33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
TORONTO TABLE OF CONTENTS
P O L I C E Unit Commander’s Message ...... 2 SERVICE Community Response Unit ...... 3
50 Upjohn Road 33 DIVIS I ON Community Outreach ...... 5
Unit Commander: Arrest of the Month ...... 7 Staff Inspector Tony Riviere
nd Black History Month ...... 8 2 in Command: Inspector Richard Hegedus Traffic Safety Tips ...... 11 Investigative Unit: Detective Sergeant Jim Gotell Traffic Campaigns ...... 13
Community Response Unit: From the Front Desk ...... 14 Staff Sergeant Shawna Coxon CPLC Update ...... 16 Crime Prevention & Community Relations Officer: Kelly Downie Community Calendar ...... 20
TOTAL STRENGTH Officers: 184 Civilians: 10 Auxiliary Officers: 24 Volunteers: 11
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
A message from . . . Staff Inspector Tony Riviere
Although the frigid cold is still with us, it is that time of year when our thoughts drift to the scent of budding flowers and the optimism that accompanies the dawning of the spring season. Spring represents more than the end of the “dog days of winter,” it is the season that renews our sense of vigour and promotes a spirit of shared optimism.
As the Unit Commander of 33 Division, I was thoroughly impressed and heartened with the significant level of attendance and participation at our last CPLC meeting. We have long realized that our success is intricately tied to our ability to listen and work with our communities. To that end, it is vastly important that we dialogue with as many residents as possible, particularly, residents representing our diverse neighbourhoods. The attendance at our last meeting suggests that we are on the right course.
But there is more to be done, there are neighbourhoods whose residents, for a number of reasons, are unable to attend our regular meetings. We must remain committed in seeking ways to include them in our discussions; it is largely for that reason why there is a need to continue to entertain opportunities to take our CPLC meetings to our neighbourhoods.
As we continue this quest, we must also consider ways of sustaining your interest. I encourage you to get involved in the number of sub-committees formed for implementing our initiatives; get actively involved in our discussions, sound decisions often emerge when different perspectives are considered.
I would also like to take the opportunity to welcome back our Co-Chair Ibrahim Meru. Mr. Meru’s leadership, commitment and relentless energy cannot be overstated. Also, joining our Executive as Treasurer is Ms. Jane Reid. Jane has been a regular contributor to our committee and we look forward to her presence within the Executive.
As we continue to plant the seeds of hope, change and new growth, I am encouraged by your initial desire to be mutual caretakers of these seeds. Together our efforts will yield the dividends of ensuring the safety and vitality of our neighbourhoods.
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
COMMUNITY RESPONSE UNIT:
33 Division is not going through the winter blahs….quite the opposite! We have several youth mentoring programs in full swing. At the end of January, we had our first Youth Community Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) meeting. Our youth told us they wanted opportunities to interact with police in a positive way, and to learn more about what we do. A little brainstorming and we created the first Toronto Police Amazing Race!
The event was held on February 15th, because this was a PA day. We worked with the City of Toronto and the Toronto Community Housing Corporation to bus 44 local youth to a community center. They were fed lunch, which was organized by our volunteers Roz Sunshine and Bernie Rothbart. From there, they were bussed to the Toronto Police College in Etobicoke. 11 teams of 4 youth were each pared up with 1 police officer. They were given 40 tasks to complete in two hours. For example, they learned about the history of the Toronto Police Service, went to the gun range to check out the safety equipment, worked together in our simulated outdoor town to find clues, learned about our fallen officers, and ran through portions of the physical testing to become a police officer. Each completed task was allocated a score. The team with the highest overall score won.
Each member of the winning team won a small tablet computer. This incredible prize was generously donated by Civitan, who also provided our youth with lunch. The winning team will also spend a day touring our Emergency Task Force, Mounted/Dog Unit, Marine Unit, and Toronto Police Service Museum. They will then meet with Deputy Chief of Police Peter Sloly for a leadership mentoring session.
The Amazing Race was a resounding success! Both youth and officers had a great time, and our youth were fascinated with this ‘inside glimpse’ into the Toronto Police. Several expressed an interest in becoming a police officer in the future. Each team was mentored by an officer from either 33 Division or the Toronto Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy (TAVIS). Here is photo of the winning team with their mentor, TAVIS Constable Mehmet Gucbilmez #10570, at the fallen officer memorial.
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
Youth, officers and community partners all get ready to run the Toronto Police Amazing Race!
The Amazing Race would not have been a success without the help of our incredible partners. Special thanks to Citivan, the City of Toronto Community Crisis Response Program, the Toronto Community Housing Corporation, our Toronto Police Service Youth in Policing Students, volunteers, and Auxiliary Officers. We are looking forward to more initiatives in the future to continue to improve our 33 Division communities.
Shawna Coxon Staff Sergeant 7551 Toronto Police Service 33 Division, Community Response Unit (416) 808-3392 [email protected] Twitter: @ShawnaCoxon Facebook: Shawna Coxon
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COMMUNITY OUTREACH:
This year’s black history month celebrations took place in Ottawa On, and students from the Children’s breakfast club were both lucky and honored to attend the festivities. Also in attendance were Toronto Police officers Neil Pickrell, Orest Czujko and Kelly Downie from the 33 Division Community Response Unit. Also in attendance were two of the 33 Division’s volunteers Roz Sonshine and Bernie Vanderbij who have helped out for many years at this event. Roz Sonshine has also been recognized for her tireless work with the community and was recently interviewed by the Toronto Star, see below for the interview. At 79 years old, Rosaline Sonshine is an unlikely candidate for a crime fighter. But thanks to her efforts, hundreds of residents in her neighbourhood are now free from break-ins and the city of Toronto is a safer place. Her tools are simple: flyers, phone calls and education. Volunteering an estimated 6,000 hours over the past decade with the Toronto police, Sonshine has worked diligently to make her community safer. Q: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? I understand you’ve done quite a lot of crime prevention work. A: It started out in 1998. I lived at York Mills and Bayview in the townhouses. There are 345 townhouses and we had quite a few break-ins and we started a neighbourhood watch. That’s how I got involved with CPAT ( Crime Prevention Association of Toronto ). Through that, I got to know the police at 33 Division. After we started a neighbourhood watch, we got neighbours to go to every street and got a captain on every street to help out. You needed one person from every street — that one person would deliver the flyers. After a year we had no break-ins. I’m happy to say to this day they don’t have them. Q: Did you ever catch anybody? A: Oh yes, many times. Whenever there was a break-in CPAT would email me or phone me … I would make up a flyer on the weekend and make sure every one of the 345 homes knew that there was a break-in, where it was, what street, how they broke in, and probably sometimes what they took, so they knew to keep an eye out for any strange cars. Over the years, yes, they did catch quite a few people. Q: In your 14 years of crime prevention and safety work, what are you most proud of? The car-seat (check) was a big thing because most of them didn’t put it in properly. You should see the faces of the parents when they (realize). I go and do pamphlet displays and purse patrol. We get a lot of requests to go to different organizations, to go to different apartment buildings. We set up in the lobby, we talk to people and I try to explain to them elder abuse, scams. Purse patrol is when we go to a Loblaws or Shoppers Drug Mart. I’m in
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition charge and we have other volunteers. One volunteer sits at the pamphlet table to explain things to people and the other volunteer walks around. When people put their purse in the buggy and then they’re shopping and the purse is unattended or the purse is open, we stand very carefully; we wait until they return back to their buggy, then we explain to them, “Please don’t leave it like that. It’s too tempting.”
Q: What would you recommend to somebody who wants to make their neighbourhood safer?
A: A neighbourhood watch — absolutely. The Crime Prevention Association ( cpatoronto.org ) will definitely help you, all you have to do is phone them.
Thanks Roz and keep up the great work! Your friends and co-workers at 33 Division
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
ARREST OF THE MONTH:
A resident of the Leslie Street and York Mills Road reported a suspicious person in their neighbourhood. The resident had seen a man near one of his neighbour’s home and saw that the man walked away from the home and got into a waiting car that had another person in it. The resident noted the license plate number of the car and called police.
When the police arrived they discovered that the neighbour’s home and been into. The license plate that had been noted by the neighbour was investigated and police were able to determine the identity of a suspect who had rented the car from a car rental agency. The person who had rented the vehicle was known to police and police were able to identify the associate of the person who had rented the vehicle. Officer from 33 Division Major Crime Unit were able to locate and apprehend the two male who were charged with Break and Enter.
Break and Enter continues to be a serious crime that affects member of the community in 33
Division and police want the public to be aware of suspicious people in their neighbourhoods. Often times, during the daytime, people who are breaking into homes will ring the doorbell to see if someone is at home. If there is no answer, the home will be broken into. If someone answers the door, the person will make an excuse for being there and leave. Community members are reminded to remain vigilant about people who are in their neighbourhoods and acting suspicious and to call police if they see someone such as this.
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
Black History Month
How Much do you know ? March bulletin)
1. Who were recognized as the first African Canadian Law Enforcement Officers? Both male and female. Rose Fortune/Peter Butler
2. Who was the first black woman to be elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario? Zanana Akande
3. Who said these words “I have a dream…” Martin Luther King Jr
4. What is Malcolm X’s birth name? Where was he born? El-Hajj Malik El- Shabazz, born in Omeha Nebraska May 19th 1925
5. What was the Underground Railroad? What was its impact? The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause.
6. Who was Beverly Salmon?
7. Who was the first black National Hockey League player? What team did he play for? Willie Eldon O'Ree, winger for the Boston Bruins. O'Ree is referred to as the "Jackie Robinson of ice hockey" due to breaking the color barrier in the sport.
8. Who became the first black female television host? In what year did this happen? The first African American woman to host a nationally syndicated talk television show was Ms. Alice Travis (For You Black Women 1977).
9. Who was the star of the network television show “I spy”? What year was that? Bill Cosby in 1965
10. Which black woman won the title of Miss America in 1984? Vanessa Williams
11. Who invented the blood bank? Dr Charles Drew
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Who are we? L Look for answers in the March edition of the Community Bulletin
Rosemary Brown was a social Viola Davis, a Halifax business worker, academic, politician who woman, beautician, Teacher and fought for justice across Canada Entrepreneur who awakened Nova for women and minorities. Scotia to Human Rights in 1946. In 2012 Canada Post issued stamp commemorating her stand for justice.
Rose Fortune, born into slavery Sydney Poitier is an American born Martin Luther King JR, American she appointed herself as the Bahamian actor, film director, clergyman, activist, and leader in the first female police officer in author, and diplomat. He became African-American Civil Rights Canada where she took care of the first black man to win an Movement. He is best known for his the shipping and the wharfs. academy award for best actor. role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience.
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Malcolm X, born Malcolm Little Barack Hussein Obama II is the Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela is a South and also known as El-Hajj Malik El- 44th and current President of the African anti-apartheid activist, Shabazz, was an African-American United States. He is the first African revolutionary and politician who served Muslim minister and human rights American to hold the office. as President of South Africa from 1994 activist. He was shot dead 48 years President Obama's years of public to 1999, the first to be elected in a fully ago on February 21st at a rally for service are based around his representative, multiracial election. rights unwavering belief in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose.
Kelly Downie Crime Prevention Officer 33 Division
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition PREVENTING / REDUCING TRAFFIC COLLISIONS
The Toronto Police Service has had traffic safety on the list as one of its priorities for a number of years. As a result, 33 Division has undertaken to identify locations where the highest numbers of collisions occurred in previous years and concentrate the traffic enforcement in those areas in an effort to lower these numbers.
This is the second year of Operation Collision Prevention & Reduction (CPR). In 2012 our target locations were:
Don Mills Road & Leith Hill Road Don Mills Road & Moatfield Drive Leslie Street & Steeles Avenue East Leslie Street & Finch Avenue East Leslie Street & Lesmill Road Lawrence Avenue East & Underhill Drive Bayview Avenue & Post Road
Our traffic officers worked tirelessly and achieved a 9% overall average reduction in collisions in 33 Division, most of this in the areas surrounding these intersections.
In 2013, we have identified more intersections to concentrate our efforts on:
Don Mills Road & Leith Hill Road Don Mills Road & York Mills Road Steeles Avenue East & Leslie Street Steeles Avenue East & Woodbine Avenue / Highway 404 Lawrence Avenue East & Underhill Drive
This year we have included the primary response officers in the program. Each platoon has been assigned one of these locations and instead of just a couple of officers working the areas around each intersection, we will have a dozen.
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By studying the events which led to the collisions at these locations, we can properly formulate a strategy on which to apply the necessary remedy.
For example, if the primary cause of the collisions at a specific location was an unsafe turn, we can look at whether the layout of the intersection and determine if there are sufficient sightlines for the drivers to recognize the approaching vehicles and pedestrians as hazards. If this is the case, we will bring in the city transportation people to look at the design of the intersection and see if it could be tweaked, or if a full or partial turn prohibition might be appropriate, or perhaps simply adjusting the timing of the signal lights. Any one of these factors could be the difference.
If the issue is not an engineering one, then it would appear that simple driver error is the root cause of the collisions. With this in mind, we would step up the enforcement around the intersection to wake the drivers out of their complacency and kick their skills up to the next level.
The thousands of people who drive and walk through 33 Division on a daily basis certainly keep our traffic officers busy. We are always ready to educate, inform and enforce. Now ask yourself this:
Traffic safety: Are you the problem or the solution? Howard Rosenberg Traffic Complaints
If you have a traffic-related question, send an email to me at [email protected] I will gladly send you the answer. Some of these questions may even appear in a future edition of the 33 Division Community Bulletin.
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
TRAFFIC CAMPAIGNS:
2013 DIVISIONAL INITIATIVES
JANUARY 1ST TO DECEMBER 31ST - OPERATION C.P.R. (COLLISION PREVENTION AND REDUCTION) TOP 5 COLLSION INTERSECTIONS AS DETERMINED BY 2012 STATS
JANUARY 1ST TO MARCH 31ST – OPERATION SAFE WINTER DRIVING FOCUS ON SMART AND DEFENSIVE DRIVING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER THROUGH EDUCATION AND ENFORCEMENT
APRIL 1ST TO JUNE 30TH – OPERATION HANDS ON DRIVE HANDS FREE TALK TARGETTING DISTRACTED DRIVING (I.E. PHONES, IPAD, OTHER DEVICES OR DISTRACTIONS)
JULY 1ST TO SEPT 30TH – OPERATION WALK SAFE FOCUS ON PEDESTRIAN ON ROAD SAFETY WHEN CROSSING AND INTERACTING WITH VEHICULAR TRAFFIC THROUGH EDUCATION/ENFORCEMENT. EMPHASIS WILL BE ON SENIORS.
Sgt Steve Sattz Training, Planning and Traffic Co-ordinator 416-808-3394
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From the Front Desk!
Missing persons
Many people are under the misconception that they have to wait 24 hours until they report a family member missing. This is perhaps yet another way Hollywood confuses the public about the police.
In reality, if your loved one is missing, police will respond to your call for assistance 24/7.
The Toronto Police Service weighs the factors associated with a missing person. Age, known medical conditions, psychiatric and emotional conditions, previous events, how they are dressed for the weather, are all taken into consideration.
In addition, the atmospheric conditions, extreme heat or cold will cause us to “ramp up” the efforts we put into the search. We have 3 levels of search that vary from phone calls to friends (level 1) right up to searchers on the ground in conjunction with helicopters from our neighbouring Services (level 3).
Police actions may include but are not limited to:
- Contacting the area hospitals - Notifying Toronto EMS (ambulance services) - Media releases complete with a photo and interviews with reporters - Toronto alerts and CPIC updates (police specific) - Requesting help from Auxiliary officers and other Divisions - Requesting limited help from the public - Police resources such as officers on ATVs or horseback - Flagging bank cards and cell phones
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
How can you help?
In this Division we experience a high number of missing elderly persons. Often the associated medical conditions cause us great concern. There are several precautions family members can take:
Have updated photos available - Accompany elderly persons to appointments in unfamiliar locations. Many get confused on the TTC and could be anywhere in the city - Make sure phone numbers for relatives are readily available. Attached to the fridge etc. - Technology offers GPS locating devices built into watches and phones.
Do not delay calling police. Have an idea where the person was headed and what they were wearing. Know their wardrobe and identify what is missing so we can assume how they are dressed.
Searching for missing persons at increased risk is an emergency situation. The sooner police can get on the trail the higher the possibility of a successful outcome. My platoon has been involved in several well publicized cases. Witnesses and relatives are our greatest asset when it comes to the gathering of information. We will go to great lengths to find missing persons and take them very very seriously.
Donald M. Cole S/Sgt 2737 B Plat E Platoon
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition
CPLC Update
Report on the Community Police Liaison Committee, March 2013
Our first meeting of the year was packed, with thirty three members and one guest attending. As well, five Youth in Policing Initiative (YIPI) students attended. This initiative, launched in 2006 as summer program by the TPS, in partnership with the Police Services Board and the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services, was converted to an after-school program in 2012 (but does not replace the Summer YIPI program), “in recognition of the importance of providing support and employment opportunities for young people all year round.” (http://www.torontopolice.on.ca/yipi/). Our YIPI students, who are paid employees of the TPS, are in the process of creating a Youth CPLC, to meet one Saturday a month, and they have been invited to continue attending our meetings, to gain experience and to provide feedback on their progress.
Co-Chairs Ibrahim Meru and Staff Inspector Tony Riviere welcomed us, and talked of the New Year’s resolution to improve on our very productive work last year. Our Unit Commander pointed out that we will be doing this in an environment of severe financial constraints, a reduction in the number of officers, and the shifting of some officers back to front-line service. For instance, Terri Ng, our Traffic Sergeant, was returning to D Platoon, while her position was being merged with Quality Control Sergeant. He stressed the heightened importance of volunteers and committee members, asking, “How do we keep you? How can your interest be sustained?” He is particularly interested in the CPLC coming up with creative solutions to neighbourhood issues. The meeting devoted some time to the creation of sub-committees to deal with our workload, and to discussion of ways to improve our outreach. Staff Sergeant Shawna Coxon noted that “we are trying to look for innovative ways to do more with less.” Even with a reduction of 10% in crime in our Division last year, and the fact that we are one of the safer Divisions in the city, it’s going to be a challenge.
Our officers’ dedication to the challenge was evidenced by the reports given by two neighbourhood officers, which provided the theme of the evening: outreach to youth. The theme was rendered all the more poignant by the presence of the YIPI students, who are clearly young people already manifesting great leadership potential. The target of the Crime Response Unit (CRU)’s outreach programs is more vulnerable and less experienced young people. S/Sergeant Coxon’s plan for this year has neighbourhood officers not only engaging much more directly with people in their designated neighbourhoods, but working to come up with their own solutions to engage youth across the Division.
PC Tim Whittle, the Neighbourhood Officer for Parkwoods-Donalda and Henry Farm, said “we’ve been playing catchup, so we’ve created five programs, basketball, two soccer programs, ‘Cooking with Cops,’ and a music program.” He talked about the problem in some neighbourhoods of poor socialization, the lack of communication skills, and fear of the police.
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The activities are enjoyable and educational in themselves, but as importantly, provide the officers the opportunity to mentor the youth – with their individual problems, with their homework, and with practical life skills such as writing a resumé. “When we go into a neighbourhood now, they don’t shy away; they recognize us and engage with us.”
PC Christopher Chung, the Neighbourhood Officer for Don Valley Village and Pleasantview, then talked about the program he runs called “Music Not Mischief”. Started three years ago with donated guitars, it is just for George Vanier students at this point. “I get to pick a student for a city-wide concert with a professional Canadian band, playing a song of their choice – and they get to keep the guitar!” He has six students at present, and also mentors them on getting part-time jobs, doing their resumés, and dealing with family and relationship problems, he emails them weekly. PC Chung also talked about his partnership with the police-youth program Proaction Cops & Kids, which can “win children prizes, motivate them to get good grades, and even learn things like interacting in public and going to a restaurant. Those from vulnerable neighbourhoods often don’t have these basic skills.” S/Inspector Riviere added here that “we want to empower them now, rather than deal with them later with guns and gangs.”
It is gratifying to see our Division vigorously engaging the principles that are so closely allied with a new strategy to intervene in the lives of youth before they take a wrong path. An informative Globe and Mail article on July 20th, 2012, entitled “The Anatomy of a Teen Murderer – and a New Program That Aims to Prevent More,” describes the strategy and the philosophy behind it. Pioneered in Glasgow, Scotland, and adopted with startlingly good results in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, it was endorsed last year by Chief Bill Blair, and a pilot program was launched in Rexdale, Toronto. The program, entitled “Furthering Communities and Uniting Services” (FOCUS), is based on a holistic approach to the youth, relying on the collaboration of police, social services, health professionals and educators to catch them in a restorative network before they get into trouble.
The article, by Anna Mehler Paperny, takes a youth called “Joe” to illustrate the daunting setbacks a child can face on the way to becoming a statistic on a police blotter. These are just some of things he faced: alcoholic and abusive parents, foster care, mother’s car accident and brother’s suicidal behaviour (birth to six years); witnessing mother stab father to death, placement with a relative and then living in the YWCA when mother gets out of jail, and return to grandmother due to family conflict, brother tried for sexually assaulting his sister, mother in and out of jail again, mother accused of possessing stolen goods, moving back and forth to grandmother’s as mother violates parole, is charged with possession of stolen goods, and goes back to prison and marries an inmate when she emerges (six to 14 years).
By 14 to 16 years of age, it is not surprising that “‘Joe’ misses school, exhibits anger management problems, and is charged with multiple break-ins and dangerous driving.” Between 16 and 18, Joe progresses from shoplifting to gang involvement, armed robbery, and assaulting a police officer. The tragic story culminates with Joe’s conviction of second degree murder. The FOCUS approach would have intervened when he was a baby, when his parents
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33 Division Community Bulletin th March 2013 – 85 Edition were already known to authorities for their problems. At each stage, the appropriate authorities could have made a difference to Joe’s trajectory towards dysfunction and a life of crime and incarceration. For instance, “Joe’s first brushes with the law could have been an opportunity for police to dig deeper, acting on suspicions he was feeding a drug habit. Instead, his charges were largely for break-and-enters. Police didn’t intervene further or bring in an addictions counselor. Joe’s behaviour at school also should have been a signal for teachers to step in – either to phone home or to call social services or even police. Educators are often reluctant to intervene in these kinds of situations, but . . . schools are often the earliest to know.”
The need for a program like FOCUS in Toronto is starkly evident today, with the current spate of shootings and killings in vulnerable neighbourhoods. “The program is revolutionary in its simplicity.” It merely gets all the authorities that are inevitably, but separately, called in when individuals and families are in trouble, talking to each other and building profiles and intervention strategies when the red flags go up – whether in the home, at school, or in a clinic or hospital. As Toronto Deputy Chief Peter Sloly noted, “Everyone can point to individuals, families, small neighbourhoods, buildings, where … you can see how they go from not so good to really lousy. If we invested there, we could have changed the course of action. A lot of that is rear-view mirror kind of stuff, but certain types of evidence-based interventions, within the right context, at the right time …you’re going to have a greater level of success.” Chief Dale McFee of Prince Albert’s police in describing the success of the program, remarked, “We’re not going to be able to arrest our way out of our troubles. This is moving from a political argument of ‘tough on crime,’ ‘soft on crime.’ … This is smart on community safety.” Deputy Chief Sloly also argued that the program has been shown actually to reduce costs.
The strategy to “prevent crime years in advance” has two key components, short-term case work, and longer-term studies to see what works and what doesn’t, and to identify patterns. Prince Albert set up The Hub to do the first; members from the police, social workers, educators and public health officials meet twice a week to share those cases they think could benefit from teamwork. “This could include . . . behaviour problems at school that might be linked to abuse at home, or break-and-enter charges used to feed an addiction. From there, the team develops a strategy tailored for each case.” The Centre for Responsibility (COR) was set up in Prince Albert to carry out the longer-term analysis and evaluation of the approach – to ask the big questions.. Said PC Matt Gray, “It’s pretty satisfying, after 15 years of policing . . . to help people instead of just bandaging the situation.”
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We don’t have a FOCUS program in our Division yet; it is certainly needed first in other parts of Toronto. Nevertheless, our officers are demonstrating daily both their own enthusiasm for a holistic and collaborative approach to the needs of our youth, and their confidence that the work they put in is making a big difference. I look forward to hearing about how well the pilot FOCUS program in Rexdale is working, and to being able to report more to you about the visionary steps our police are taking to improve not just the lives of kids but of the city’s families – in the course of making the city safer for us all. I highly recommend the Globe and Mail article, and you can find it here: http://annamehlerpaperny.com/2012/07/20/the-making- of-a-murderer-and-how-to-prevent-it/ (Please cut and paste into your browser if the link doesn’t work).
Patricia Stamp CPLC Representative for the Sheppard-Leslie Homeowners’ Association
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COMMUNITY CALENDAR: If you would like a Toronto Police Service representative from 33 Division to attend your community event, please send your request to Staff Sergeant Shawna Coxon at [email protected] or call 416-808-3392.
SUN MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 Annual Int’l 9 Women’s Day Ceremony at Police HQ lobby at 11 a.m. 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 St 18 19 20 21 22 23 Patrick’s Day
24 25 26 27 28 29 30 CPLC Meeting TPSB Meeting Good Friday 7 p.m. at 33 Division Community Room 31 Easter Sunday
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