HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-01-28, Page 5Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, January 28, 2009 - Page A5
Police delve into Public Order Unit at meeting
Gerard Crams
signal -star staff
The board room at God-
erich Hydro looked like the
scene of a standoff last week,
as Staff Sergeant Shawn
Johnston brought out the riot
gear.
The officer was on -hand for
the Police Services Board's
Jan. 21 meeting, explaining
the role of the OPP's Public
Order Unit.
From shields, helmets
and coveralls to respirators;
the gear worn by tactical re-
sponse officers is far more
than the average constable on
the street.
Johnston said there are
three other officers trained
for public order d"ties. He
recently completed his field
commander training.
Goderich has sent public
order officers to Caledonia,
and could be called on to send
officers to the G8 summit in
Deerhurst in 2010.
Nelson Street resident Den-
nis Hartlieb brought his con-
cerns about trucking routes to
the Police Services Board.
Hartlieb was asking some-
thing be done to keep trucks
off Nelson Street East before
the summer time. The area
surrounding Victoria Park, he
said, should be truck -free to
ensure the safety of kids us-
ing the splash pad.
The issue was referred to.
PSB after the Jan 12 meeting •
of Goderich Town Council.
Clerk -administrator Larry
McCabe suggested a children
playing sign be erected at
Nelson Street to alert all mo-
torists and not just trucks to
be extra cautious around the
park area. •
Huron County saw 143 im-
paired driving charges laid in
2008, including nine during
the holiday blitz.
On a discouraging note,
Huron led all of Southwest -
em Ontario in impaireds for
the holidays.
While some counties such
as Lambton and .Wellington
had higher numbers of im-
paired drivers, their relative
populations don't match Hu-
ron's percentages.
"There are still a lot out
there," said Johnston.
It's a reality local law en-
forcement has been trying
hard to get out to the public,
most notably in their Reduce
Impaired Driving Everywhere
(RIDE) roadside checks.
Though they turned up the
most drivers, Huron also led.
the charge in roadside checks.
In 2008, the Huron OPP
checked more than 28,000
cars - well beyond the prov-
invial average.
Sgt. Farrow said the checks
not only provide a police
presence on the roads, but
also serve as a way of gath-
ering information as well as
lead to other infractions.
Goderich's RIDE checks
turned up 51 incidences in
December - a mixture of
Highway Traffic Act vio-
lations, drug offences and
warnings.
Four 12 -hour suspensions
were given in the month of
December and one impaired.
Weather proved to be the
biggest factor in motor vehi-
cle collisions last month, with
18 taking place on the streets
of Goderich.
SergeantArden Farrow said
slippery conditions, paired
with too much speed makes
for a dangerous combination
where cars are concerned.
Drivers -are advised to slow
down and leave plenty of
room to stop on snowy roads.
Curbside, parking vio-
lations continue unabated
downtown, with 61 tickets
being issued from mid-No-
vember to the New Year.
The late -December power
outage and flooding caused a
spike in false alarms, howev-
er store and property owners
are getting the message and
clearing it up with security
companies before involving
the police.
Taking a look at the num-
bers, Goderich's men and
women in blue have been
busy with patrols over the
past month. Officers put in
more than 300 in -car hours,
nearly 98 hours of court secu-
rity, 80 on prisoner detail and
130 hours on foot, in addition
to regular duties. It was also
noted that Goderich OPP re-
ceived 225 calls for service in
December.
The next meeting of the
Police Services Board is Feb.
11 atl l a.m. in the Goderich
Hydro board room.
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Photo by Gerard Creces
Staff sergeant Shawn Johnson explains the various func-
tions of public order equipment at the Jan. 21 meeting of
the Goderich Police Services Board.
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