Biometric Sensors Proposed to Monitor Health in Nunavik Police Holding Cells
The Nunavik Police Service is looking to install biometric health sensors in its holding cells. The goal is to remotely monitor the vital signs of individuals in custody. This initiative follows a series of deaths from alcohol poisoning in holding cells.
These sensors, which do not require attachment to the person, track heart and breathing rates. If irregularities are detected, police are alerted.
Between 2017 and 2023, five individuals died from alcohol poisoning in Nunavik police cells. Deputy Chief Jean-François Morin highlighted the challenges of distinguishing between someone asleep from being unconscious due to an alcohol overdose.
Deputy director of the Nunavik Police Service, Jean-François Morin, shares his thoughts on the new technology.
The technology, developed by a South Korean company, was originally designed for long-term care facilities, but has already been used by several police forces in Canada.
The Regina Police Service implemented the technology last year, equipping a dozen cells. Staff Sgt. Pierre Beauchesne reported that officers intervened quickly in their cases, saving lives.
Staff Sgt. Pierre Beauchesne of the Regina Police Service, shown here, is full of optimism about the technology.
The Sarnia, Ont. police station has also been using the technology since June 2024. The sensors can only monitor one person at a time.
Morin hopes the technology can help the Nunavik region with its challenges. He confirmed the intention to install these sensors in all cells across police stations.
However, Morin also noted that these sensors do not overcome the basic lack of resources. Frequently, holding cells are the only option available for intoxicated individuals in smaller communities. This means vulnerable individuals risk alcohol poisoning or adverse health effects.
Etua Snowball, director of Kuujjuaq’s Isuarsivik Regional Recovery Center, believes that these deaths reveal the problems faced in Nunavik, and highlight the necessity for regional efforts to develop safe, sustainable changes.
Morin suggested that a sobering-up center with medical staff and security could be another solution.
