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17Feb 202018 Feb 2020

Respect for the Abilities of Law Enforcement

Not bringing the administration of law enforcement into disrepute should be a legislator’s consideration Bringing the administration of justice into…

Mistakes are Important

23 Nov 201918 Feb 2020

Good supervisors permit their people to grow from mistakes and provide an environment where they can be taken in stride. Mistakes are handled, managed and learned from. The very best…

BACK IN THE DAY

The Many Roads to Law and Order

29 Apr 201923 Nov 2019

There are many roads to Mecca, the ancient saying goes. And on occasion I had been known to take a few of those different roads. Seeking out and sustaining a…

BACK IN THE DAY

Nothing bad happens on my beat

15 Apr 201930 Apr 2019

Today everyone has the right to die on the streets under the meanest of circumstances as a powerless police officer looks on. It was not always thus and recent extreme…

The community fixing toolbox

15 Mar 201915 Apr 2019

All laws are put in place as a toolbox from which law enforcement officers can draw upon to fix a problem in the community. Few things can be…

Reading the Riot Act

24 Jan 201915 Mar 2019

Is a seldom used law still relevant? A mob mentality is not a natural disaster, free of human agency. It is a consequence of choices. Those who try to excuse…

The Adult In The Room

8 Nov 201824 Jan 2019

Regulatory challenges of cop marijuana use In my police service we had what was called a "Parade for Duty". This meant we all began our shift by standing in…

Former Publisher Honoured

13 Sep 201818 Oct 2022

Morley Lymburner, the founder and former publisher of Blue Line Magazine, was honoured with the Meritorious Service decoration (M.S.M.) from Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of…

Nothing can replace street level intel

16 Aug 201813 Sep 2018

The tragic death of two Fredericton Police officers creates another sad incident reminiscent of Moncton in June of 2014. These incidents cause a crushing blow to the morale of cops…

Gaining a level of trust in police

25 Jul 201816 Aug 2018

Many senior police managers fall into a state of apoplectic shock when reporters come knocking with a negative story. They hunker down in their bunkers and wave patriotic flags and…

BACK IN THE DAY…

Wearing our mistakes

4 Jul 201825 Jul 2018

Lessons learned about a suitable measure of safety It was a cool rainy Friday evening in September that I heard a 10-33 call to a bar at the rear of…

Taking charge between the curbs

25 Jun 20185 Jul 2018

Nothing is more spectacular than a motor vehicle collision scene. Most citizens rarely see one so it’s a memorable event. If they are involved, they never forget it. A citizen…

Resisting the allure of a larger agency

18 Jun 201826 Jun 2018

So many people think they know everything about policing, yet no other field of endeavour is more misunderstood by so many. A steady diet of police shows and movies make…

Understanding a public need

12 Jun 201818 Jun 2018

With all the good will and need for public support of policing it is strange the police are not more sensitive to the notion of giving back. Eugène François Vidocq,…

BACK IN THE DAY

A back-up to remember

4 Jun 201812 Jun 2018

Police dispatchers of a certain era were coppers on the glide path to a gold watch or else they were already looking at one for their time checks. One…

Whose side is God on anyway?

29 May 20184 Jun 2018

All police officers are required to take an oath of office, a ritual that goes back beyond the beginning of modern policing. The basic text has remained remarkably consistent throughout…

Let’s have a mission statement instead of a licence

24 May 201829 May 2018

We are living in an age when the drivers licence has no meaning. Its original concept was to prove to the police, and not necessarily the public, that the holder…

“Moderate risk” to reoffend

18 May 201831 May 2018

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their disinclination to do so. - Douglas Adams.…

Maybe it’s time to put the force back in to the service

11 May 201818 May 2018

The recent rash of police shootings and subsequent studies, trials, investigations and inquests has me concerned. As of late it appears few people give police the benefit of the doubt…

A call for a little revenge

1 May 201811 May 2018

He was perhaps 19 or 20 years old. His youthful wrinkle-free face betrayed an attempt to look hardened and contemptuous. A police officer proudly standing beside him told me…

BACK IN THE DAY

Give me a dime for every innovative idea

25 Apr 20182 May 2018

Being the new breed of young cop in the early 70’s, I was well prepared to innovate at every opportunity. Innovation, however, is not necessarily the handmaiden of reality. Almost…