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Usually when police see an offence taking place before their very eyes, they move in and take appropriate action. But that certainly wasn’t the case in Sault Ste. Marie on Friday. Despite warnings from police and public health earlier in the week about the heavy penalties that could be applied to those organizing and also those attending public gatherings, more than 100 people showed up at Bellevue Park for the “Stand for Freedom” rally protesting the restrictions imposed because of COVID-19. Sault police officers were there but according to news reports, they only took pictures. The idea, it seems, is to identify those involved by poring over the pictures and then issuing fines.
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Sault Ste. Marie Police Service will not do random stops of individuals or vehicles during the extended provincial lockdown.
The provincial government announced stepped-up enforcement capabilities under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act last Friday.
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Solicitor General Sylvia Jones said Friday police can ask anyone who is not at their residence “their purpose of not being at home.”
The police department’s senior command reviewed the amended regulations and “decided to maintain our proactive and complaint-driven enforcment,” a release says.
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Nine strip searches of accused persons were done by Sault Ste. Marie Police Service in 2020.
Checking for drugs prompted the searches of three women and six men, said Sgt. Darren Sirie in a report to Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board.
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The searches were evenly split between Black, Caucasian and Indigenous suspects.
Police made 1,224 arrests in 2020. Less than 1 per cent of arrests involved strip searches. The checks are done under the authority of the Criminal Code, Chief Hugh Stevenson told board members. Police are checking for items related to evidence, injury or escape.
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Use of force incidents increased from 74 to 82.
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The percentage of calls where use of force was used inched up from .0023 per cent to .0025 per cent last year, said Sgt. Darren Sirie in a use of force report presented to Sault Ste. Marie Police Services Board.
“This is consistent with provincial averages, and represents only a slight increase with our service statistics from 2019,” said Sirie.
A total of 121 use of force reports related to the 82 incidents were filed in 2020. That compares to 75 incidents and 104 reports in 2019.