Saskatoon police chief 'open to the idea' of mandatory medical assessment at new shelter

Outgoing Saskatoon Police Chief Troy Cooper says he's open to the idea of mandatory medical assessments for some of the city's most vulnerable population.

"At one point in time, I probably would have said, 'I don't think that that's a proper approach,' but as we've experienced the sort of ineffectiveness of holding people 24 hours, I'm becoming more and more open to the idea," Cooper said, during his year-end interview with CTV News.

Early next year, a 15-bed shelter for people with complex needs is set to open on Idylwyld Drive North.

The shelter is designed for people battling addictions or mental health challenges, that have been kicked out of existing facilities and can't be housed anywhere but police detention cells.

Different than a homeless shelter, people won't be able to walk in, they would be brought in by police and can be held for 24 hours. Cooper sees the benefit of extending that period.

"Having somebody kept for three days where they can be properly assessed, potentially get medical treatment — I think that there's some benefit to that," the police chief said.

Mayor Charlie Clark echoed the idea of a holding period longer than 24 hours.

"To me, that is a very short period of time," Clark said.

"To be able to have somebody there for longer to help get them into a more stable place, so they can be better connected to services, makes sense."

But Clark was against a "detained course of treatment."

"I want to see what actually works to take somebody from that very hopeless, desperate place — where they're so tied to addictions — to a place of stability, and the ability to live a good life," Clark told CTV News during his year-end interview with CTV News.

The complex-needs shelter, a first of its kind in Saskatchewan, will be run by the province. The government of Saskatchewan says a third-party organization will run the daily operations, but has yet to disclose the organization.

The shelter will be temporary, only open for 18 months, according to a vote by city councillors in November. 

Cooper is set to retire from policing mid-January, after serving as Saskatoon’s police chief for six years.