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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-01-24, Page 6Answering the call Sr. Const. Jeff Pollard of the Huron OPP responds to a con- cerned caller regarding an issue of harassment at the Wingham detachment office. With no actual crime having been committed at this point, Pollard offers advice. PAGE 6. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 24, 2001. A walk in their shoes Officer's world runs from mundane to unpredictable Editor's note: This is the sec- ond in a series of stories about area people and the jobs they do. As an attempt to provide some insight on what it's really like in certain professions, not just our perceptions, we invite you to join us as we take "A Walk in Their Shoes". By Bonnie Gropp Citizen staff An early winter storm has blown itself out and things are fairly quiet on this mid-week day in Huron County. It's .7 a.m.. Coast. Jeff Pollard of the OPP is back on the job after four days off ready to begin his first of two 12 hour day shifts. Also on duty is Const. Rick Schut. The rotation will be followed by two night shifts before another four-day sojourn. "At the end of those shifts you can - feel pretty tired, but the time off after is really nice," says Pollard. The first item of business in this officer's day, barring any unforeseen adventure, is shift preparation. Pollard arrives at the Wingham office to check messages and e-mail, basically trying to catch up on what's been happening over the course of the last few days. While he sifts through the paper- work and computer inforMation, man enters the office. He is there he says to turn himself in on a With for unpaid child support. With the detachment office based in Goderich finding an officer actually at the Wingham station is by chance. However, should the police not be in the area, an outside telephone can be used to notify them they're needed there and a cruiser will be dis- patched. Schut and the new arrival set out for the jail in Walkerton. Pollard will spend the next couple of hours in front of the computer bringing him- self up to date. "We spend a lot of time on administrative work. It's about 50 per cent of what we do," says Pollard, As an 18-year veteran of the force, Pollard obviously understands what's expected. However, he does have more familiarizing to do than others might. Having begun his career at a detachment north of Peterborough, then working in Thunder Bay and Englehart Pollard has been with the Wingham detach- ment for just a few months. Fortunately, another large percent- age of a cop's work is spent on the road, giving him an opportunity to acquaint himself with the area. The entire county of Huron employs 65 officers. There are eight working out of the Wingham office, two on each of four shifts. The other stations are in Goderich, Exeter, Clinton and Seaforth, the latter two being municipal detachments. Wingham's officers cover Molesworth in the east, Lucknow in the west, Blyth in the south and five kilomentres north of Wingham. "Being as this is a clustered system we will draw officers from a satellite detachment if needed," explains Pollard. For example on this day there is only one available officer in Goderich, as two others have been called elsewhere. Should that area get busy, Pollard would be pulled in to cover both areas. Though television and movies paint an eventful picture of police work, the reality is much less so. "When nothing is happening we basically cruise around trying to hit • the various municipalities we're to cover, just to let ourselves be seen." At the edge of Blyth, Pollard receives his first call of the day. The 9-1-1 dispatch informs him that an 11-year-old child had contacted them, then phoned back to say she had made a mistake. Dispatch asks Pollard to check as the youngster was home alone. The residence is actually located in Goderich's area, but because Pollard is nearby he takes the call. Travelling at times at speeds well over 100 km an hour, Pollard admits people fre- quently ask why police officers are allowed to speed. "There are differ- ent levels of emergencies. We know this case isn't probably anything, so we don't need the lights and siren or to go hell bent for leather. But just in case, we do want to get there as fast as we can. There is a level of seri- ousness here." (Prior to this Pollard had indeed maintained normal speed.) Because of this aspect of the job, part of the training is defensive driving and high speed techniques. With the arrival of 9-1-1, the police are not pressured to be first on the scene, how - ever. "I'm happier if I arrive just behind the ambulance," says Pollard. "We've all been trained in first aid and CPR and can try to make (acci- dent victims) as comfortable as pos- sible, but the paramedics are better equipped to deal with the situation." By now, Pollard has arrived at his destination. A young girl answers the door and assures him that all is fine. He speaks briefly with her, asks her name and date of birth, then returns to the cruiser where he makes his notes. With business tended to it is back to the routine of driving, and conver- sation turns to Christmas. Staffing at these times is done differently in dif- ferent areas, Pollard says. In Huron they have for the past two years run the regular two, two, four schedule. Regardless of how it works, the offi- cers are required to take the statutory holiday off at some point. Though Pollard has a family, he says he would rather work Christmas than New Year's. "It's more relaxed. And I can take the phone and the cruiser and go home for a few hours to spend time with my family." Typically the most prevalent crime in a rural posting is drunk driving, though Pollard says people are get- ting better. "Just a few years ago, if you were on the job and wanted an impaired driver you'd just go out Friday and Saturday night and you'd get one. I haven't laid an impaired charge in a long time." Which quite likely means he has- n't encountered any, because as a breathalizer technician, Pollard doesn't buy any excuses. "By the time they get to a point where they blow over, no one can tell me they don't know they're drunk." "Part of the training was to test yourself, drinking over a specific amount of time. What I drank I wouldn't have wanted to walk across the street let alone drive it, but I blew under the legal limit, and I'm not a seasoned drinker by any means." When a person is taken to the sta- tion for a breathalizer there are nine different procedures the technician must do to prepare for the test. In addition to the breathalizer the offi- cer will interview the subject regard- ing his drinking patterns and do a physical test. Careful paper work must be done as technicalities can result in a dis- missal. The time is now 10:39 a.m. and a call comes in regarding a harassment charge. The complainant simply wants to discuss the matter by tele- phone so Pollard heads back to the station. Not all situations can be handled so impersonally, though, and Pollard admits there are times when the adrenaline is flowing. "On the way to a call you are thinking of the vari- ous possibilities — `What will I do if this happens? What will I do if that happens.'" Asked about some of the tragic aspects of his work, Pollard is mat- ter-of-fact. "Every job has things that are unpleasant but you get in and get the job done. You think about things later." Certain calls are two-officer calls, Pollard says. Officers also pair up between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. Now enroute to the station Pollard points out the buttons used to inform the communiciations centre. They signify such things as at the scene, off duty or available. At the station, Pollard contacts the harrassment complainant and for the next 20 minutes attempts to explain the legalities and his rights. Legalities can often become a frus- trating issue for police. "Someone might tell me `That guy's a thief, he's always got stolen property in the garage.' and then they expect me to do something. I'm bound by the charter of rights. I have to have specifics about where and when before I can get a search warrant." "In this case the guy has a concern about this other fellow, but right now there's nothing we can do." "Sometimes it's hard to get our job done. But it's the system we have and the system we have to work within." Noon approaches and Const. Schut has returned, just as a man arrives to sign in, a condition of his suspended sentence given in court as part of his probation. Pollard attempts to smooth out a glitch with the new computer pro- gram. He contacts headquarters and for the next hour waits to hear back. "Since the computers came -in I would say the administration time has probably doubled, maybe even tripled. We're collecting more infor- mation than we used to, which is great for retrieval, but we used to fill in the reports a lot more quickly than we can waiting by a computer screen." While waiting Pollard talks about being an offi- cer. Anyone interested in joining the force need not take the courses they believe they should, he says. "Law and Security and other courses like them are narrowly focussed. You're not qualifying for anything other than law and security. Police forces don't care what your education is. They want to know you can think." The minimum standard is still high school, but because it is "a good job with good benefits", the competition is stiff. The uniforms, which are supplied, and the equipment have changed considerably since Pollard first joined the force. The 40 calibre pis- tol once carried, was replaced by .38 revolvers some five years ago. About the same time pepper spray was introduced. Officers have a protocol to follow regarding the use of force. First there is intimidation through the simple presence of an officer in uniform. Should this not deter the culprit words are the officer's next weapon followed by soft-hand control. Pressed further the police then move . to hard physical control and to the use of various defensive weapons beginning first with pepper spray, then the baton and finally the firearm. "Pepper spray has given us one other option. It is probably one of the best non-toxic natural substances that temporarily incapacitates the subject long enough for us to get control." Though he has had to use both the pepper spray and baton, Pollard said he has never had to use his gun other than to destroy an animal. "And I hope I never do." "I've always been of the opinion that the way you deal with a person is what you get in return. Treat them with dignity and respect and you generally get the same thing back. They may not be happy, but treat them like a human being and they're more likely to act like one." It is now 1:56 p.m. and time for lunch. Conversation touches on salary. The starting rate is approxi- mately $35,000, while a first class • constable makes just under $60,000. Officers are paid hourly and admin- istrative work is not done on over- time. Ranking begins with fifth class, than in about one year they move up to fourth. With each class there, is another pay level. After 10 years an officer can apply for senior consta- ble, which is Pollard's ranking. Other promotions are competitive and involve quite a lengthy process. "It's why everyone doesn't go for it." After lunch, Pollard picks up Schut at the office. The pair are get- ting a cruiser for use by an auxiliary officer that evening at the Clinton parade. Auxiliary officers are volun- teers who have received training to take on certain tasks that lighten the workload for the regular officers. On both the trip there and back, the officers never seem particularly interested in the everday people trav- elling on the road with them, though Pollard said that he does find himself noticing things about passing motorists. "For instance that guy was wearing a seatbelt," he says with lit- tle more than a glance. The oft-mentioned quotas for road cops did not ever exist, says Pollard. "I think like any job if you don't have antyhing to show the boss is going to ask why. But we don't have time to do that kind of pro-active policing." Cruising through Molesworth, Pollard notices a tractor-trailer parked precariously on the highway. He locates the driver and asks him to pull it fully onto the shoulder, waits until he does, then continues on his way. A call comes in that Pollard needs to return to the station for someone to sign in. At the station, Pollard waits for a half an hod then calls dispatch to say the man never showed. He then enters the information into the book. This is a day when there has been no tragedy, no alarms, no confronta- tions. It's been an easy first day back for Pollard. But as it winds down he notes, "You never know. A shift can be unpredictable." `By the time they get to a point where they blow over, no one can tell me they don't know they're drunk'