Blue Line Magazine 1 FEBRUARY 2006 Blue Line Magazine 2 FEBRUARY 2006 February 2006 Volume 18 Number 2 Publisher’s Commentary 5 A judicial common sense revolution is needed Blue Line Magazine 12A-4981 Hwy 7 East Ste 254 Carving up a scarce resource 6 Markham, ON L3R 1N1 Canadian recruiting units face the challenge Canada Ph: 905 640-3048 Fax: 905 640-7547 Changes needed to retain Gen X officers 7 Web: www.blueline.ca eMail: [email protected] Police join forces to solve problems 8 — Publisher — Morley S. Lymburner Getting control of 9-1-1 10 eMail: [email protected] — General Manager — Going beyond defensive tactics/self-defence 12 Mary Lymburner, M.Ed. eMail: [email protected] MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS 14 — Editor — Mark Reesor Paramedics don body armour 16 eMail: [email protected] Cuts impede war on crime 18 — News Editor — Ryan Siegmund eMail: [email protected] DISPATCHES 18 — Advertising — Creating a culture of prevention 20 Ontario Provinical Police Dispatcher Lori Mary Lymburner Anderson is shown on this month’s cover Dean Clarke Justice officials discuss wrongful convictions Bob Murray managing her police sector out of the Orillia Kathryn Lymburner Women in funny hats 22 Communications Centre. One of the more eMail: [email protected] problematic issues currently being dealt with Hepatitis C rampant in prisons 28 is the high number of non-emergent calls being — Pre-press Production — Del Wall received on the 9-1-1 system. When the level To conserve and protect 30 of non-emergent 9-1-1 calls reached 90 per cent — Contributing Editors — the OPP decided to act with a public awareness Communication Skills Mark Giles Safely home turns ten 32 campaign that started with a media scrum last Police Management James Clark A decade of helping people with Alzheimer’s Tactical Firearms Dave Brown November. You can read more on page 10. Technology Tom Rataj February is our annual Supply and Psychology Dorothy Cotton Pedal for hope 34 Service Guide. You can find most anything Case Law Mike Novakowski required by police and security agencies in Saskatoon hosts world police conference 36 Blue Line Magazine is published monthly, September to June, by the guide at the centre of this book. Each year Blue Line Magazine Incorporated with a mailing address of: Blue Line Magazine staff canvasses 12A - 4981 Hwy. 7 East, Ste. 254, I didn’t say that! 38 Markham, Ontario, L3R 1N1. companies to determine their interest in Individual magazines are $5.00 each. Subscriptions are $25.00 per 2006 SUPPLY AND SERVICE GUIDE 42 serving the law enforcement sector. This year or $40.00 for 2 years. (Foreign - $50.00 U.S.) Group and bulk rates directory is a result of that survey. February available upon request. All material submitted for publication becomes the property of Blue Line Toronto task force is always ready 52 has become the most sought after and retained Magazine unless other arrangements have been made with the publisher issue of the year. prior to publishing. 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Does size really matter? 56 Articles on media relations are presented Established in 1988, Blue Line Magazine is an independent publication by Jim Stanton, on page 72, Richard Perry, designed to inform, entertain, educate and upgrade the skills of those involved in the law enforcement profession. It has no direct control from a CASE LAW 58 on page 38, and our own media columnist law enforcement agency and its opinions and articles do not necessarily Mark Giles on page 14. The topics chosen by reflect the opinions of any government, police, or law enforcement agency. ©2006 - All articles are protected by copyright. No part of this CORRESPONDENCE 63 these writers emphasizes what a complex issue publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, public affairs and media relations has become electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission. TECHNOLOGY 64 for policing. Opportunities for learning more Satellite imagery for the masses Internet activity is monitored and use or re-posting of is available in a two-day course presented by material on the Internet is restricted. Jim Stanton at the Blue Line Trade Show this Determined to deliver 66 April. For registration information go to the Trade Show section at www.BlueLine.ca. Halifax police promote diversity 67 This publication is a private venture and receives no Police human resources has quickly subsidy or grant from any level of government. NEWS CLIPS 68 become the issue of the millenium. This month — Affiliations — we present articles on page 6 and 8 from staff International Association of Law Enforcement Planners Canadian Advertising Rates & Data DEEP BLUE 69 writer Ryan Seigmund and another International Police Association The stigma of mental illness remains perspective on the subject on page 22 by Karen The Police Leadership Forum Collins as well as page 56 by Charlotte Periodical Publishers Exchange ODDITORIALS 70 Kratchmer. To round off the topic Danette The Canadian Press Newswire Harvey Research Dooley wades in on the issue of staff diversity COMING EVENTS 73 in Halifax on page 67. Printed in Canada by Tri-Tech Printing This issue, being one of the biggest editions ISSN #0847 8538 BACK OF THE BOOK 78 of the year, is packed full of much, much more Canada Post - Canadian Publications Mail Jury duty can cause stress, study finds so start turning the pages. Product Sales Agreement No. 176796 Blue Line Magazine 3 FEBRUARY 2006 Blue Line Magazine 4 FEBRUARY 2006 A judicial common sense revolution is needed by Morley Lymburner nored or unpunished then their business fails. squeezed between the pipes their organizations In such matters, and if left unchecked, every can busy itself “taking care of business” to en- When it comes to jury trials exceptional citizen in this country is simply a pawn that sure any one of the twelve jurors are gotten to times require exceptional changes in laws. In lives or dies at their whim. Society can not tol- as an example for the rest of society. If they this day of intimidation and terror there should erate this attitude nor permit an environment don’t hesitate to kill correctional officers I am be zero risk of contaminating the court room. that supports it. sure they won’t hesitate to intimidated a stock One manner in which such matters could be When dealing with individual criminals, broker, store merchant or homemaker. dealt with would be by eliminating jury trials jury trials can still work. But not so for organ- Society can no longer afford the luxury of under exceptional circumstances. ized crime groups. The organizations that come juries in terrorist or trauma trial situations. It is In the case of mega-trials of terrorists or part and parcel with some individual criminals time to re-think the entire process and get back gang members there is no way a jury should is far more problematic than the pawns they to basics. It is time we really thought about how be put under the amount of stress necessary to sacrifice. It is the organization that is the square much we are willing to sacrifice to prop up an come to a verdict. These are ruthless criminals root of all fears. Long after an individual is almost 800 year tradition. in charge of terrorist organizations who pos- sess almost unlimited resources to seek re- venge. In a vain attempt to prop up a weak sys- tem the courts and governments have gone to extreme measures to protect the jurors and the courts. In some instances even to the extent of building entire high security court houses at a price tag into the millions. It is time new laws were introduced that strip away jury trials under certain circum- stances. Cases in which jurors could be exposed to a high level of danger or even anxiety would include biker trials and those accused of ter- rorist acts. By example there are no greater ter- rorists in contemporary society than outlaw motorcycle gangs. Their entire existence relies heavily on intimidation of average citizens and authority figures alike. Two dead federal cor- rections officers near Montreal along with sky- rocketing shooting deaths in Toronto clearly attest to this. At a preliminary hearing the Crown should be permitted to make application to have the trial by judge or judges alone. The Italian jus- tice system found that it is far easier to protect one judge for the rest of his life than hundreds of average citizens from which a jury is drawn. As one study out of Simon Fraser University attests it is also easier to get psychological help for one judge rather than hundreds of jurors. You can read more on this issue in The Back of the Book column in this issue. For years the need for jury trials has been brought into question. In the year 1215, when the Magna Carta granted trial by jury, it was an age when almost everyone spent their en- tire life in one village.