FCS, SCHOOL BOARD, & POLICE: UNHOLY TRINITY

The front page story of today's Waterloo Region Record is titled "Strip-searched dad receives apology from police chief". Clearly the victim of incompetent school, childrens' aid and police, Jesse Sansone is not totally satisfied by any stretch. "There's more than just the strip search that was at fault,he said. The whole procedure I thought was unbelievable, to be detained, strip-searched and have a search of my house...". Reporter Luisa D'Amato in another story on this matter suggested that our local police, by apologizing, have done so much better than Toronto police whose behaviour at the G20 two years ago in Toronto was so contemptible. My opinion is that Toronto police should be in jail for their behaviour, and that starts at the top and goes downwards. Here in Waterloo Region there must be substantive change in the unholy alliance between school boards, family & childrens' services and the police. All three lean heavily on each other for moral authority and quite frankly all three have little or none.

There is still a disconnect between the position of the Supreme Court of Canada and our police forces. The Supreme Court has ruled that routine strip searches are humiliating and degrading and are to be prohibited. Regional Police on the other hand feel they are acceptable for all persons being charged and held for a bail hearing who will be in custody with others. These strip searches are unnecessary and all about showing who has the power and authority. They are intentionally used to degrade exactly as the Supreme Court has clearly indicated. Keep this crap up and there will be a backlash in this country the likes of which Canada has never seen. These police abuses are becoming all too frequent and too often it isn't criminals being targeted as much as lawful protesters and activists.