Saskatoon police cells often serve as makeshift emergency shelter, report says

Saskatoon police are increasingly locking up people who are intoxicated by drugs and alcohol in police detention because there is nowhere else for them to go.

A report at Thursday's Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners detailed the impact people with severe addictions and mental health needs are having on the organization and the city as a whole.

Between Jan. 1, 2022 and Aug. 31, 2023, police recorded 17,802 arrests brought into SPS Detention. Of those, 31 per cent were booked in solely for being intoxicated by drugs or alcohol in a public place, an average of 15 people per day.

The report said police opted to arrest these people because they were in a vulnerable state and there were no detox beds or shelter spaces available.

"I think the report was pretty clear on some of the gaps in the social service providers, including the police, when it comes to people with complex needs," Chief Troy Cooper said during the meeting.

More than half the people police are arresting for being intoxicated are homeless with no fixed address. The report says the only place for police to send people with these complex needs is the Saskatchewan Health Authority's Brief Detox Unit, which only has 15 spaces available — six of which are earmarked for its social program.

Over the time period identified by police, the brief detox unit was at 120 per cent capacity, forcing police to release people back in the community the next morning without mental health or addiction support.

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"Individuals who arrive at detention self-identifying as homeless still leave homeless. Those who are arrested with mental health and addictions challenges are still leaving with mental health and addictions challenges," the report said.

Police also told the story of seven people police frequently arrest via case studies so their identities could be hidden.

One case study for a woman under the pseudonym "Sara" was detained 39 times, often arrested on consecutive days. She never committed any violent offences, but frequently behaved erratically due to her drug and alcohol use, which prompted fear from others attending the same community supports as her.

She died this year at the age of 53.

"There is nothing more dangerous to someone's health than not having housing," police board commissioner and city councillor Hilary Gough said.

"These aren't stories. These are actual people in our community who we've lost because of that lack of continuity."

Police compiled a top-10 list of people arrested for being intoxicated by alcohol and a top -0 list of people arrested for drugs. All 20 identified as Indigenous. One man was arrested by Saskatoon police 252 times.

Superintendent Darren Pringle, who helped compile the report, said the only time he was injured while on the job was when he was attacked by a drunk person he was arresting. After seemingly normal conversation, the person became aggressive and attacked Pringle. He broke his thumb on the hand he uses to handle his gun. The injury forced him to take on different responsibilities away from patrol for two months.

Another case study detailed the experience of "Chad," who was arrested twice in the same week for breaking windows of businesses so he wouldn't be homeless during the cold winter months.

"Folks who were starting to commit low-grade property offences just so they would be taken into custody, and with the cold weather coming, that's how they were housing themselves," Pringle told the board during the meeting.

Police say more officers hired as part of the province's new action plan for homelessness and addictions will help, as well as two upcoming emergency shelter spaces with room for approximately 30 beds each.

However, the recent closure of the Lighthouse Stabilization Unit resulted in losing 30 beds, as well as the Saskatoon Tribal Council's Emergency Wellness Centre not being in a position to support people with complex needs has put further pressure on opening the new provincial shelters.