THUNDER BAY — Most of the time, the public will never hear about the work the Thunder Bay-based ROPE squad does.
The police officers who serve on the squad work somewhat covertly, don't use marked vehicles, and aren't in full uniform.
But the multi-agency team that locates and apprehends parolees and prisoners unlawfully at large has recently completed its 100th arrest in Northwestern Ontario.
The Provincial Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement Squad (ROPE) was established in July 2024, and is now one of 18 teams around the province involved in a program that was launched in 2003.
ROPE is a partnership between OPP and municipal police services.
It's dedicated to locating and apprehending high-risk offenders including parolees who have violated their release conditions, individuals who have violated bail conditions, and those who have escaped custody.
Detective Sergeant Curtis Peckford of the OPP, who leads the Thunder Bay ROPE team, calls the 100th arrest a milestone for his group.
"We've been pretty successful in getting these offenders apprehended in a timely manner," he said.
On occasion, ROPE will issue a news release asking the public to be on the lookout for someone it hasn't located yet, but for the most part, arrests of individuals at large are made with very little fanfare.
"If there's somebody that's a really high risk and a danger, we'll get that out there right away. We tend to do that with the federal parolee offenders," Peckford explained.
"I don't think it's a secret that there are many, many people out there on warrants who go unnoticed unless they come in contact with the police."
He said the ROPE squad goes into action when it gets a request from authorities involved in probation or parole, or from another police agency.
Typically, a team of six officers will be deployed once the whereabouts of a wanted individual has been determined.
"There's been only two or three cases where we've had altercations with them, and that really involved them just trying to run. In arresting 100 people, there have been no use-of-force reports...They see one of us, and they look to run, and then they see another one of us, and another on the other side, so they just put their hands up," Peckford said.
One of most satisfying aspects of this kind of work, he said, is the feedback ROPE squad members receive.
"When we've followed up with victims after we apprehended a wanted offender, the relief in their voice – knowing that their attacker is in custody – that's something that I and my team use to help measure our success. Just giving the public a bit of a reprieve, knowing we are out there going after their attackers."
Anyone knowing the location of an offender at large may contact OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-8477.
