Treaty Three Police Service
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| Treaty Three Police Service |
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| Established | 2003 |
| Jurisdiction | Aboriginal/Regional |
| Sworn | 75 |
| Chief | Brian Rupert |
| Website | http://www.treatythreepolice.ca |
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The Treaty Three Police Service (T3PS) began as the Treaty #3 Policing Initiative in August of 1999 as directed by the Executive Council of Grand Council of Treaty 3. It officially began operation on August 5, 2003, and became Canada’s newest First Nation self-administered police service.
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[edit] Inception
Formally incorporated on April 1, 2003, the Treaty Three Police Service assumed all policing duties from the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP). Currently serving officers were signed on and the initial group of 12 newly hired recruits attended the Ontario Police College in Aylmer, Ontario in spring of 2003.
[edit] Mission statement and motto
The T3PS's Police Services Board established its Mission Statement, which explicitly set out in the Articles of Incorporation as:
- to provide an effective, efficient and culturally sensitive police service to the member First Nations through the further development and expansion of the Treaty Three Police Service;
- to set out the roles, responsibilities and relationships among the member First Nations for the provision and maintenance of policing arrangements;
- to provide police services as may be necessary or appropriate to promote harmonious, healthy communities by keeping the peace and protecting persons and property through crime prevention, community education and law enforcement.
T3PS's motto is "policing for the people by the people".
[edit] Staff
The City of Kenora hosts the T3PS's Headquarters on Round Lake, where Chief of Police Brian Rupert oversees daily operations. Until his recent retirement, deputy Chief Ernest Jones is his counterpart in Couchiching First Nation until his retirement in the summer of 2006. Deputy Chief Larry Indian has since taken over, commanding the Couchiching Sub Division from OPP Emo Detachment, Emo, Ontario. Deputy Chief Wally MacLeod oversaw the Kenora Sub Division until his retirement in 2006. Deputy Chief Louie Napish currently serves as second in command of T3PS. Assisting them are several Staff Sergeants, some of whom are retired or seconded OPP officers. Treaty Three has its own Crime Unit also based in Kenora led until last year by Seconded OPP Detective Sergeant Rob Bears, assisted by several Detective constables. Like other police services, the Detective branch runs parallel to the front line officers.
Each Sub-division (sometimes referred to as "detachment", a holdover term from the OPP program) employs a number of Sergeants who answer to the sub-division commander in the day to day operations. Front line policing is performed by officers with the rank of Constable. After graduating from Ontario Police College, each recruit is granted the rank of Fifth Class constable (roughly equivalent to the OPP recruit constable), promoted based on experience, reaching the rank of First Class constable within three years.
Treaty Three Officers are sworn peace officers in the Province of Ontario and the service currently has 75 sworn members, with more being hired as resources permit. Five (5) of those officers have come from the OPP, Lac Seul Police, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), and Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service. The vast majority of the members grew up in the area, with some coming as far as Winnipeg and Southern Ontario.
[edit] Transportation
Currently T3PS uses the Chevy Impala and Chevy Tahoe after the OPP Ford Victoria, Expedition and Excursions were phased out. Also in service are boats, fourwheelers and snowmobiles, allowing for a variety of deployment methods.
[edit] Technology
T3PS also uses the same personal equipment, radio and computer systems and training system (such as the annual "block training" in CPR/First Aid, recent case law, investigative techniques and Use of Force" ) as the OPP, since the majority of the equipment and operations used by the First nations program is still used by the current service, allowing ease of use, and greater cooperation between neighbouring forces until T3PS can provide its own in-service training units and new police facilities.
Continuing upgrades to the OPP radio equipment were also adopted by Treaty Three Police. Treaty Three as of 2008 became part of the Wide Area Network. An officer from Kenora can quickly commmunicate with virtually anyone in the province via the Provincial Communications Center in Thunder Bay and/or the other three Provincial Communications.
[edit] Equipment and Uniforms
The original OPP administered uniforms and shoulder flashes specific to individual reserves were retired and replaced with a navy blue uniform slightly lighter than the OPP uniforms. The T3PS symbol, created by a local resident, was adopted as the new shoulder flash. Black armour vests and ball caps with the T3PS symbol replaced the OPP stetson and blue armour. Observant people noticed the duty belt and equipment pouches were replaced with a basket weave design. The original white cruisers were replaced with brown Impalas and Tahoes. The original units have since been upgraded to a fleet of over 20 impalas, Tahoes and Rav 4's painted all black with gold decals.
Introduced in 2003 in time for the graduation of the first 14 officers hired and subsequent ceremony in Kenora was the dress uniform. All black with gold along the tunic closure and along the pants seam, the uniform differs from other traditional dress uniforms by dropping the tie for a military style mandarin collar, vaguely reminiscent of the uniforms worn by First Nations Chiefs in the time of the Treaty 3 Signing.
[edit] Geography
Treaty Three Police services 18,550 First Nations residents in 28 First Nation Territories in the Kenora and Rainy River districts. Due to the vast patrol area, (55,000 square miles) T3PS was divided into two major "sub-divisions" with smaller satellite detachments left over from the OPP administered program. The Kenora Sub-division was headquartered in Dalles First Nation. Kenora Sub Division is now run out of the new Headquarters on Round Lake. Territories in the Rainy River district operates out of the Emo OPP detachment east of Manitou Rapids First Nations. The sub-division was relocated fall of 2007 from Couchiching First Nation near Fort Frances, Ontario while awaiting approvals and construction for a new detachment in the area.
[edit] Detachments
The Treaty Three Police Service General Headquarters and the Kenora Sub-Division are housed in the same building in Kenora. The Couchiching Sub–division is currently housed at the Emo OPP Detachment until completion of a new Police facility in that area.
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Kenora Sub-division
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Couchiching Sub-division (Fort Frances area)
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