An initiative designed to get Windsor police officers back on the street faster continues to produce effective results.
Windsor police provided an update Tuesday on its Dedicated Officer Program with Windsor Regional Hospital.
The program assigns officers to the Ouellette Campus to help handle transfers of patients in crisis. This way, patrol officers can get back on the street to handle urgent incidents.
"We’re getting officers back on the road and responding to priority one calls faster than we have in years, all while ensuring vulnerable individuals receive the care and support they need," said Police Chief Jason Bellaire. "By managing existing resources and thinking differently, our members are delivering impactful, data-driven results that speak for themselves."
Before the initiative began in 2023, officers were forced to wait an average of between three and 11 hours to transfer patients to the emergency room. Since the launch, the average wait time to transfer has dropped by 35 per cent.
In the first 13 weeks of 2025 alone, the average patient transfer wait time was 13 minutes, 40 per cent down from the same period in 2024.
Windsor Regional Hospital Acting President and CEO Karen Riddell says the program has made a huge difference.
"Since inception of the dedicated officer program in the emergency department, we have seen a significant reduction in transfer times. This initiative continues to enhance efficiency, improve patient outcomes, and reinforce our commitment to providing high-quality emergency care," said Riddell.