Moving Forward PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Executive Members of His Year Has Been Very Successful for the Federation
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The Official Publication of the British Columbia Federation of Police Officers Vol. 5 Issue 1 TransportationGreater Vancouver Authority Police Moving Forward PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Executive Members of his year has been very successful for the Federation. Our organization continues to grow and some of our The BC Federation of Police Officers PTinitiatives are gaining momentum. It’s actually a pretty exciting time, but it is human nature to focus on the failures and the frustration that ensues when things don’t turn out as fast as we would like. When I was first elected to this position, I had some thoughts and goals as to the direction our organization should be going. First and foremost we (the Fed Executive) represent you, the front line police officers, at the Provincial and National levels. Issues that affect one of us, affect us all eventually, so it is important that all Canadian Police Officers speak out with a united voice and that our message is loud and clear. The Federation should be there to assist you when you ask, not interfering in the way you police your community or run your Local. The Federation is there to protect your rights, to talk to the decision-makers and ensure they know what you want. This means talking with politicians, the media and anyone else who can help us. With this in mind, your Executive is continuing to restructure the Federation’s Constitution so that we can expand and truly speak for all the officers in the province. But change is not easy, and to be effective it needs your input and participation. You also need to be more informed President: about what we are trying to accomplish and where we would like to go. Our web site is woefully behind where it Don McKenzie should be, and we are taking steps to update and upgrade the site with both a public and members-only section in (Abbotsford) order to get you new information in a timely manner. You also told me that you wanted the Federation to become more active in trying to improve the Justice system and to speak out about some of its pit-falls. In order to speak out you have to have a media profile, and you have to make sure that you have all the facts. We have, and continue to develop a media strategy and we intend to keep speaking out about the system we work with and how we think it can be improved. All too often we see the victims of crime suffer while criminals are not held accountable. The Federation Executive, the VPU President and the MPPA President went to Victoria and spoke to over 45 MLAs about the Vice President: injustices that we see everyday. We spoke about protecting victims of crime with a “Blood Legislation” initiative. Bill Trudeau We spoke about protecting the public by improving the way we deliver our service, about protecting you from the (Victoria) ever-intrusive reach of organized crime and about some municipalities spending traffic fine revenues on everything but policing. There is no other way, in my opinion, to get our message across to the people who have the power to make changes. I guess you could term this as being “political”, which to me sounds like a dirty word, but I think it is more like the sharing of information or educating “our” representatives in Victoria or Ottawa. We have information that no one else has, we have experiences that no one else has and we also do not have a hidden agenda. I will say that the people in Victoria listened and we are hopeful that a “private members bill” will be introduced shortly regarding the “Blood Legislation”. I strongly believe that we needed to do this and should continue to give Treasurer: the truth to the politicians. It will also add some meaning to any debate in the House when our politicians know the Keith Blott truth, and can relate first hand experiences from front line police officers like you. (Saanich) You will be reading this in early 2006 and we will have had another meeting with the MLAs (February) by the time you read this. I am very hopeful that we will develop a productive working relationship with the MLAs who are “our” representatives in the Legislature. I will continue, along with the Fed Executive to try to make the Fed more meaningful to you. The Fed has been around for over 35 years and we have come a long way, but we still have a lot further to go. Our Editor, Stu, is retiring (again). I will be the first to say that his input into our magazine has been exceptional and his always-entertaining writing style has kept me and everyone else enlightened over the years. Thank you Stu. Secretary Daffydd Hermann Ole Jorgensen will be our new Editor. Ole, ever the glutton for punishment, has been contracted by the Fed (Abbotsford) Executive for the position of Editor of the magazine. I am sure that Ole will want to put his own spin on the magazine and I look forward to his first edition. I’m also sure Ole will be seeking your articles for future editions. In conclusion, in the Fall the Federation will be hosting the 2006 CPPA Conference in Victoria, I would encourage all of you to attend as it is an eye-opening experience to meet police officers from around the world who share our rewarding career. Have a great safe New Year. Executive Director: Don Bland Don McKenzie The BC Federation of Police Officers The BC Federation of Police Officers Vol. 5 Issue 1 P.O. Box 6, Abbotsford, British Columbia V2S 4N9 Visit our Web-site: www.bcfedpolice.com EXECUTIVE President: Don McKenzie (Abbotsford) INDEX Vice President Bill Trudeau (Victoria) Secretary Daffydd Hermann (Abbotsford) Treasurer: Keith Blott (Saanich) Editor’s Comment . .4 Executive Director: Don Bland Trustees: Dave Glancie (Central Saanich) Todd Sweet (New Westminster) Ed Pearce (West Vancouver) Moving Forward…Policing in Transit . .5 EDITORIAL STAFF Lesson Learned: Managing High Security Events . .7 Editor: Stuart Leishman Contributing Writers: Cst. Jason White Cst. Troy Henyecz Terry Galvin Darryl Plecas Historical Wrong To Be Righted . .8 Kevin Calder Candace Budynski REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES A 30 Year Analysis Of Police Service Delivery And Costing . .9 Vancouver Island: Steve Ing Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065059 The Racism Crutch . .16 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: HOW TO CONTACT THE THIN BLUE LINE Mail: The Thin Blue Line News from the locals . .17 c/o The BC Federation of Police Officers 185 - 911 Yates Street, Box 307, Victoria, BC V8V 4Y9 Goodbye To A Friend . .23 Email: [email protected] The views expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the BC Federation of Police officers. Designed and Published by: We welcome all submissions for publication. They may be edited for space, legal considerations and good taste. When possible please include photographs, they will be returned on request. Cover Photo: Chief Constable Lorne Zapotichny, Chair of GVTA Police Board and About the publisher: The Thin Blue Line Art Director: Richard J. Robertson e-mail: [email protected] GVTAPS Chief Officer Robert Kind escort Solicitor General John Les. is published for the BC Federation of Police Officers by CBU Publications Ltd. Assistant Art Director: Heather LaFleur HOW TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE THIN BLUE LINE. Reproduction, by any means, is strictly Layout & Design: Ina Silva The Thin Blue Line is sent to every member of the BC Federation of prohibited without the prior written consent of Police Officers. Others wishing to receive copies should write to the NATIONAL OFFICE Editor c/o The BC Federation of Police Officers, 185 - 911 Yates Street, the publisher. CBU Publications Ltd. assumes 420 O’Connor Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 1W4 Box 307, Victoria, B.C. V8V 4Y9. Copies of the magazine will be sent no responsibility for statements of fact or Tel: (613) 230-0721/Fax (613) 230-4964 free of charge, subject to availability. opinion made by any contributor. Toll Free: 1-800-267-1266 The Thin Blue Line — Index Editor’s COMMENT n the summer of 2000 the BC Federation of Police Officers decided to begin producing a magazine for Iits members. When the then President, Darryl Tottenham, offered me the position of Editor for this new magazine I was thrilled to accept it. I have long been a proponent of a Federation magazine, having briefly written for the original Thin Blue Line in the 1970s, and I am a great believer in working police officers from all police agencies being able to communicate and exchange ideas. After six years as Editor of the Thin Blue Line I have decided to retire from this position and am pleased to pass the reins along to Ole Jorgensen. I would like to thank all those people who have helped me with the magazine over the years. I have been involved in police work for over thirty years, both directly and on the sidelines. In that time I have seen many changes, some for the better and others for the worse. This issue features a study that was provided by Darryl Plecas of the University College of the Fraser Valley which looks at the changes in police resources for delivering services to the public over the last 30 years. While the study was primarily of RCMP “E” Division, its findings are very similar for all municipal police forces. It shows what we all know; demands that have been placed on police officers by the Charter, the courts and technology have not been met by the additional resources needed to do the job.