CEW Testing and Maintenance

Note: This policy replaces 1.3.5 CEW Testing.

Definitions

Conducted Energy Weapon or CEW: A weapon that when discharged uses a conducted electrical charge in order to incapacitate a person, or to generate compliance through pain.

Function Test: A CEW's built-in capability to verify whether the energy weapon’s core electronics are working properly.

Monophasic Charge: The maximum of the absolute values of A and B, where A= the integral of all positive current in a pulse, and B= the integral of all negative current in a pulse.

Net Charge: The integral of the value of the current waveform for a specified portion of the pulse.

Peak Current: The peak of the current waveform for the pulse.

Peak Voltage: The peak of the voltage waveform for the pulse.

Professional Engineer: A person who is registered or licensed to practice as a professional engineer under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act of British Columbia, or the appropriate Act of another province, with training or experience in electrical engineering and who carries out and accepts responsibility for professional activities involving the practice of professional engineering.

Pulse: A short discharge of electrical energy.

Pulse Duration: The time between the points at which the voltage waveform crosses through a specified start point voltage to a specified end point voltage.

Pulse Repetition Rate: For an interval which contains N pulses, the pulse repetition rate is (N-1) divided by the time from the first to last pulse.

Standards

Routine precautions

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(1) Before the start of every shift each CEW is examined to ensure it is in good working order. If a CEW does not appear to be in good working order, it is not to be used operationally.

(2) Further to Standard (1), for any CEW models equipped with an internal Function Test capability, a Function Test is performed. Any CEW that fails the Function Test is not to be used operationally until it has been examined, repaired as required, and successfully passes the Function Test.

(3) Responsibility for conducting the tasks outlined in Standards (1) and (2) above is clearly assigned.

Inventory maintenance

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(4) Each CEW is examined for damage at least once per year. If a CEW is damaged in a way that impairs its proper functioning, it is not to be used operationally until it is repaired and successfully passes the Function Test.

(5) Responsibility for the task outlined in Standard (4) is clearly assigned.

Testing of electrical output

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must ensure that:

(6) Agencies with an inventory of 100 CEWs or greater, test the electrical output of a random sample representing at least 10% of CEWs each year, while agencies with fewer than 100 CEWs test all CEWs at least once every five years.

(7) Testing is conducted in accordance with the protocols described in the Test Procedure for Conducted Energy Weapons Version 3.0, attached to this Standard as Appendix “A”;

(a) Testing is conducted by a third party independent of the manufacturer; and
(b) The test procedure has been verified to meet the Test Procedure for Conducted Energy Weapons by a Professional Engineer.

(8) Ensure that if, after testing, a CEW does not meet all the following specifications, the CEW is either destroyed, or repaired and retested, before being used operationally. The CEW must:

(a) Not have a Monophasic Charge higher than 180 μC for any individual Pulse; and
(b) Meet the manufacturer’s specifications for the following:

(i) Pulse Repetition Rate,
(ii) Peak Voltage,
(iii) Peak Current,
(iv) Net Charge, and
(v) Pulse Duration.

Records

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(9) Ensure that, for each CEW in use in the police force, a record of testing is maintained showing:

(a) The dates testing occurred;
(b) The units tested (e.g., by serial number); and
(c) The results.

Policies and procedures

The Chief Constable, Chief Officer, or Commissioner must:

(10) Ensure policies and procedures are consistent with these BC Provincial Policing Standards.

Appendix

• Appendix “A” for BCPPS 1.3.6 – CEW Testing and Maintenance (PDF, 649.3KB)