Use of Force report will help ensure transparency and build confidence with public says chief
Prince Albert Police Chief Patrick Nogier delivered the organization’s first Year End Use of Force Report at Monday’s Board of Police Commissioner’s Meeting.
The report is part of the Prince Albert Police Service’s (PAPS) efforts to better track when officers use force, what type of force is used, and whether it was appropriate. The data shows 46 use of force files from 2024. That includes everything from officers physical striking someone to firing their gun to laying down road spikes to stop a speeding vehicle.
Internal police investigation determined there was one officer whose use of force was classified as Level 3, where PAPS issues a remedial order, like a suspension. There were 12 instances were PAPS “intervened to provide officers with additional training to make better decisions,” Nogier told the board.
A single use of force file can involve more than one officer and more than one type of force. For example, in the first quarter of 2024, PAPS opened 15 use of force files involving 22 officers and 21 different types of force.
Nogier said he’s “very satisfied” Prince Albert police officers are applying force properly and at necessary moments. However, he said the report is needed to ensure proper transparency.
“(We’re) trying to identify deficiencies in either policy or in training,” Nogier said in an interview afterwards. “If force is not being applied properly or there’s a better way of doing business, then it’s incumbent upon the organization to review those situations, make recommendations, and/change policy.”
Nogier said use of force is a controversial concept for law enforcement. During the meeting, he told the board some officers have “a sense of vulnerability” because they are always being judged about using force.
He said social media recordings of officer interactions with the public capture a small snapshot of what’s happening. While such recordings sometimes lead to an “internal look at the way things are handled,” Nogier said the goal was to be more thorough and proactive.
PAPS has a four person Use of Force Committee that will review every Use of Force Report. Nogier said they will be reporting every use of force circumstance in 2025.
“We want to make sure that our officers are making good decisions in the right times and circumstances, so making sure that we maintain a focus on when force is being used, is it appropriate, is it proportional,” he said. “Those are all the things that will be a continual re-evaluation to ensure that we’re providing a good solid response that the community can trust.
“We’re reviewing it to make sure it’s appropriate, and that way we can provide a message to the community that officers are well-trained and only using force when it is absolutely required,” he added.
Nogier added that a very small number of interactions between Prince Albert police officers and residents actually involve force.
The Prince Albert Police Service faced scrutiny in 2023 after Boden Umpherville died from injuries sustained in an altercation with police. A news release from the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) said Umpherville was one of three people in a vehicle police pulled over. Although the car had been reported stolen, according to police, one of the people inside was the registered owner.
Prince Albert police used stun guns, collapsible batons and pepper spray during the arrest, according to SIRT.
When asked about the case on Tuesday, Nogier said it’s still in the hands of the SIRT.
“We’re ensuring the officer’s doing everything to keep them safe so they go home at the end of the day, but the offender also gets a vote and ensuring that the amount of force that’s being used is only proportional to what’s required to mitigate the risk to the community,” Nogier said. “It’s that constant balance and recognizing full well that some individuals in our community do not want to comply with laws, do not want to comply with requests from an officer to stop doing things that they’re doing that’s causing harm and risk in the community.”
During the meeting, Nogier told the board there were some questions from police association members about why the Use of Force Report was being started now. He said their message to officers was that PAPS will support them when they use force, but is has to be proportional to the amount used, and it must follow policy.
“If an officer is required to use force, and they’re making good judgements about it, as difficult as it is for a community to understand, we’re going to make sure that we back our officers in that situation, but it’s a two-way street. Officers also need to know that when they don’t apply force properly there are going to be consequences,” he said.
Nogier added that with proper documentation and accountability, it is possible the amount of times officers use force will increase.
@kerr_jas • jason.kerr@paherald.sk.ca
