Stratford police release use of force data from 2020 and 2021
Stratford police release use of force data from 2020 and 2021

The Stratford Police Service has released its use of force data from the past two years, including incidents involving members of BIPOC communities.
Starting in 2020, under Ontario's Anti-Racism Act, police services began collecting race-based data on individuals who experienced use of force during their interactions with officers. Those encounters could include police pulling out, pointing or discharging their gun, police using a weapon other than a gun on another person, or police using physical force on an individual that resulted in them needing medical treatment.
Stratford police said there 41 use of force reports submitted in 2020. Of those, two involved someone from the BIPOC community.
In 2021, there were 51 use of force incidents reported and four of them involved someone from a BIPOC community.
Police said in a media release that they are "taking steps to improve our officers' abilities to work within an increasingly diverse community" through education and training, with the goal to "enhance officers' cultural awareness and to improve verbal de-escalation skills."
The force also added that starting in 2022 all officers will be required to use body-worn cameras to record interactions between police and the public.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 10,000 Canadians received a medically-assisted death in 2021: report
More Canadians are ending their lives with a medically-assisted death, says the third federal annual report on medical assistance in dying (MAID). Data shows that 10,064 people died in 2021 with medical aid, an increase of 32 per cent over 2020.

Author Salman Rushdie on ventilator after stabbing, may lose an eye
Salman Rushdie remained hospitalized Saturday after suffering serious injuries in a stabbing attack, which was met with shock and outrage from much of the world, along with tributes and praise for the award-winning author who for more than 30 years has faced death threats for his novel 'The Satanic Verses.'
LAPD ends investigation into Anne Heche car crash
The Los Angeles Police Department has ended its investigation into Anne Heche's car accident, when the actor crashed into a Los Angeles home on Aug. 5.
Who is novelist Salman Rushdie and why has he faced death threats?
After facing years of controversy over his book, famed novelist Salman Rushie remains hospitalized after a stabbing attack left him with serious injuries. CTVNews.ca has a look at his life and why his work has prompted years of death threats.
FBI seized 'top secret' documents from Trump home
The FBI recovered documents that were labelled 'top secret' from former U.S. President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to court papers released Friday after a federal judge unsealed the warrant that authorized the unprecedented search this week.
About 14 per cent of Ontario hospitals reporting less than a week supply of epidural catheters: Ontario Health
Approximately 14 per cent of hospitals in Ontario are reporting they have less than a week’s worth of epidural catheters in stock, according to an Ontario Health memo sent to hospital chief executive officers on Friday.
N.W.T. RCMP deploy controversial roadside cannabis screening devices
RCMP in the Northwest Territories have begun using roadside cannabis-screening technology that has faced criticism from defence lawyers elsewhere in Canada.
Anne Heche legally dead, remains on life support for donor evaluation
Anne Heche remains on life support and under evaluation for organ donation after a car crash that led to her brain death, a representative for the actor said Friday.
Passengers tackle Canadian man after he became violent, tried to open plane doors mid-flight
A plane bound for Toronto has been forced to divert to Iceland after a Canadian man allegedly became violent and tried to open the aircraft door mid-air.