THUNDER BAY – Though it has been more than a decade since an on-duty city police officer has been involved in a shooting that injured or killed another person, a minor procedural change has been made to how such an incident would be reported.
The Thunder Bay Police Services Board at their monthly meeting approved an amendment to their Use of Force policy that outlines the reporting procedure if an on-duty officer shoots their weapon and it results in serious injury or death.
The amendment brings the police services board’s policy in line with the Police Services Act. The legislation requires the police chief to conduct an investigation and report its findings to the board, which would then report to the office of the Attorney General.
“After an audit, it was found that particular board policy was lacking so it was redone,” police chief J.P. Levesque said after the meeting. “If a shooting does occur, (this change) is just the reporting up to the Attorney General’s office.”
Levesque estimated it has been about 12 years since that type of incident has happened in Thunder Bay.
