An independent investigation of a Jan. 16 training accident has found no negligence on the part of a City police officer who accidently fired live rounds into the rear quarter panel of a police vehicle.
The Ontario Provincial Police investigation also found an absence of negligence by fellow members of the officer's Emergency Service Unit and the Sault Ste. Marie Police Service.
The officer was using the cruiser as cover and failed "to take into account the offset of the sighting system and the barrel of the firearm," said Police Chief Robert Davies.
Wrecked vehicles should be used
Staff Sgt. Tim Foster of the OPP has made the following recommendations:
- Live-fire exercises should be done using wrecked vehicles, not active-service cruisers.
- With closer targets, simmunitions should be used. These are modified firearms that contain paint cartridges instead of live rounds.
- Sault police should review their operations manual to ensure that high-risk vehicle stops are included.
- During live-fire exercises, each shooter should have an assigned spotter.
- More study should be done as to types of vehicles used by police services, and whether they should be standardized.
- Sault police should consider adopting a training arrangement similar to one between Greater Sudbury Polkice and the OPP
The recommendations are currently being reviewed by Bob Kates, the Sault's deputy chief of police.
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