CALGARY—Police are rolling out a use-of-force option for patrol officers that was previously used only by tactical units, a move they say will help police deal with “high-risk” situations.
They say the ARWEN ACE-T launcher will be in the hands of 40 specifically trained police on Calgary streets this summer, with a total of 160 officers trained and 80 launchers by the end of 2019 as part of the Patrol Less Lethal program.
The ARWEN launcher looks similar to a rifle, but it shoots plastic rounds called “impact batons.”
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Police tactical unit member Jean-Marc Boucher, who helped teach officers how to use the tool, said it’s intended only for situations where police are concerned about “imminent grievous bodily harm or death.”
The launcher, which tactical units have already used for about a decade, has a range of about 65 feet, while the commonly used Taser has an optimal range of seven to 12 feet.
“When you have high-risk individuals who are suicidal ... who maybe want to induce an officer-involved shooting — suicide by cop — this is an option we can use,” Boucher said. “It’s not always going to be the perfect solution, but it gives us distance.”
In May, an independent probe into use of lethal force by the Calgary Police Service criticized gaps in training and delays in investigating fatal police confrontations, concluding that the force needed to implement sweeping reforms on the issue.
While police Chief Roger Chaffin has vowed to put the changes into action, police say expanding the use of the ARWEN was an initiative in the works before the lethal-force report came out.
While police consider the ARWEN an alternative to deadly force, it can still badly injure someone. Fired from a distance of 20 metres, ARWEN projectiles can hit a target with 1.5 times the force of a professional hockey player’s slap shot.
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Boucher said the weapon can cause fractures or internal injuries, but officers are trained to use it only in crisis situations and aim only at a person’s lower abdomen or legs.
“We want to make sure when the force is necessary, it’s reasonable and proportionate to what we’re dealing with.”
Staff Sgt. Jason Bobrowich said the aim of the ARWEN is to give officers distance from a crisis.
“That, in turn, reduces the anxiety in subjects and reduces the stress that officers have to deal with so that better decision-making, more enhanced communication, and de-escalation can be utilized.”
Staff Sgt. Jason Bobrowich says the ARWEN can be used as a tool to give officers more distance from a crisis, helping them make better decisions.
Madeline Smith/ StarMetro
Edmonton and New Westminster, B.C., also use the ARWEN in front-line policing, according to Bobrowich.
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Kelly Sundberg, an associate professor of economics, justice and policy studies at Mount Royal University, said he views the expansion of the ARWEN’s use among Calgary police as a responsible decision, but more needs to be done to educate officers about the social contexts of policing, including dealing with people who may be in a mental-health crisis.
“There’s lots of reference to de-escalation training, but we want to have officers who are well-educated,” he said.
“In the cost and expense and rollout of the ARWEN, I think the same investment, if not more, should be put into education for officers.”
