Former Councillor and Chair of the Police & Bylaw Enforcement Committee, Bruce Garrity, sent me a copy of a letter he submitted to the Guardian in which he offers praise for the recent focus on traffic enforcement, but also some criticism on other matters. He asked me to reply to his comments on the police, but since he has already taken to the public forum, I thought it was appropriate (and fair) to respond publicly rather than by email.
Here is Mr. Garrity’s submission to the Guardian, printed in today’s edition.
I’ll respond to what he has deemed “Not Well Done” by me and the police.
- In a recent interview I was asked about the cost of the Charlottetown Police Service’s new Downtown Depot and I “would not or could not” answer a question about the cost of this initiative. The reason is nobody knows the full cost yet, but as anyone can see in the City budget (section 8, page 2 of 2), we set aside $20,000 for the downtown office. I do know that we will pay approximately $4000 to lease the office space. The landlord, Dyne Holdings, very graciously paid for much of the fit-up costs on the office space, so it is unlikely we will spend the full amount we budgeted. I disagree with Mr. Garrity’s opinion that the Downtown Depot is “smoke and mirrors”. It was a recommendation (4d) in the Organizational Review of the CPS, and the official opening was well attended by both residents and business owners who are very grateful to have this new police presence in the downtown.
- Mr. Garrity asks about photo radar. The City officially requested the enabling legislation to use photo radar approximately one year ago. The provincial government is actively working with their lawyers to draw up the legislation, and rewrite existing legislation that will be affected. To judge the police “not well done” on this issue is unfair. We cannot legally use photo radar at this time.
- In Mr. Garrity’s opinion the Police Chief should be the spokesperson for the Charlottetown Police Service. While the Chief certainly needs to be a prominent and well recognized leader, the Organizational Review of the CPS recommended (4f) the following to help connect with the community:
“…assign responsibility for media relations to the platoon sergeants, with the Chief and Deputy being available for major events or serious crimes.”“Mandate the duty patrol sergeant as the working level point of contact for media relations. Mandate the Inspector, Community Policing [i.e., the new Deputy Chief] as the focal point for all media and community relations.”
- On the bicycle helmet issue, I will only say that the new awareness and enforcement initiative is a positive example of a collaborative effort between the police and community groups; in this case, the Atlantic Network for Injury Prevention and the Brain Injury Coalition of PEI. Mr. Garrity wants to “punish” the police for their omissions of the past. I prefer to look ahead and I congratulate the police for this new initiative.
All in all, things are looking good at the Charlottetown Police Service. The shortcomings identified in the Organizational Review are being addressed. We have acted on most of the recommendations in the report and we continue to move forward. I have been approached a number of times by City residents who have recognized the renewed efforts of the CPS. Have you taken notice of their improved presence? I have. I sense the public’s confidence in the CPS is improving, and I believe morale among the police themselves is improving. It’s all a result of the actions we’ve taken over the last number of months and the commitment and dedication of our police officers.
I say, well done!
It looks like things are going well with the downtown police station and that the recommendations are being followed through. Good job. I do however think it is a bit over the top with all the signs downtown saying “you are under video surveillance” but if this lessens the noise and “accomodates” the downtown residents so be it…. I am concerned that the vibrancy of the waterfront parks events etc will be diminished and also the affect the businesses that rely on those events. Not sure what the answers are to try and have both sides win
The video surveillance gear comes courtesy of an RCMP technical unit in Halifax. They donated the hardware but the CPS paid for their people to come operate it. This system is used at concerts in Halifax and elsewhere. Some people thought it was permanent, but it is not.
The whole waterfront police plan was developed with input from the RCMP, downtown residents, Downtown Charlottetown Inc, Tourism Charlottetown. None of the measures should come as a surprise to anyone. There are “post-mortem” meetings each morning to review what worked and what didn’t. So all of these groups have an opportunity for input each day.
I like the increased foot patrols in my neighbourhood, Downtown Charlottetown, and they are making a difference in terms of noise. I live on Kent Street and have noticed noise levels decrease since the police depot opened up one block away.
I have also been testing officers by saying “hello” as they pass by, most reply back.
My only real complaint with the police service right now is that their dispatch has to collect way to much information from people logging a general complaint. I called to report two people smashing car windows downtown, the dispatch had me on the phone for almost 5 minutes getting information from me before she dispatch an officer. The two were long gone by the time the police arrived.
Andrew, that’s a complaint I’ve heard before and we raised it with the consultants before they began their review. Somehow that issue escaped the final report. I will raise it again at the committee level.