Police force losing wealth of experience

Why are so many good officers leaving?

Cornwall Standard Freeholder

14 March 2009

Posted By CLAUDE MCINTOSH

The front-line ranks of the Cornwall Community Police Service are becoming less experienced.

Several officers have left the force in recent months -the Ontario Provincial Police and RCMP have become the favourite destinations - and a reported long list is waiting to get out.

The exodus, along with retirements, could mean that at the end of this year the force will have as many as a dozen officers serving on the front lines with less than 13 months experience.

That would be about one-quarter of the patrol complement.

The officers leaving mostly have five to 14 years of front-line experience, the kind of experience the OPP and RCMP see as a great asset.

True, the department is saving money in the short-term, but it is losing invaluable experience.

"I've got 14 years experience," said one officer who has joined the exodus. "You can't replace that . . . it's not as simple as a (inexperienced) body for a (experienced) body. Some people at CPS might think so, but you can't."

Morale is cited as a festering problem, especially among the front-line officers.

Overmanagement is seen by some as part of the equation along with alleged favouritism when it comes to promotions.

Said one officer who went to the OPP last year: "All they want to know is what car number I have. There aren't a lot of managers (at the detachment level). It's go out and do the job."

Coun. Denis Thibault, police services board chair, says he's been told that many small municipal forces are losing officers (to the OPP).

He isn't aware of any morale problems.

Some officers might suggest that he needs to put his ear closer to the ground.

COFFEE GRINDS

* The Hockey Night in Canada broadcast team may have a job opening next season.

The buzz around the National Hockey League water coolers is that ex-Royal Marc Crawford is on Bob Gainey's shortlist to replace fired coach Guy Carbonneau.

If Crawford got the job, he could almost drive to work. He's always maintained a home in Cornwall, and just recently built a new one on old Highway 2 east of the city, a 60- minute drive to the Bell Centre.

While Crawford isn't fluently bilingual, he has a good grasp of French and it wouldn't take him long to become fluent.

* We've all heard those big city stories about passersby ignoring somebody in need of help.

Well, it can happen in small towns, too.

Few weeks back a city man fell and broke his hip in several places. Several people passed by without stopping to help.

* Trivia question -He is the only Cornwall native to coach the Montreal Canadiens.

Answer to last week's trivia question -at the end of the 1980 training camp, the Canadiens traded walk-on Dan Daoust to the Leafs to make room for Guy Carbonneau.

* Just a thought -if this is such a great town to live in, why have so many people on the city payroll decided to move out of the city in recent years?

Somebody has suggested that there are now more upper-level management people living in South Stormont and South Glengarry than in the city. Maybe they're just getting a jump on amalgamation.

* Do we really need to spend thousands of dollars on consultants to tell us that when the repair bills for our aging outdoor pools become prohibitive they should be closed or replaced?

Duh! A double duh for hiring consultants to say that after 15 years it is time to raise the parking meter rates, and that people don't want to wait 50 minutes for a bus.

* A rematch between Conservative Guy Lauzon and the Liberals' Denis Sabourin? It's a real possibility.

Comments on this Article.

Something has to be done to stop the exodus of experienced officers from leaving the Cornwall Police Dept, you cannot replace experienced officers with rookies it just doesn't work, you need the veteran officers to make the judgement call on the spot not to make serious mistakes which will unfortunately happen with rookies.

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #1 By rkake,

What's going on ? Cornwall is losing experienced police officers and paramedics too ! Where is the problem ? Funny Fire don't lose anyone...

Reply | Report | Page Top Post #2 By G Force,