COMMENT Respect for the Abilities of Law Enforcement 17 Feb 202018 Feb 2020 Not bringing the administration of law enforcement into disrepute should be a legislator's consideration Bringing the administration of justice into disrepute is a phrase much used by the judicial system…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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,…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT “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.…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT 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…
COMMENT Mission creep in firearms training 11 Apr 20182 May 2018 The bank alarm call was only a block away on Toronto's Yonge Street so I told the dispatcher my partner and I would check it out. Working in the fraud…
COMMENT Reality TV… at a whole new level 4 Apr 201812 Apr 2018 The recent hot media incidents featuring police body cameras raises a few points of concern. My first and most enduring concern is how naive many police agencies can be about…
COMMENT A renewed call for a firearms registry 28 Feb 201819 Mar 2018 Responsible gun ownership is the key to the future “Deception is an arrangement of light and dark... chiaroscuro... The people must be made to see white where there is black…
COMMENT Give me a break 12 Jan 20182 May 2018 Tight budgets mean stressed out cops There is a new style of police management which has a focus on efficiency. The old phrase of "doing more with less" appears to…
BEHIND THE BLUE LINE 