Police-Encounters-With-People-In-Crisis

e used in practice as alternatives to firearms in situations where lethal force may be
authorized.
38. Similar to the submissions this Review has received, the Braidwood Commission
noted the unanimous view of mental health professionals that the best practice in
dealing with people in crisis is to:
de-escalate the agitation, which can best be achieved through
the application of recognized crisis intervention techniques.
Conversely, the worst possible response is to aggravate or
escalate the crisis, such as by deploying a conducted energy
weapon and/or using force to physically restrain the subject.
It is accepted that there may be some extreme
circumstances, however rare, when crisis intervention
techniques will not be effective in de-escalating the crisis.
But even then, there are steps that officers can take to
mitigate the risk of deployment. 45
39. The Braidwood Commission identified 25 people nation-wide who died during or
after an incident involving a CEW between 2003 and 2008. The Commission also found
that, in 24% of uses in B.C., the subject suffered a CEW-related injury. Although the
majority of injuries were minor, the Commission noted cases of lung collapse, loss of
consciousness from falling and hitting one’s head, facial wounds, broken ankle, and a
probe dart imbedded in the subject’s clavicle bone.
40. Commissioner Braidwood noted that, although it is difficult to determine
whether a CEW caused a person’s death, the risk of ventricular fibrillation (which can be
fatal if the person is not defibrillated promptly) increases significantly if the subject has
cardiovascular disease, a short skin-to-heart distance, or an implanted pacemaker or
defibrillator. This risk appeared to increase when a person was subjected to multiple
CEW deployments.
41. In his review of the use of CEWs in B.C. up to 2007, Commissioner Braidwood
found that the number of deployments increased at a rate faster than the increase in the
number of CEWs, indicating that officers chose to use the devices more often over time.
The Commission found a large variation in the frequency of deployments by police
services, ranging from 5.2 to 130.7 uses per 100,000 people depending on the police
service. The B.C. Transit Authority Police used a CEW six times in 2007. Troublingly, in
three cases the subject’s active resistance consisted of fleeing after being stopped for a
fare check.
42. The Commissioner emphasized that the actual use of CEWs among municipal
and provincial police services was likely much higher than the numbers reported,
making a complete analysis challenging. He urged the B.C. government to work with
other provinces and the federal government to develop and fund a national research
program for CEWs.
45
Restricting Use, supra note 40 at 15.
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