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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-03-22, Page 3day GPD is "acting as a basic training" Commission ,Q. BY JOANNE BUCHANAN The Goderich Police Commission agreed at a meeting on Tuesday that it does not like paying for the training courses.of police officersonly to lose those officers to other forces later on. The Commission passed a motion to send a letter to the Solicitor General concerning this matter. Commission member Judge F.G. Carter said, "Why not write a letter and say while we appreciate officers being trained, the costs are being passed off onto the municipalities and we no sooner get a man -trained and he's gone." Judge Carter said he was not criticizing Police Chief Pat King or the Goderich Police Department but, he said, the fact had to be faced that anyone who joins the Goderich Police Department is not going to stay too long if he is ambitious and wants to make policing his career. ' GODERICHSIGNAL-STAR, THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 1979—PAGE 3 eels town is paying high price "We're acting as a basic training for other police departments," he said. "'For the sake of argument, we have had roughly six new men on the force in the last three years and with the exception of Hilgen- dorff, most of them have had no previous training," he continued. .It was noted that while the government pays for the lodgings of police officers while on training courses, the town continues to pay their salaries, their mileage and the overtime money of any other officers who have to work in their place. "The town is also without that degree of police protection while the officer is away so if there is a rash of crime at the time, we're paying a pretty penny," Judge Carter added. "So we're losing money and protection and a few years down the road we lose'the officer," commission member Earl Rawson sum- marized. Rawson said that it should be pointed out in. the letter to the Solicitor General that while the Ontario Police Commission was laying down, the rules and regulations about courses, the town was paying fol' them. The discussion on police training coursesand adequate police coverage of the town was prompted when the commission learned from Chief King that two officers from the Goderich department were presently away on training courses and Constable Robert Dixon had left the force for training to join the RCMP. Dixon tendered his resignation on March 14. . Chief King said Dixon was very involved with the community and the force was sorry to see him go. He said he had advertised in the London Free _Press for an experienced officer to replace Dixon but so far had "drawn a blank". "At. the 'moment we have only a few prospects. We were hoping to have a new man .by April but this may not be possible," Chief King told the commission. He added that many of the applicants "looked good on paper" but that was about all. "So we've lost a man and we .have two in' school. -We're three men short. Is it good to have both men in school at the same time," mayor Harry Worsell asked Chief King. Chief King explained that Mathew Affleck, the newest officer on the Goderich force, was required by the Ontario Police Commission to take a basic recruiting course within his first 12 months on the force or he would not be allowed to patrol on his own. He said Affleck had been sent on the recruiting course before it was Dispatch room prepared for system two drivers who had Chief King was in- driven while their strutted by the police licences were suspended commission to refer a and a three month jail police bylaw from the term given to a man Ontario Police Com - convicted of a charge of mission to the town break, enter and theft. solicitor, Dan Murphy. The bylaw governing police, which has never existed before, sets down rules on grievance procedures, polic.e organization and regulations, etc. BY JOANNE BUCHANAN The police commission went into committee -of - the whole to discuss the 1979 police budget saying there were, several areas of the budget which were not yet complete and that these areas should be completed and approved before releasing the ,overall budget to the press. In the committe-of-the- whole session, the commission also discussed the hiring of dispatchers for the new common police dispatch system ; and the matter of police association members wanting -two officers on escort of certain prisoners and wanting sergeants within the force to swing shifts during vacation periods. BY JOANNE BUCHANAN It was reported at a Goderich Police Com- mission meeting on Tuesday that a joint meeting of the Police Commission, Fire Committee, Property Committee and Recreation Board had been held to discuss the layout of the building in which the police station, recreation office and fire department are housed. The number one priority at the meeting was making room for the new Huron County Central Police Dispatch System. The dispatch room is to be loacted where the police secretary's room is presently located. The secretary will be moved to the sergeants' room and the sergeants are to be moved to another office temporarily. Police Chief Pat King said replacing the "wooden tubby hole" in the foyer of the police station with plexiglass was also discussed at the joint meeting. He said carpet samples for the dispatch room –were to be looked atnexr' week and that some of the dispatch equipment would also be arriving then. It is hoped that the system will be in operation by April 10. Accounts totalling $17,114.84 were approved by the police commission for the month of February. About $14,000 of the total went for police payroll. A $500 heating bill is to be investigated. In his activity report for the month of February, Chief King said it was a relatively quiet month with crime in general being down over last year. Total oc- curences investigated in February were 207 with six of these occurences happening on the Square. Thefts from cars are still taking place and Chief King said people have obviously ignored repeated warnings in the local press about locking their car doors. Accident -wise, February has been about average with most ac- cidents.. occurring because people don't adapt to changing weather conditions, Chief King reported. Drug charges are on the decline (there was one drug investigation in February) and have been dropping the last few years, said Chief King. Liquor charges have been, down so far this year fines and sentences had (nine were laid in been substantial enough February) and Chief lately to help discourage King said he hopes they those people repeatedly stay down since they rose committing crimes. He 26 per cent last year. reported a $350 fine and a Chief King said he felt $400 fine being given to Cooke requests land has given up on the Colborne Township site, he says. He feels\that his warehouse would qualify for Colborne Township zoning since farmers can buy steel there for repairing or remodelling barns or building livestock pens. The land which he owns along Mill Road in Goderich Township is to valuable for' a warehouse site, he says and his present 1.5 acre site on Nelson Street in Goderich is too small for his expanding business. ' He said a town site could be more economical for him because of lower insurance rates and the actual cost of the land. The Colborne Township land he is negotiating is about $10,000 an acre because it is located on the highway. The town's Industrial Park land sells for an average of about $5,000 an acre but the actual. final price would have to be determined by town council. After Cooke's deputation, the committee continued to discuss the Industrial Park with Ken Hunter pointing out that there were only 60 acres left for sale in the Park. Another 25 to 30 acres are optioned over and above that. The committee has asked for a budget of $30,000 ,to develop the Industrial Park allocating_ $5,000 for construction ofanim- pressive gateway entrance to the Park; $3,000 for a legal survey and registered plan for the Park; and $19,650 for installing services in the Park. Committe member -Stan Profit told the other Turn to page 18 • Tom Cooke, representing Lakeport Steel Industries Limited, requested about four acres of land in the town's Industrial Park when he appreared before the Goderich Economic Development Committee at its meeting last Thursday. Cooke told the committee that he plans to build a 120 -by -60 foot steel warehouse and a 60 - by -50 foot welding supply distributorship. Under questioning from committee mem- bers, Cooke said the buildings would be of a style similar to those owned by Champion Road Machinery Limited in the Park. No scrap metal would be involved and racks would be used for outside storage with that storage being kept to a minimum, he explained. Cooke told the committee that the steel warehouse would employ a minimum of 12 people. His welding business currently has three employees but there is much room for expansion, he added.. Cooke explained that he would mostly be selling his products to tradesmen or wholesalers but that he would also sell to "men off the street" and retailers. The economic development committee ap- peared in favor of Cooke's request for land but asked works commissioner, Ken Hunter, to check and see if .the–Lakeport Steel business would meet the requirements of the Park's zoning. The committee specifically asked for a definition of the word warehousing. Committee members agreed that since Cooke would be selling primarily to wholesalers, his business should be allowed in the -Park. The committee informed Cooke that the only serviced land in the Park which the town would , have to.offer for sale was a' four and a half acre site between J.B.' Allen and Company Limited and Huromic Metal Industries. Cooke told the committee that this "would probably be an ideal piece of property". The committee has asked Cooke to send them a formal letter requesting the land and to have plans drawn up for a formal presentation. Committee members said they will continue with the rezoning of the Park from develop- mental to industrial so that they will be in a position to recommend to town council that the land be sold to Cooke when he is ready to buy it. They said they agreed in principle with his proposal. Cooke owns four acres of industrial land in Goderich Township and has applied to Colborne Township for permission to locate on a ten acre piece of property he is negotiating to buy there from Art Bourdeau. Colborne Township Council has asked Cooke for further proof that his business is at least 50 per cent agriculture -oriented to qualify under township zoning. His decision to approach the economic development committee about land in the Industrial Park though, doesn't mean that he cit vilt4 YOU HAVE HEARD fir HIS RECORDS! 4 YOU HAVE SEEN HIM ON TELEVISION: "NOW" HEAR HIM �►. 11r LIVE!!! fir known that Dixon would be leaving. He added that February had "fortunately " been a quiet month for the Goderich Police Department. Town Clerk Larry McCabe asked Chief King if he had received any complaints from the other officers on the force about the shortage of officers. King said there were no complaints but added again that "this year "we've been fortunate" in that the crime rate is down, -there has been less sick leave and the peak holiday season has not yet begun. He inferred that if an officer was sick or on holidays or if the crime rate was up, the department would feel the shortage of men much more severely. There was unanimous agreement among commission members on 'the motion to send a let.tor to the Solicitor General for "con• sideration of the whole matter". ANNOUNCEMENT Speidel, a Division of Textron Canada Limited, manufac- turer of fine, high quality, metal. expandable watch bands and jewellel'y is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Alan W. Brandsma to the position of Plant Manager of our Canadian Operations. a Mr. Brandsma comes lo Speidel with extensive experience both in Manufacturing and as a Consultant. gifts and jewellery WE'RE CLOSING OUT. 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