POLICE BOARD SLAMS THE GATE AFTER THE HORSE HAS BOLTED

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story "Police board aims for transparency". All of this is taking place in the aftermath of Board vice-chair Kim Denouden being temporarily suspended during an investigation by the Ontario Civilian Police Commission. OCPC eventually decided not to hold a public hearing on the matter. The matter involved a verbal communication between Kim Denouden and an on duty police officer at police headquarters. Many of us would like to know what you have to say to a policeman that rates an investigation by OCPC. Personally I still think it was about as serious as suggesting that he was an overpaid, underworked, doughnut eating individual.

The only way the public ever found out about her alleged behaviour was by someone blowing the whistle anonymously. If there was more to it than my speculative comment in the preceding paragraph then we the public have a right to know. Currently our police board is generally a useless old boys club that appoints unqualified individuals who do little or nothing. There certainly isn't any real civilain oversight of our Regional Police which is plain wrong and all the scandals, alleged assaults, drug useage, posting of inappropriate photos and other behaviours are partly a result of that lack of transparency and accountability.