13. CEW ISSUING, MAINTENANCE, AND STORAGE                                    
  Municipal Police Forces Other Agencies
  Abbotsford Central Saanich Delta Kitasoo Nelson New Westminster Oak Bay Port Moody Saanich Stl'atl'imx Tribal Police Transit Authority Police Vancouver Victoria West Vancouver Corrections Previous RCMP Current RCMP Sheriffs
General                                    
Only properly functioning CEWs will be carried by officers.           √         √        
Issuing protocol and testing                                    
System in place to maintain record of CEW assignment and to ensure all equipment is accounted for.           √ √ √ √   √              
Officers must sign out CEWs at start of shifts and sign back in afterward.     √     √ √       √             √
Police officers must record the serial number of the CEW prior to the start of each shift.         √                          
Officers must ensure unit is functioning and battery is charged upon receipt (spark test or otherwise). √   √ √ √   √ √ √   √         √ √  
Spark test is the only approved method to test battery.       √                       √ √  
In a spark test, a loading bin for firearms must be used.                                   √
CEW care                                    
When CEW is continuously re-cycled, a cooling-off period of 10 minutes must be allowed to prevent internal damage.       √                       √ √  
Storage                                    
CEW to be stored in accordance with the Public Agents Firearms Regulations.       √                       √ √  
CEW to be stored in secure room/equipment office.   √ √     √ √ √ √   √       √      
CEW to be stored in same facilities as handguns, with cartridge removed.                                   √
Cartridges are to be stored in the cartridge holder provided on the holster.       √                       √ √  
Inspection and maintenance                                    
Timing                                    
Defective CEWs must be brought to the attention of supervisors.                     √              
Maintenance to follow CEW operational manual.   √                         √     √
Inspection of CEW done upon discharge.               √           √        
Inspection and servicing done every four-day rotation by supervisor (four-day inspection).   √         √                      
Designated member will inspect CEWs monthly (monthly inspection).               √                    
Annual inspection and maintenance done by Armourer (annual).     √                              
Inspection done a minimum of every two years.   √     √     √   √                
Party responsible for inspection                                    
CEW Armourer or Firearms Training Officer or other designate is responsible for CEW repair.           √         √              
Maintenance protocol                                    
Detailed battery charging, maintenance, and replacement protocol in place.       √                       √ √  
Where rechargeable batteries are used, a second set of batteries must be on hand for backup.                                   √
If the digital power meter (DPM) falls below 30%, Use-of-Force Coordinator is to be contacted and a new DPM purchased.             √                      
DPM is to be replaced when below 20% life.       √                       √ √  
DPM to be disposed of when below 1% life.       √                       √ √  
DPM is only to be replaced by Use-of-Force Coordinator or designate.             √                      
Member is not to remove or change batteries.             √                      
Only Duracell Ultra batteries (or other approved batteries) are to be installed in CEWs.       √     √                 √ √  
Battery and DPM maintenance is to be done by one person to ensure CEWs are always available and will provide consistent and reliable performance.             √                      
Detailed battery-charging protocol in place for new CEWs.       √                       √ √  
If operational cartridge has not been deployed in five years, it must be replaced.       √                       √ √  
Cartridges should not be stored long term, and should not be carried in the extended DPM.       √                       √ √  
Malfunctioning or faulty CEWs must be marked to indicate that they are faulty and to be removed from service, in compliance with the Canada Labour Code.       √                       √ √  
Expired cartridges may be used for training purposes, except for scenario-based training.       √                       √ √