Concerns for officer safety renewed after man jumps counter at station
It appears even a desk job can be risky when you’re a police officer.
An incident earlier this month in which a mentally ill man jumped the front counter at police headquarters has renewed calls for changes to the layout to improve officer safety.
“It’s a health and safety issue,” Ed Parent, administrator of the Windsor Police Association, told the Star Tuesday.
Parent said, for as long as he can remember, the union that represents officers and civilian staff has been calling for some sort of physical barrier to separate officers from people coming in off the street.
In 2011, the health and safety committee, made up of union members and administrators, recommended installing glass, raising the counter height or dropping the ceiling by installing a bulkhead at the main counter. Engineers, architects and contractors came in to give opinions and plans were drawn up, Parent said. But no changes followed.
“It has become apparent that the present administration is not interested,” Parent wrote in an email to all members after the incident.
On July 13 around 5:45 p.m., a man who had just been released from the cells in headquarters returned to the police station, came through the main entrance at Chatham and Goyeau streets and jumped the counter. Officers quickly apprehended the man and took him to hospital for psychiatric evaluation.
Parent said he does not believe the man was charged with any crime related to the incident.
“To my knowledge, it’s the first time someone has jumped over the counter,” Parent said.
Parent said, in discussions with administrators, the open concept lobby is meant to be “welcoming to the public.” Other police services have a similar philosophy, with similarly designed foyers.
But police unions in Waterloo and Niagara have called in the Ministry of Labour, claiming the work spaces are unsafe. Toronto police, too, have similar concerns, Parent said.
He said he and other association officials are watching those jurisdictions closely to see what comes of complaints.
In the Windsor incident, the man was unarmed and officers quickly got him under control and removed him from the building, Parent said. But, he said, with the escalating incidence of violence and mental illness in the community, that may not be the case next time.
“This recent example of a breach to our building and the subsequent effective apprehension warrants a complete review of our operations and facility to prevent a recurrence,” Parent, speaking on behalf of the police association board, told members.
Windsor police Chief Al Frederick has not returned the Star’s repeated calls for comment.
To my knowledge, it’s the first time someone has jumped over the counter.