Sheriff's officers start carrying guns at New Brunswick courthouses
Baffled criminology prof can't see why province would want to arm officers now
Sheriff's officers at New Brunswick courthouses began carrying firearms on Thursday.
The controversial move, which comes on the heels of an incident in a Maniwaki, Que., courthouse that saw a teenager shot in the head after an altercation, is part of the province's three-year plan to arm its sheriffs and security officers.
In the summer, a few dozen traffic enforcement officers were the first to be allowed to carry guns, after the Department of Justice and Public Safety received the results of a job risk assessment.
- Province arms some sheriffs and enforcement officers
- Deputy minister defends arming sheriffs and safety enforcement officers
According to the department, 36 sheriff's officers, or about one in four right now, have been trained to use guns, but the number will increase every month with new training sessions.
The New Brunswick Union, which represents sheriff's officers, said members are split 50-50 about whether they feel safer carrying a gun, or just don't see a need for one.
So far, the government has left it up to the officers themselves to decide if they want to get the firearm.
But that won't be the case for new hires, for whom it will be mandatory to go through a two-week intensive training at the Atlantic Police Academy in P.E.I., and five days of additional training in Moncton, to use a semi-automatic 40-calibre Sig Sauer pistol.
Teen in coma
Wednesday, an altercation between an 18-year-old man and a special constable in a Quebec courthouse hallway ended with the teen shot in the head, a horrifying incident that has put the teen into a coma.
The fight began when the teen, who had just been handed a six-month jail sentence, asked for a smoke break and was told he couldn't take one.
In New Brunswick, armed sheriffs would not be allowed in courtrooms, or even hallways — only in courthouses entrances.
Still, according to St. Thomas University criminology professor Michael Boudreau, the Quebec case is a perfect example of how things can escalate when firearms are introduced.
"Their first reaction was to go for their firearm, and that always leads to tragedy," Boudreau said.
"Without proper training initially, and then ongoing training for sheriffs, an incident like that could happen in New Brunswick. And that is a tragedy that I think all parties would want to avoid."
No real reason
Boudreau said the province has given no real explanation why it felt sheriff's officers need to be armed.
"I'm dumbfounded," he said. "I have not been aware of any heightened risk. There haven't been any serious incidents where sheriffs could have used firearms to protect either themselves, or the public. I'm not certain why this need at this particular time."
Boudreau believes the fact only 50 per cent of sheriffs were in favour of wearing firearms is an indication the province's plan wasn't well thought out.
"That begs the question — if the other half feels that they can perform their duties without a firearm, then this isn't a reason to bring them on board."
The province isn't saying much about the reasons behind the move, only that it was the conclusion of a risk assessment.
''[It] demonstrated that sidearms are necessary in the execution of some duties for the safety of officers and the people they serve," said a department spokesperson.
"They said there was a study done and this is the result, not the why,'' said Susie Proulx-Daigle, union president, who was told in the spring of the province's plan.
"I think time will tell."
The province estimates the cost of arming safety officers at about $300,000 over three years.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
