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…
Uncategorized 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…
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…
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 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 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…
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…
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…
BACK IN THE DAY The difference between a good cop and just another cop 28 Mar 20184 Apr 2018 When I was taken off regular beat patrol and assigned a scout car I felt like I had been promoted. As was the practice then, I was partnered with a…
BACK IN THE DAY The Pristine Beauty of Traffic 19 Mar 201828 Mar 2018 When I was a Traffic training officer I was called into the bosses office. He was seriously concerned about a new officer. A "draftee," ordered to work in our unit.…
COMMENT Engaging a Charter Right 20 Nov 20172 May 2018 The Canadian aversion to arming parallel law enforcement personnel concerns me. Responding to alarm calls in my early years, I recall the ‘key holder’ security car officers always had a…
COMMENT Overseas missions must consider a hierarchy of needs 21 May 201723 Jul 2017 Sending Canadian police officers on “training missions” to teach people how to police in a war zone is complete folly. The citizenry will probably not understand the difference between police…
COMMENT Peace keepers vs. peace makers 21 May 201717 Jul 2017 A recent call to send “peace keepers” to Syria has once again confused police with soldiers in the public’s mind. The problem has become even more acute in Canada, with…
BEHIND THE BLUE LINE 