Saskatoon's police plane is an indispensable crime-fighting tool to some, but to others it's a noisy, expensive invasion of their privacy.
Last week, Saskatoon resident Dez Reed created an online petition to ground the Cessna 182, and so far, he's gotten 217 signatures.
Reed says the police plane infringes on people's right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure by virtue of the fact it patrols the skies for up to 12 hours at a time.
Brandon Snowsell says he signed the petition because the plane costs taxpayers $212,000 each year, and he thinks the money would be better used to put more police officers on the ground to prevent crime.
Sgt. Wade Bourassa, the plane's pilot, says it has proven its worth, having spotted 231 occasions of suspicious activity in 2014, many of which turned out to be cases of criminal activity.
Bourassa says the police plane in Saskatoon is less invasive than other Canadian cities where police use helicopters.
(CKOM)
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