HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-01-30, Page 3ef
Maxi
ilar i .'� � w 1th ` a curio�u
ent ' o j elms - a thick ,red
li r+ cove ; e *Ing the details of
,Ontario'srehand`:seizurelawsanda
Hear pl. o x containing five or. six
detective llet(which he plans to destroy,)
among thii.
A shelf n�dis full of books, pamphlets
and folders full of police reguations and
data. On 'pother shelf, a walkie-talkie sits
pecariousty elope to the edge. A sign on the
wall, proclaiming, "My Office. My Rules. If
you will die without a,smbke – what kind of
flowers do you want?" compliments another
on the desk which simply commands, "No
Smoking„. -
In the chair sits a man who has, been in
uniforms since theage of 12. Born in Dover,
England, into a "military family,” as a
schoolboy he took part in the country's
compulsory Army Cadet program. At 17, he
joined the regular British Army and at 22 he
joined, the Metropolitan Police of London,
England.
In 1953 hecame to Canada as a special
investigator to the Military Police. Prior to
coming to Goderich as deputy chief, 12 years
ago, King was a Detective Sargent, with the
Oakville Police Force. In Oakville, he was in
charge of the narcotics detachment and
community relations, as well as founding
the department's Youth Bureau, which dealt
with offenders 16 -years -of -age and under.
Now, as Goderich chief, in charge of a ten -
man force, King,. has a wealth of varied
experiences to draw from; in a job that
requires him to wear a number of hats. As
chief, King must be administrator, public
relations specialist, teacher, advisor,
investigator and statistician, to name only a
sampling of his duties.
"One aspect of my job, is keeping abreast
of all the new changes in law," says King.
"I want the fella's (officers) out on the
road, not in here reading a book like this,"
he said, picking up the search and seizure
book.
King plows thro xiigh mounds of volumous
legal tomes each year, condensing the
material into directives and standing orders
that the other officers can more quickly
absorb.
"Fortunately, I'm a speed -reader," he
puts in.
While there are many tasks common to
the running of any police" force; -there- are
. also tasks unique to policing in every
community. .
Goderich being a port town, King has
to deal with some situations that may not
arise in other corn-rnunities. For instance,
how to deal with someone wishing to leave a
ship from a foriegn country while in the
lova?harbor.
Earlier this .year a couple, of Asians
wanted to get off a boat harbored here and
either, stay in Canada, or return to their
homeland by some other means. King had to
contact the Indian Consulate in Toronto; to
determine the proper procedure.
"Once a ship leaves, anyone staying
behind without permission from the captain
are illegal aliens," said King.
On a more day-to-day basis, "Police work
involves a lot of paper," says King. A simple
liquor siezure involves filling out forms in
triplicate. Arresting • an impaired driver
involves filling out a "current report," a
breathalizer report, a Crown brief, taking
statnients•and documenting evidence.
"The whole procedure would take two or
three hours," said King.
In addition, there are a host of other
reports the chief must keep up with. Reports
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High-tech communications systems have much to do with the improved efficien cy of
modern police forces says Patrick King, Chief of the Goderich Police Force. dere, Chief
King examines some information coming in on the computer terminal" in the local police
dispatch office. (photo by Patrick Haft's)
to the Ontario Police Commission, the local
police commision, Goderich Town Council,
Statistics Canada, the Addiction Research
Foundation and any number pf other
agencies which make periodic requests for
information.
"The government thrives on statistics,"
says King.
Meticulous filing is a must, in order to
have all the necessary information on hand.
"Everytime someone is charged, even
every parking ticket, it's filed."
Of course there -is- much -more .to police..._
work than filling out reports. There is crime
to be dealt with. Next to violations of the
Highway Traffic Act;• willful damage .is -the
most common crime local police must
handle, followed by theft and breaking and
entering.
"I think you'll find that in any police
department, those are the three big ones,"
said King. -
- More violent crimes are rarer, said the
chief. He said there are very few assaults,
sex offences and other such crimes in
smaller towns like this. He estimates there
have, been two murders in the past fifty
years.
Some crimes, while more common, are
harder to enforce in small towns. Possession
and trafficking of illegal drugs for example.
Drug users and dealers have . gotten
"much more sophisticated" over the years,
said the chief. •
"When I started (in drug investigations)
in 1967 the first place to look for drugs in a
care was inside the hubcaps. Now I don't
suppose anyone hides them there," said
King.
Part of the problem in tracking dealers
now; is that many of them do not carry
drugs on their person, King says.,
Nowadays, a dealer might simply arrange a
pickup spot for the customers to go to.
``It's difficult to control because a peddler
could be a 12 or 13 -year-old," King says.
In general though, crirei ti town.hap beep
on the decrease for the past,three years.
"The citizens in town are well -served by
their police force," boasted King. •
Chief King credits improved
communications systems as having Much to
do 'with the -increased effl'ciency of the
potice_..At one•, time, he says, _ when the
dispatchers received a call, they simply
turned on a red light outside the police
station., When the. -police .officers went.by,._,
they 'would stop int the station if they saw
the light on, to check on the situation.
Now, Goderich is the central dispatcher
for a number of area police departments,
which are all kept in- constant contact by
radio and telephone systems. They are also
ed, by computer, to/police departments -
across the country.
Running a modern police force requires a
head officer who is capable of performing
variety of functions, keeping one overall
goal in mind.
Chief King spends much of his time giving
advice and direction on cases to his officers,
getting involved himself on the more
important investigations.- He must also be a
liason between citizens and the police.
"ff there, are any complaints, I'm here to.
deal with them." said King.
"My real function is to make sure the
police department works efficiently, within
the bounds of the law and conforms with
(regulations set' by) the police
commissions.",
1'
Mayor Eileen Palmer addresses local Rotarians
Mayor Eileen Palmer was the keynote
speaker at the regular weekly meeting of
the Rotary Club of Goderich, January 29, at
the Bedford Hotel.
Mayor Palmer spoke on the Goderich
Harbor expansion project, future prospects
The Royal
Canadian
eg.on
Goderich Branch No. 109
DIAMOND JUBILEE
TULIP CAMPAIGN
of business expected to locate in Goderich,
expansion of existing business, as well as
various' spinoff benefits resultant of the
Godelrich Harbor expansion.
•
Kathllen Donelly, a Grade 12 student at
GDCI was a special guest at the meeting.
She will be an out -bound exchange student,
going to Brazil on February 23, 1985.
Rotarians welcomed back George Huck,
from his recent illness.
St. Helen's Snowmobile Club
— -PQ -RA LLL _- _
Sunday, February 3rd, 1985
Help Legion Branch 109 promote the
Diamond Jubilee of the Royal
Canadian Legion by purchasing Jubilee
Tulip Bulbs.
PRICE OF BULBS
(Sales tax included)
100 bulbs for $26.75
50 bulbs for $13.40
25 bulbs for $6.70
10 bulbs for $3.75
Deadline for orders May 31, 1985
Delivery Date is September, 1985
•
i enclose my cheque or money
order for bulbs
at
Make cheque payable to:
Legion Branch 109
NAME
STREET OR R.R.
TOWN
MAIL TO:
The Jubilee Committee
Legion Branch 109
56 Kingston St.
Goderich-, Ont. f47A 3X4
Clip & enclose this form
with,your cheque.
REGISTRATION: ST. HELENS W.I. HALL 12:00-200 P.M.
Cash Prizes For Best Poker and—
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Lunch Available In Hall
List of Contributors for Door Prizes:
Treleaven's Feed Mill, $25 voucher; Hamilton Fuels, 2 toques; Lucknow Service
Centre, 1 case windshield washer; C & M, 525 cash; G & E, toy truck and Miller; C. A.
Becker Equlpment, hand cleaner; Lucknow Small Engine, 2 cases pop; McDonagh
insurance, $10.00 cash; Lucknow District Co-op, 5 gal. gas can; Armstrong's Bakery,
510.00 voucher; Hackett's Farm Equipment, 4 litres snowmobile ell; Reavle Farm
Equipment, cup; Lucknow Farm Supply, cat food; Lucknow Home. Hardware, vice
grip; Charman's, toque and balaclava; Balms Groceterla, tomato juice [21; Les Petter
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510 meat voucher; Finlay Decorators, paint brushes [2]; Loree's Ladles Wear, pair of
mitts; Willft's Tire, gas can; Becker's Milk, 510 cash; C. E. McTavish, 2 litres on
donated by .staff; Chisholm Fuels, deck of cards [2]; Kemp's Store, toque;
Montgomery Motors Ltd., oil change, filter, • grease job: Belgrave Co-op, 5 gal gas
can; Teeswater Co-op, 5 gal. gas can; Taylor's Grocery, sugar; Serimgeours Food
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Wreckers, 2 gal, prestone; Auburn Auto Sales, hack saw, pipe wrench; Sifts Salt, 4
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