HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1973-05-17, Page 13nc.
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By Ron Shaw
13 to May 19 is Police
n Canada. A week set
r the special recognition
by the men in blue on
of Canadians.
11 seep them uadcar ors a beat,
g
investigating a motor
accident, but for most of
nowledge of just what a
officer does during his
day stops there. But
much more to being a
an than that, as I found
n1 spent the night shift
'day (between 9:00 p.m.
0 a.m.) with Sgt. George
and Constables Larry
nd Tom Jarczak.
hing those five and one
.urs proved was that
ough there are many
matters a Goderich
officer handles a wide
of occurrences. On
they dealt with evpr-
rom delivering a com-
nate message to a
fire drill.
night was cool and the
atening ram as I joined
eorge Tacos for car
t 2100 hours (thats. 9:00
or us civilians). Sgt.
had gone on shift at 6:00
at evening and already
vestigated two motor
accidents,
year old Roy McHahan
Alexandra *Marine and
• Hospital under obser-
after being knocked
bicycle at the corner of
al and Lighthouse
by a car driven by Neil
Kee, 18, of R R 4
h. .
sn't look like there are
rious injuries," Sgt
explained, "but they're
g him over to make
ly after getting that
straighteNed away Sgt.
investigated a second
this time a two car pile
he Square which caused
'mated $2,000 property
to the cars involved.
rs of those cars,• James
am, 54 Waterloo Street
and Jeffrey P. Fisher, R
linton, escaped injury
the heavy damage.
joined Sgt. Bacon he
t picked•up a request for
cc in the location of
year old girls missing
it homes in Detroit. He
d that their parents
ottage in the Goderich
d they suspected the
ight have hitch -hiked to
"This is Friday night," he ex-
plained, "so the first place we'll
I s a a arena where a lot
of kids are Niter skating, they
might be there."
At the Goderich Memorial
Arena Bill Lumby, arena
manager, co-operates by paging
the girls over the public ad-
dress system, asking them to
report to the ticket booth.
The girls don't show but a
Goderich girl, who explains she
knows the Detroit youngsters,
turns up and reports the
missing girls had been there
earlier but left.
On the way back to the
cruiser Sgt. Bacon explains.
"We'll leave it until about
11:00, if they were here they
might turn up again."
As the Police. Sgt. resumes
his patrol duties he explains
there are no set pf circumstan-
ces that dictate the amount Of,
or type of, activity the police
might find when they come on
for a night shift. b
"One night we might be run
off our feet," he explains, "and
the next night find very little
going on. There's just no telling
what .tonight will be like,
although so far its been pretty
busy."
Sgt. Bacon does, admit that
Friday and Saturday nights
tend to be more active than
week nights.
On patrol we cruise to the
town limits south on Bayfield
road and then make a tun out
Huron Road toward the
easterly town limits. The radio
breaks in.
"Base to car one..Uover". Sgt.
Bacon answers the call, "Car
one here....over."
"George would you 1.0-19 to
pick up a rather lengthy
message...over."
"What is it," _ Sgt. Bacon
asks.
"A compassionate message, I
thought you might deliver it
better than anyone....over."
After a moments hesitation,
"Look I'm pulling over give it
to me here."
A Canadian soldier has been
burned in an accident while on -
duty in Northern. Ireland and
the Goderich Police have the
task of breaking rather bad
news to his mother.
Sgt. Bacon takes down the
information, which for the
moment is scanty, from the
Canadian High Commission in
Ottawa.
The soldier was burned in an
accident, which was in no way
connected to ,terrorist activity,
and was -at-that-time-reported
as "resting comfortably'-'- _ in
THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1973
hospital. The burns were not
expected to cayse any per-
manent disfiguration.
Sgt. George Bacon has the
job of informing the mother.
Its not an easy job
sometimes, he admits, but at
least in this case the young
man is going to be all right.
Other times the situation is
worse.
With that job over, its back
on patrol.
Because of. short staffing thg
police have only one car on
patrol most of the time at
night, with the second cruiser
on standby to take emergency
calls.
In addition one •other officer
is on foot patrol around The
Square and in radio contact
with the. cruiser and police
station.
When Sgt. Bacon goes off
duty ,at 2:00 in the morning he
remains on call at home until
8:90 a.m. that morning.
"-Next stop is a check of cars
parked along St. Christophers
Beach and at the harbor,
Sgt. Bacon wheels the cruiser
up behind a car illuminating a
couple in the front seat with his
headlights.
He strolls up to the drivers
door and. shines a flashlight in=
side. As the window rolls down
Sgt. Bacon good naturedly
smiles and jokes," "What are
you doing? Watching sub-
marine races?"
The driver is asked to get
out. The police officer checks
his drivers licence and looks
the car over for possible beer,
liquor or narcotics.
"Sorry to disturb you," he
says and gets back in the
cruiser.
The second car checked out
proves to be a little more
productive.
This time when_ the driver
gets out Sgt. Bacon smells beer.
"I just had a couple of beers
after work," the driver insists,
but Sgt. Bacon turns up one
pint still half full and a 12 pack
in the back seat.
On first inspection it looks as
though the case is still sealed
but it feels suspiciously light
and on closer inspection__it.
turns out the bottom has been
opened and the beer taken out
that way.
"Well I'm going to have to
charge you," Sgt Bacon in-
forms the offender as he
reaches for his note book.
"Do you have to charge me
for the whole case?" he pleads.
"Can't you just make it for the
one thats open?"
"Now look "Sgt Bacon
explains, calling the offender by
his first name, "You know
can't do that, that would be
bending the law and we can't
do that."
The seized beer is taken to
the Police Station and put un-
der lock and key before Sgt.
Bacon turns me over to Con-
stable Tom Jarczak.
As we patrol along Huron
Road Const. Jarczak explains
what he's looking for. ,
"Really anthing thats out of
the ordinary," he notes. "Say a
vehicle or light that seems out
of place."
"We drive along here and
make mental notes of cars
parked in particular- locations
around garages and so on and
then if they are gone, or moved
around, we check it out."
On the run back down town
Const. Jarczak clocks a car at
45 or better in a 30 mile limit.
The speed decreases slightly
but still exceeds the limit.
The driver is pulled over but
gets off with a warning this
time.
By now its raining and
Const. Jarczak explains, "The
driving conditions really aren't.
very good but there is very Htr--•
tle traffic so we'll let him off
this time:"
Patrolling around The
Square the officer notices
`strange behavior on the part of
a vehicle with three occupants.
Putting a tail on the car it
makes visible attempts to slip
away from the cruiser,, ('on -
stable Jarczak pulls it over,.
This time a 16 year old youth
is charged with "Having liquor
while under age". A case of 24
Calgary Export is seized.
He pleads .that the beer
belongs to his "old man" but
Const. Jarczak only asks what
his "old man" would say when
he found the beer' partially
gone.
'l'he beer goes back to the
station for labeling and Const.
.Jarczak begins filling out his
case, report. 1 set 'out with
Confit. Larry Webb.
So far we've had Liquor
seizures, a compassionate
message, we still haven't
located the missing girls from
Detroit and two car accidents
hut once around the Square
and a Chinese fire drill tops the.
whole evening off.
l.Vnbelievahle as it may seem
at the corner of South and The
Square Con.it. Webb really has
to put a stop to a Chinese fire
drill.
For those who don't remem-
ber that gag that went along
with swallowing gold fish and
stuffing telephone booths • a
Chinese fire drill is when a
vehicle comes to a stop sign
and even' one gets out and runs
around it for a while. Ther's no
joint and it obstructs traffic so
the pranksters are moved
along.
Just as he gets back in the
car a call comes in to "in-
vestigate an auto accident on
Victoria Street at the corner of
Wolfe. There' were no 'injuries
but damage was extensive.
I Ieft%Const, Webb_with his
investigation and wound up my
•
assignment satisfied that I head
seen a good nights work,on the
part of the Goderich Police
Department.
I only wished that the
missing girls had been located
to wrap everything up. They
were found in a barn on Elgin
Street about 8:00 p.m. the
following evening.
As of yesterday, with the
arrival of Constable Frank
Christie from Petrolia, the
Goderich Municipal, Police
force comes to a full strength of
nine men. Headed by Police
Chief Pat King they are Sgt.
George Bacon, Sgt. Mery Whit -
ter and Constables Larry
Each night, night after night, officers of .the Goderich Police force make their rounds of all
the businesses in Goderich after closing time to make sure owners have securely locked
their establishments and that no forced entry has been attempted or made. Travelling with
the police on a night shift makes one fully aware of just how many doors and back alleys
there are In Goderich. Constable Larry Webb checks a back door at Hayter's Garage on
Kingston Street. (staff photo)
Webb, Tom Jarczak, Tom Fort-
ner, John Ruxton, John Hills
and Frank Christie.
Mrs. Ruth Charlton' is
secretary and answering service
operator for the force.
In all, that force represents a
'-'13otal of 76 years of law enfor-
cement with an average age of
only 31 -and one half years.
"The police can't be expected
to do it all by themselves
though," Chief King points out.
"We need the help of the.whole
community"
Statistics show that 75q: of
,all calls investigated b`' the
police come from ordinary
citizens.
"More people should report
what they consider something
suspicious," Chief King says.
"Nine times out of 10 it may
prove t.o he unfounded but that
other time makes law enfor-
cement better."
"If a person in the area is
checked up on through a call to
the police and everything rs
found to be in. order they
usually-- don't mind, they know
the police are on the' job."
During Police Week t•itizens
of Goderich are encouraged It) -
drop around the Police Station
and meet the officers respon-
sible for law enforcement.
"Anyone is welcome at
anytime," Chief King stresses,
"hut during Police Week we're
setting aside that extra time to
meet the people,."
M10001 Ume
�o "% or WIWI on patrol and carrying out police duties seen by the
tor sant lotus oMoss flMi g out forms and reports on activities and preparing
BO bit PoNoe Constable Tom Jarczak transfers the Information from his
to
official report form after making a liquor seizure. (staff photo)
One of the routine services out by the Goderich
Police Department Is the switching the traffic lights at Vic-
toria and Nelson Streets. The NghSs aro switched over about
1100 p.m. to flashing red and amber and then turned back
on f(11 traffic control about 7:00 a.m. the following morning.
(staff photo)
What looked like a sealed case of bee; m this Nquor seizure by Goderich PoNoe •gl.-Qeorge
Bacon was In fact open and partially consumed. Apparently opening the bottom of the oaeI
was supposed to give Investigating officers a reason to pans over the case even though
there were empties in the car. (staff photo)