Cooper hopes frontline officers can be vaccinated by mid-week through STC clinic

Thanks to a partnership with the Saskatoon Tribal Council (STC), frontline police officers in the city are rolling up their sleeves.

According to Saskatoon Police Service Chief Troy Cooper, vaccinations for those officers have been provided by the STC’s SaskTel Centre clinic.

“We’ve had some luck,” Cooper told Gormley on Monday. “We’re hoping to have our frontline staff vaccinated here, mid-week, (or) as many as possible, thanks to that partnership.”

As for the rest of the staff? Cooper had an idea on when they’ll get their inoculations.

“As soon as the mobile clinics are free. Right now, the mobile clinics are working with congregate living centres in the province,” he explained.

Cooper said those clinics should be available for the Saskatoon Police Service closer to the end of April.

As for how the service has dealt with COVID to date, quite a few members have had to self-isolate.

Cooper said a total of 281 officers have had to go into the 10- to 14-day quarantines, where they’re isolated away from their families and the outside world.

Of those 281, 70 members have had to isolate twice. Another eight have isolated three times, with two more isolating four times due to exposure to COVID-19.

“That really weighs on your mind when you get dispatched to a call,” he said.

Twenty-seven staff members have also tested positive for COVID.

A look at the statistics

During Cooper’s chat with Gormley, he also gave a rundown of the calls for service within city limits.

The calls for service have stayed about the same as this time in 2020, but the manner of the calls has shifted.

There are significantly fewer crimes against property, Cooper said, along with fewer arsons. The numbers of violent crimes have stayed the same as well.

Fraud decreased in 2020, but is back up again in 2021. Domestic calls were up at the beginning of COVID, and then increased another 13 per cent in 2021.

Cooper also added that harassment and stalking calls are up for Saskatoon in 2021.