CIVILIAN OVERSIGHT OF POLICE IN ONTARIO - WHAT A JOKE

Today's Waterloo Region Record carrys this story titled "Review of police oversight starts". Well this should be worth a laugh at least. Police oversight by civilains is less than a joke. At least here in Waterloo Region it is and by extension likely in other areas of Ontario as well. We have a civilain Police Board here who are nothing but a bunch of old boys and girls with long histories of being at the public trough. Oops I mean who are either current or retired politicians whether municipal or regional.

None of these politicians ever rocked the establishment boat. Why would they as it's worked for them. Hence when the duly appointed regional Police Chief tells they they don't need to know this or that for whatever reason then why would they buck him? Generally speaking who cares? Is it the well off in Westmount and Beechwood or is it the homeless, unemployed, invisble young and or disadvantaged in our society who come into contact with the police? And if they complain who the hell listens to them anyways?

Civilian oversight is a sham. Most police officers behave appropriately and for those who don't they just like teachers have union protection. Occasionally an officer will cross a politically incorrect line and get thrown to the wolves. The really bad ones such as was on display at the G20 in Toronto a few years back mostly have gotten away with their bad behaviour. Here senior police administraters know it's all about politics. Don't embarass the political elite and authorities and they'll let you do your thing. As long as only the marginalized and disenfranchised yell and holler then everybody is happy. Bad policies including excess co-operation with school boards resulting in witch hunts of occasional parents is tolerated even defended. Ignoring drunk drivers leaving hotels was tolerated for decades until the public overall stepped up and said enough. Distracted driving causing more mayhem and injury than even drunk driving was both ignored and tolerated by our authorities, both political and police, until only recently.

None of these issues should have taken half a century to fix. The public knew that something was wrong with police focusing solely on drunks and speeders and letting everything else go was a prescription for disaster. To this day speeders are jumped all over despite studies showing that speed alone does not kill. Inattention first, alcohol second and health deficits due to age and illness third are the causes of injuries and fatalities. Maybe because our politicainas are mostly older white males has something to do with police biases. Driving while black as an offence is alive and well here in Waterloo Region and certainly is in Toronto.

Get real citizens on Police Boards and give them some authority to change bad police policies and practices. Exclude the priveleged and certainly former and current politicians. If you flood any Board or Committee with professional liars then you get exactly what you intended which is a committee of the deaf, dumb and blind who will find no problems.