Ottawa community-police group members raise concerns about reinforced gloves

Membersofa community-police advisory board say they have concerns about the use ofreinforced glovesby officers in the Ottawa Police Service following the death of a man last year in an altercation that led to charges against a constable.

• Deadly weapon? Ottawa police assault gloves scrutinized after officer charged in death

Const. DanielMontsionis facing charges ofmanslaughter, aggravated assault and assault with a weapon, which were laid last week by Ontario's police watchdog, the Special Investigations Unit.

The charges relate to Montsion's involvement in a confrontationwith aSomali-Canadian man,AbdirahmanAbdi,on July 24, 2016.

On cellphonevideo footage taken that day just minutes after the confrontation, Montsionis wearing what looksto be a set ofOakleyStandard Issue "assault gloves." The glovesfeaturea thick piece of carbon fibre over the knuckles, among other modifications.

The 37-year-old Abdilost vital signs during the confrontation and was pronounced dead the next day.

Questions about if and why gloves were issued

A policesource close to the investigation said the gloves are central to Montsion's assault with a weapon charge.Montsion'srelease conditions state he's prohibited from possessing weapons, and also prohibited from possessing "any gloves with hardened knuckle plating."

According to a police source,Montsionwas issued the reinforced glovesin his role as a member of thedirect action response team, or DART, which monitorsstreet gang activity for the guns and gangs unit.

KetciaPeters, a member of the Community and Police Action Committee (COMPAC)said she will be raising the issue of the gloves at the nextmeeting on April 13.

"My main question is:was this a service-issued assault glove?" Peters said.

"We need to understand why this officer, or even the DART unit, are being issued those types of equipment for work.

It's an assault gloveSo, it's a bit troublesome. [DART] is supposed to be an outreach team, so I don't really understand the use of those types of weapons or equipment for work."

Community-based approach to policing

Peters said she would like see the Ottawa Police Service put a greater emphasison community policing and takea more proactive approach to dealing with vulnerable members of the public.

Abdi's family and friends said he suffered from unspecified mental health issues, something they tried to communicate during his arrest.

"We're really advocating forthe policeto have a certain mentality and mind-set ...[and]to learn how to communicate better with the community when they're interacting with them."

COMPAC member Csar Ndma-Moussa who worked as a bodyguard for more than a decade said he is familiar with the gloves.

"It hasn't been discussed within the circle ofCOMPAC,but I had personal knowledge of them."

Police chief orders audit of gloves

Ottawa police CFO JeffLetourneausent a letter to Ottawa police inspectors Monday afternoon, advising them that police Chief CharlesBordeleauwants anaudit of all gloves issued to officers for on-duty use.

Ndma-Moussa said he believes this is the right thing to do.

"I think that's a very good step forward," Ndma-Moussa said.

"I think it's beyond just a question of assault gloves. I think it's a matter of safety. Anything that can constitute a threat, in terms of personal safety, is a matter of discussion."

Ndma-Moussaalso said he'd like to get clarity on when and how such gloves are used. "We've got toask the questions about proper training and proper protocol."

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Servicessaid Tuesday that protective equipmentincluding gloves, helmets and vestsare not classified as weapons and, therefore, don't need to be approved.

A ministry spokesperson said the Ontario Police College which is responsible for the basic training of all police in Ontario does not teach use-of-force techniques related to gloves, including assault gloves.