Toronto Transit Commission constables remain unarmed

July 4, 2008
BY EVAN FRENCH, The Etobicoke Guardian

The TTC's decision not to arm their special constables with Tasers or guns was not influenced by the Taser-related death of a man at Vancouver airport last year, said TTC spokesman Brad Ross. He said the decision was made this week, after an outside research firm carried out a study on the possibility of arming the peace officers, costing the city $100,000.

"It's a question of being sensitive to the issue of Tasers right now," said Ross. "We have a risk assessment going on ensuring the special constables have all the tools and training so they can do their job in a safe manner."

Rachel Poku, 22, a student at Humber College, said she feels safe when she rides the rocket to and from school every day but is concerned for the safety of the special constables. "For their safety, I think they should (be armed)," she said while waiting at a bus stop on Humber College Boulevard. "They need the equipment to protect themselves when they're confronting people."

The 95 special constables, in addition to their black pants and blue shirts, are currently equipped with batons, pepper spray and handcuffs, said Ross. "People think they're just security guards but that's not true," he said. "They're very highly trained." Ross confirmed several of the special constables are former police officers. "They're uniformed as well as plainclothes," he said. "When they're on the TTC, they have basically the same powers as police officers."

Although Tasers and pistols won't be filling TTC holsters, one tool which has been approved is the video camera. Ross said all TTC vehicles and stations will be equipped with CCTV surveillance cameras by August of next year. He said the cameras will provide police with evidence and help to solve crimes committed on TTC property.

EDITORIAL: Take that for not paying

April 17, 2008
Toronto Star

The TTC should think twice before following Vancouver's lead by arming its transit police with Tasers.

Since the beginning of last year, Vancouver's transit police have used their Tasers 10 times, including several times against passengers who had tried to avoid paying, according to recently released documents.

This is just the latest evidence that police forces across the country are prone to "usage creep" when it comes to Tasers. The high-voltage stun guns have been championed as a less-than-lethal way to defuse potentially violent confrontations.

But zapping someone for failing to buy a transit ticket? Unless the cornered free rider posed an imminent safety threat to officers or passengers, this is a shockingly heavy-handed response to a minor crime.

Following the highly publicized death last year of a Polish immigrant at Vancouver's airport shortly after he was jolted by a Taser, we have grown wary of pitches for the expanded use of this weapon. The Vancouver report is one more reminder that further reflection and stronger safeguards are needed before any move is made to distribute Tasers to more and more police officers.

Toronto Transit Commission studies using tasers

Apr 17, 2008
Debra Black and Tess Kalinowski, Toronto Star

The TTC is looking into whether its special constables should be armed with guns or Tasers. A consultant's review will cost the Toronto Transit Commission $100,000 to study its use-of-force policies, assessing if constables should "be armed with firearms, Tasers, that kind of thing," said TTC spokesperson Brad Ross. Constables now can use pepper spray, collapsible batons and handcuffs.

The study into the use of Tasers and firearms was commissioned as part of an ongoing "standard review" of the special constable forces, TTC chair Adam Giambrone said. This "independent and comprehensive assessment" will be completed by the end of the year.

Giambrone said he is not personally in favour of arming constables with either Tasers or guns. "No evidence has been provided to me so far that indicates our special constables have to be armed any further than they are today," he said in an interview. "In my opinion they don't need to be armed any further. They have the backup of the Toronto police."

Ross said the review of the TTC's use-of-force policy was triggered by "a desire to address health and safety concerns that the special constables have regarding their work."

The agency decided to ask for an assessment of what would constitute appropriate use of force by its constables while protecting themselves, staff, patrons or property.

Crimes on TTC property jumped by about 24 per cent in 2006, according to a special investigation by the Toronto Star. At least 181 TTC drivers have suffered post-traumatic stress disorder, a rate four times higher than that of Toronto police officers, according to the investigation.

Vancouver's transit police carry Tasers; it is the only armed transit police service in the country. Tasers were used 10 times in the past 18 months in the city, including five times against riders who allegedly were trying to evade paying fares. An inquiry into their overall use begins next month in British Columbia. It will also examine whether transit police should carry the devices.

The Taser's use among police forces nationally has been criticized after Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died shortly after being Tasered at Vancouver's airport last year. Amnesty International has called for a moratorium on all Taser use in Canada.

Tasers are currently used only by Toronto police supervisors, although police chief Bill Blair has said he prefers every police officer to be armed with a Taser as well as a firearm. The TTC's 95 special constables make more than 950 arrests each year and issue approximately 5,500 provincial tickets. The constables respond to about 10,000 calls a year. By the end of this year, the number of special constables on the TTC will grow to 117.

"As the force expands and defines itself, questions like this come up from time to time," Giambrone said. Only a couple of weeks ago, an 18-year-old woman was shot in the leg inside a subway car, seconds after the bells chimed and the subway doors opened at Spadina station. Giambrone said that incident has nothing to do with the newly announced review, which had been in the works for months.

If the consultant's report recommends the use of Tasers and firearms and the TTC approves the recommendation, the final decision would still be up to the Police Services Board. Many special TTC constables are former police officers or Toronto police officers who have been seconded to the TTC force, said Giambrone.