The Play's The Thing

Toronto's police budget is $983 million. An increase of 3% is requested. The Chief is quoted that cuts in the budget increase would mean taking police officers off the street.

It's the mantra of police chiefs everywhere.It's how they appeal to the populace while creating an army to police the populace.

We had a Chief in York Region who responded to the political requirement to find savings. York Region's Police Association punished him.

It was the time of Rae Days. The NDP had been elected in Ontario during rough economic times. Because payroll is about 70% of every budget the only way to deal with the problem was to cut payroll costs

The option did not appeal to the labour-backed government. It would have meant last hired would be first fired, according to union contracts.

Premier Rae came up with the brotherhood idea; all public service employees would be asked to take days off without pay so that jobs would be saved.The dictum was passed down to municipal governments.

Eldred King was chairman of the Region and member of the police services board. He informed the Police Chief, since other regional departments are having to take cuts, the police would have to share the pain.

Last hired in the police department were the cadets. They were the Chief's hope for creating a truly professional police department with all the screening, training and education that would require.

He went to work to find savings that would allow him to keep the cadets and his determination to create a service second to none.

There were three detective units.One was disbanded and re-assigned.

First class officers were escorting prisoners to and from jail to the courthouse. Most of their day was spent hanging around the court house. He changed the category to security officer. Wages were less and officers were released for police duties.

A cap was placed on the budget for witness fees. Officers were required to schedule
court appearances during a shift. The budget for witness fees was humungous.

The Police Association was not pleased. According to the brotherhood,the Chief should thumb his nose at the Regional Chairman, bad things should happen to the Ontario Premier and their interest should be protected at all costs. Literally.

"allegations of a serious criminal nature" were made against the chief. An inquiry was ordered by the same NDP government that required savings in municipal government spending.

The "serious criminal allegations" were kept alive by the local media for more than a year. They just kept on repeating it without ever having anything to support it.

The inquiry probably cost millions, The cost was never disclosed. No offences of a "serious criminal nature' were ever uncovered.

They did find something though. The chief agreed to resign and plead guilty.

The police association complained he was allowed to enter the court house by a rear door to avoid the press.They said he was getting "preferential treatment"

He got a job in a local auto dealership which would have had something to do with the police fleet.

The police association objected to that.It didn't happen.

The chief was forty-three years old when he was appointed. He joined as a cadet at eighteen. He took advantage of opportunities available to acquire professional skills. At the time of his appointment as Chief, he was deputy- chief of the department.

Mere weeks before the "allegations of a serious criminal nature" were made against him, the same newspaper that fed the fire, polled and discovered he was the most respected of any public official in the Region.

Names of the individuals who made the "allegations of a serious criminal nature" never proven, were never released.

Neither Eldred King,nor the Chairman of the Police Services Board spoke in his defence.

I wept. To witness such a terrible injustice and be helpless to prevent was a hard thing to bear.

The President of the Association, with the rank of sergeant, went on to a lofty post in police association circles.

The NDP were tossed from office with the help of the public service employees union,

Bob Rae still carries the baggage of his Rae days.

I said at the time, no Police Chief in Ontario can ever again enjoy security in exercising the authority of his office.

I saw proof in the Toronto Police Chief Blair's denial of facts in an incident of police brutality recently.

Yesterday, he announced he would freeze hiring to cut the budget increase to meet the Toronto Mayor's demands.

We will continue to watch the play.