). The SPS operates in partnership and cooperation with the Corman Park Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
.
History
In 1882 the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) established a detachment in Saskatoon. In 1889, Constable Clisby of the NWMP was established as Saskatoon's first permanent police officer.In 1903 Robert E. Dunning was made the first Chief of Police
Chief of police
A Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
in the City of Saskatoon. In 1910 the first Rules and Regulations of the Saskatoon Police Department were approved.
In 1977 the new police station was opened on the spot of the old station which was demolished. The current parking lot is where the previous building stood. An abandoned tunnel still exists underground streching from the current parkinglot, across 23rd street to the old post office. The new building cost roughly $5.5 million (1977) and has a floor space of 101,000 feet squared. In 2010 The city of Saskatoon
Saskatoon
Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
drew plans to extend 25th street to Idylwyld Drive
Idylwyld Drive
Idylwyld Drive is an arterial road in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is one of the main roads in and out of the downtown area of the city.On the south side of the Senator Sid Buckwold Bridge, it is a freeway and is known as the Idylwyld Freeway. It eventually turns into Circle Drive, just east of...
and this is to be the location for the new police station. Construction is to begin in 2011 and should be finished in 2013.
Shoot-outs of the Eighties
The Saskatoon Police experienced many situations where the result was a "shoot-out" of some sort. These situations helped the Police Commission replace the under powered .38.38
.38 refers to the type of firearm and firearm cartridges.The .38 is considered a large caliber firearm cartridge; Anything larger than .32 is considered a large caliber, and one of the most common handguns manufactured in the United States...
calibre revolvers with .40 calibre Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
22s in 1991. One event that would help accomplish this was the Canarama Mall Shootout
Canarama Mall Shootout
The Canarama Shootout was an armed confrontation on July 5th, 1982, between officers of the Saskatoon Police Service and infamous Saskatoon criminal Harvey Andres, who had escaped from an Edmonton prison just months before the shootout...
.
- Fire Hall #1 Shootout, March 7, 1982
- Husky House Shootout, May 18, 1982
- Famous Canarama Mall ShootoutCanarama Mall ShootoutThe Canarama Shootout was an armed confrontation on July 5th, 1982, between officers of the Saskatoon Police Service and infamous Saskatoon criminal Harvey Andres, who had escaped from an Edmonton prison just months before the shootout...
, July 5, 1982
- Snowberry Downs Shootout, December 14, 1982
- The Great Wendy's Shootout April 6, 1987
International police peacekeeping operations
With struggling police forces worldwide there is a need for trained police officers to help training these forces. During 2009 and 2010 ConstableConstable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
Andrew Johnstone went to Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
to train their police, and Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Pat Barbar in Kandahar
Kandahar
Kandahar is the second largest city in Afghanistan, with a population of about 512,200 as of 2011. It is the capital of Kandahar Province, located in the south of the country at about 1,005 m above sea level...
, Afghanistan. Other members of the SPS have worked in other countries for other UN operations, such as Sergeant Darcel Pittman and former Deputy Chief Keith Atkinson in Kosovo in 2000.
They play widely varying roles within each mission, from patrolling streets and training police recruits to providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring security for elections and investigating human rights violations.
Departments
Departments and special departments.- Patrol
- Traffic
- Investigative Services
- Major Crime
- Personal Violence Section
- Fraud
- General Investigations
- Investigative Support
- Forensic Identification
- Criminal Intelligence
- Air Support Unit
- Anti Graffiti Unit
- Canine Unit
- Communications
- Community Response Unit
- Emergency Response Team (ERT)
- Explosive Disposal Unit (EDU)
- Planning and reaserch
- Public Safety Unit
- School Resource Officers
Structure
As of 2009 the SPS has 475 sworn officers, and 109 civilian positions. The ranks are as follows:- ChiefChief of policeA Chief of Police is the title typically given to the top official in the chain of command of a police department, particularly in North America. Alternate titles for this position include Commissioner, Superintendent, and Chief constable...
- Deputy Chief
- SuperintendentSuperintendent (police)Superintendent , often shortened to "super", is a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries the full version is superintendent of police...
- InspectorInspectorInspector is both a police rank and an administrative position, both used in a number of contexts. However, it is not an equivalent rank in each police force.- Australia :...
- LieutenantLieutenantA lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
(Rank has been dropped by the SPS)
- Staff SergeantStaff SergeantStaff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in several countries.The origin of the name is that they were part of the staff of a British army regiment and paid at that level rather than as a member of a battalion or company.-Australia:...
- SergeantSergeantSergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
- CorporalCorporalCorporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
(Rank has been dropped by the SPS)
- ConstableConstableA constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions.-Etymology:...
Police Chiefs
Chief Dunning 1905 - 1915Chief Donald 1915 - 1946
Chief Milne 1946 - 1953
Chief Kettles 1954 - 1977
Chief Gibbon 1977 - 1982
Chief Penkala 1982 - 1991
Chief Maguire 1991 - 1996
Chief Scott 1996 - 2001
Chief Matthews 2001
Chief Sabo 2001 - 2006
Chief Weighill 2006–present
Inquiries
Accusations against the Saskatoon Police Service have resulted in public inquiries. One such inquiry is presently taking place (as of July 2006) and involves the investigation into the murder of a nursing student in Saskatoon in 1969. David MilgaardDavid Milgaard
David Milgaard is a Canadian who was wrongfully convicted for the murder and rape of nursing assistant Gail Miller.- Arrest and trial :...
was convicted of this murder but was later cleared of this charge through DNA evidence which was unavailable at the time of his trial.
Starlight tours
The Saskatoon police has engaged in starlight toursStarlight tours
A starlight tour is the non-sanctioned police practice of picking up individuals in their cruisers, mostly homeless, drug addicts, or other such marginalized people, and taking them outside of town where they would be beaten and/or abandoned on the side of the road.A suspected case in Canada...
, the practice of taking aboriginal men to the edge of the city in the dead of winter and abandoning them.
In January 2000, Darrel Night was dropped off on the outskirts of Saskatoon but was able to survive. The two officers involved were convicted of unlawful confinement in September 2001 and sentenced to eight months in prison.
Some other Aboriginal men that may have been subject to starlight tours are Rodney Naistus, Lawrence Wegner and Neil Stonechild
Neil Stonechild
Neil Stonechild was a Cree Canadian First Nations teenager who died of hypothermia. There were accusations that the Saskatoon Police Service may have taken him to the northwest section of the city and abandoned him in a field on a night when temperatures were below −28°C...
. Rodney Naistus and Lawrence Wegner died in 2000 and their bodies were discovered on the outskirts of Saskatchewan. However inquests in 2001 and 2002 into their deaths were unable to determine the circumstances that led to their deaths. The inquest juries made recommendations related to police policies and police/Aboriginal relations.
Neil Stonechild's body was found in 1990 in a field outside Saskatoon. A 2003 inquest was not able to determine the circustances that lead to his death. Two officers were dismissed from the Saskatoon Police Service for their alleged involvement in this matter. No charges have been laid in the death of Neil Stonechild. Their dismissal is presently under review and new evidence was recently presented (2007) suggesting that a criminal interested in preventing Stonechild from testifying against him was responsible. A friend of Stonechild who is currently in provincial jail talked to police and reported seeing his friend in the backseat of a car struggling with two native men, on the night Stonechild died, who have had problems with him. Indicating that the two officers had nothing to do with his death.
In 2003, police chief Russell Sabo admitted that there was a possibility that the force had been dumping Native people outside the city for years, after revealing that in 1976 an officer was disciplined for taking a Native woman to the outskirts of the city and abandoning her there.
See also
- SaskatoonSaskatoonSaskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....
- Royal Canadian Mounted PoliceRoyal Canadian Mounted PoliceThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
- Rotary Museum of Police and CorrectionsRotary Museum of Police and CorrectionsThe Rotary Museum of Police and Corrections is a museum in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada. It covers the history of law enforcement in early Prince Albert and Saskatchewan....
- Little Chief Service StationLittle Chief Service StationThe Little Chief Service Station is a designated Municipal Heritage Property located in the Riversdale, neighborhood of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Originally build as a gas service station for Texaco Oil Company of Canada. Cars and farm vehicles were often service at the station while...
- community outreach station