Hubbry Logo
search
logo
1744575

Saskatoon Police Service

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
Saskatoon Police Service

Saskatoon Police Service (SPS; French: Service de police de Saskatoon) is the municipal police service in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It holds both municipal and provincial jurisdiction. Police Chief Cam McBride is the head of the service. The deputy chiefs are Dave Haye (Support Services) and Darren Pringle (Operations). The SPS operates in partnership and cooperation with the Corman Park Police Service and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

In 1887 the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) established a detachment in Saskatoon, in what is now the Nutana area of the city. The detachment moved across the river to a building on First Avenue between 19th and 20th Streets sometime after the area that is now the downtown was first settled in 1890. In 1889, Constable John Clisby of the NWMP became the settlement's first permanent police officer.

In January 1906, ex-NWMP constable Robert E. Dunning was appointed "Inspector, Constable, Engineer and Liquor License Inspector" for the then-Town of Saskatoon. Prior to that, Dunning had sworn an oath of office as a "Special Constable for the province of Saskatchewan" for November and December 1905. It is not clear what his precise duties or those of his predecessor, William Page Hurst (appointed constable for the then-Northwest Territories, 15 August - 31 December 1905) were, but presumably they were related to law enforcement in Saskatoon. After Saskatoon was incorporated as a city later that year, Dunning was appointed Chief of Police. In 1910 the first Rules and Regulations of the Saskatoon Police Department were approved.

In 1930, the force moved into its first purpose-built police station, the Municipal Justice Building on the corner of 4th Avenue and 23rd Street, across from City Hall. In 1977, a new station was built next to it. The old station was demolished in 1996 and the space became a parking lot. The new building cost roughly $5.5 million and had a floor space of 101,000 sq. feet. On 22 July 2014, Saskatoon's police operations moved into a new, much larger building on the 25th Street extension, between First Avenue and Idylwyld Drive. Built at a cost of $122 million, it is expected that it will serve as the central headquarters for the next 50 years.

Dating back to at least 1976, the SPS is known for discrimination against the Indigenous people of Canada, through the practice of extrajudicial killings known as the "starlight tours", where Indigenous people were taken to the edge of the city in the dead of winter and abandoned so they freeze to death. It is unknown how many people have died from these "starlight tours". There are at least three suspected cases that led deaths.

With struggling police forces worldwide there is a need for trained police officers to help training these forces. During 2009 and 2010 Constable Andrew Johnstone went to Afghanistan to train their police, and Sergeant Patrick 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.

The Office of the Chief of the Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) reports to the Board of Police Commissioners. Both Deputy Chiefs, the Legal Services Division and Professional Standards Division report to the Office of the Chief chief of police. The two Deputy Chiefs manage the Operations Division and Support Services Division. The Operations Division has superintendents for Criminal Investigations and Patrol, and the Public Affairs Unit. The Support Services Division includes Human Resources, Technological Services, Finance, Central Records and Asset Management, Specialized Uniform Operations and Headquarters. Each of the Support Services divisions are managed by a Director (Civilian) or Inspector (Sworn Officer). As of 2015 the SPS had 448 sworn Regular Constables, 59 Special Constables and 133 Civilian positions. The ranks are as follows:

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.