Small-town police officials offer details on repeated threats to officers

Police in Aylmer say a 33-year-old man has been charged with uttering threats to cause death after a caller repeatedly threatened to kill officers.

The caller threatened the town’s police force several times before telling a dispatcher on April 24 that he was planning to murder officers, Aylmer police officials said.

The first few threats fell short of meaning the criminal threshold, “but the one that led to the charge is quite pointed and quite direct,” deputy chief Kyle Johnstone said.

He said the caller, later identified following an investigation, had a history of mental illness and had previously been offered support and resources.

“We deal with people with mental health issues all the time, and that’s one thing, but when that focus starts becoming on police officers and specific police services, especially given the climate and everything that’s happened in this profession over the last several months, it’s something that became more of a concern to us,” he said.

A 33-year-old Aylmer man charged with uttering threats to cause death was arrested last Thursday and released on conditions. He is to appear in St. Thomas court in June.

The calls created some tension for the police force, Johnstone said. “Operationally for the first little bit, there was a little bit of concern. We’re kind of a small-town community (police department). We don’t have gates and we don’t have some of the security measures that some of the larger services have, so our officers were taking more precautions.”