---
title: "Alex Lawson promises to raise Ottawa police patrol car minimum from 42 to 64"
description: "Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson says he would increase the minimum number of police patrol cars on duty in Ottawa and tie the number to population growth."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/on/ottawa-2026/news/lawson-police-patrol-minimum-2026-10-17"
last_updated: "2026-10-17T18:36:40.412Z"
---

Mayoral candidate Alex Lawson released a policing plan on October 17 promising to raise the minimum number of Ottawa police patrol cars on duty from 42 to 64, according to CTV News. The campaign says the plan would add 110 officers and cost $20 million per year.

Lawson says the 42-car minimum has not changed since 1995, when Ottawa had 721,000 residents. The city now has 1.1 million people. His platform says the minimum should rise as the city grows, and he would also set separate minimums for each of Ottawa's four policing districts.

"In 1995 Ottawa had 721,000 people and 42 cars. Today we have 1.1 million people and 42 cars," Lawson said in a news release cited by CTV News. "The officers aren't the problem. The math is."

**What the auditor general found**

A 2025 report from Ottawa's auditor general, cited by CTV News, found the Ottawa Police Service's frontline deployment targets were "outdated and increasingly difficult to sustain." Police typically aimed to deploy 48 patrol vehicles rather than the contractual minimum of 42, but often only reached 42 because of what the report called "frontline resource constraints."

A July 2026 report for the Ottawa Police Board's Finance and Audit Committee, also cited by CTV News, said the police service posted a $21-million budget deficit that year. The largest single cost was $10 million on "non-recoverable overtime" for policing events and protests.

Lawson says he would ask the federal government to cover those protest and embassy policing costs, and ask the province to provide funds for frontline officers and a proposed Ottawa Police Service training centre.

**What other candidates have said**

Incumbent mayor Mark Sutcliffe says he plans to hire 200 more police officers, allocate resources to priority areas and expand community policing, according to CTV News. Mayoral candidate Neil Saravanamuttoo says he would ask the Ottawa Police Service Board to do a comprehensive review before approving any future budget increases. Jeff Leiper says he would move non-core police responsibilities to alternative response programs so officers can focus on community safety.

Voting day is October 26. Fourteen candidates are running for mayor. Candidate profiles, including [Alex Lawson's](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates/alex-lawson), are at [/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor](/on/ottawa-2026/candidates#mayor).

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