The Ottawa Police Service plans to review a series of cold cases with new resources and tactics to draw out fresh leads.
The OPS said Monday it has launched a task force to reexamine unsolved homicides. The existing homicide unit will lead the initiative with some additional resources at its disposal.
Insp. Carl Cartright said during a virtual press conference Monday that 22 cases from the past 12 years were identified to revisit because they had a “high-solvability factor” and followed a clear “trend.”
That trend, he elaborated, has seen a number of predominantly young men from marginalized communities succumb to gun violence over the past dozen years. He declined to identify any specific cases that will be involved in the probe.
The “solvability,” Cartright said, comes in many cases where police know there are members of the community who likely have information that could lead to the arrest of the perpetrators in some cases.
Police are calling on the public to come forward with that information, making a plea on behalf of the victims’ families.
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While among the task force’s stated goals is rebuilding ties with the community, Cartright acknowledged Monday that public trust in the force is strained.
He said the task force will be staffed by officers with diverse backgrounds and multi-disciplinary skillsets to bring new approaches to the unsolved killings.
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Though a release states that the task force may make use of “newer investigative techniques,” Cartright declined to provide specifics Monday on how the probes will be conducted.
The creation of the task force was approved late last year, the inspector said. The resources are in the form of assigned personnel so an exact funding amount has not been attributed to the initiative.
“This new task force is the next step in our mission to solve these homicides, support the victim’s families, hold the perpetrators accountable and improve the safety of all affected communities,” Chief Peter Sloly said in a statement announcing the new initiative.
Anyone with information about an unsolved homicide is asked to call police at 613-236-1222 ext. 5493. Anonymous tips can be submitted via Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
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