The pay and place of the police

 

 

                    by Kenneth Bagnell

       

    Richard Daley, the rough and tough five-term Chicago Mayor elected in 1989  had a way with language I can never forget. When crime once surged in his city he was blunt about the police and made an historic observation: “The police are not here to create disorder, they’re here to preserve disorder.” Don’t laugh. Daley now lives in heaven but I can’t help thinking if he ever looked down on Toronto he might repeat his insightful wisdom for us citizens who have to out up with a police force that, at least in the current one, is becoming a vivid, if at times somewhat humorous illustration of what he said.

       For example, the other day, I didn’t even have to open the paper, because the front page was almost taken up with the news that four of our cops in blue – three guys and a girl — had gotten so loaded they well, how can I put it: had a bit of what I call “group exploration”. Got it?  In fact I  truly shouldn’t have read it in the first place because of a very very explicit reason: a line above the first sentence said: “WARNING: Contains graphic language and descriptions.”

      Anyway too many of the “officers” are alleged to be so taken up with complaining it may well have deterred them from being where I would truly like them to be: preventing, containing or controlling the ever rude worsening traffic mess in Toronto, getting worse by the day, and for which they’re paid very well to address.

     Examples are available by the minute. To mention one only: yesterday a teenager laughed at me as he skate-boarded from the sidewalk, zigzagging across the usually swift Yonge Street traffic just below Eglinton. He was a showman, stylishly manoeuvering his board between the cars, (one had to slow down almost stopping) to the east side when he skated to, guess where? The LCBO.  How does that strike you? (For those of you across Canada  I can assure you it’s a reflection of the hour by hour rudeness on today’s Toronto streets. How I long for the city I came to in 1961, albeit without the fine dining we have today. And while all this obnoxious conduct is flourishing the police are preoccuplied year after year, for more, then more, more and more. In fact the papers report that collectively they get over 27 million in overtime pay (it’s called paid duty work, say at an arena) thereby enjoying a life which in economic terms, is fine, compared say to a waiter, a laborer, indeed many a journalist. The proof? Plus their salaries — often $100,000 –- hundreds of police, if not thosands, make money on overtime work. It amounted last year to $27 million. Yet they want more and more.   Consider these numbers: over 4,000 officers earn well over $100,000 a year. Excuse me, but how about other people in risky work positions from firefighters to mountain rescue teams. They have lives just as precious  as police officers, some of whom do clerical work every single day of their careers and hence are not in dangerous  roles. Virtually all are well paid.

     In the media work I’ve done in the past, part of it writing editorials for what we called “the board” (on The Star, the The Globe) we had now and then a meeting over lunch with the then Police Chief and some senior officers. All of us, on both sides, were courteous, but the agenda of the police can be summed up in three words: Complain. Complain. Complain. Mind you, they were courteous in their manner, but when I leaned over and whispered to a senior officer that “everybody -– from politicians to physicians to journalists” -– had to face criticism. He turned red, leaned to my ear and murmured: “For God’s sake don’t criticize them… if you do they’ll start quitting.”  No wonder when, the other day, to my surprise, when Toronto’s new Mayor John Tory got the news of the salaries of today’s Toronto police he was “dumbfounded” by the amount.”  Where has he been?    

      Just recently, another proverbial Task Force, has  reported on ways to reform and improve the ever complaining Metro Toronto Police Force. Its members (5,400 officers and 2,500 employees), are generally sincere hard working men and women, but for years they have been persistent almost beyond belief in just wanting “more.” The City Council and especially Mayor John Tory, are almost exhaustively seeking, in my view, to be constructive A day or so ago, the Star ran a report on the recommendations by yet another inquiry into Toronto’s policing problems. It is after all, a new city, compared with the one I came to, with Barbara, 55 years ago. Popluation then: 1 million, 824,000. Population now: 2 million, 615, 000. Virtually every morning  — I’m serious — I wake up to yet another tragedy, usually murder after midnight at or outside a “club.”

     In brief the task force recomends several key changes, in policy and practice, changes which, in my view, only time can prove fully correct. Over recent years, there’ve been  studies, reports, inquiries as to the Toronto Police department’s reformation and renewal. One, called the Transformatinal Task force, (it includes senior officers)   recommends, in general phrasing, “far reaching changes as to how police services are organized and delivered.” Thereby it will lead to reducing or restructuring the number of police stations, a net budget reduction, with significant savings over the next few years. A study by the highly respected research firm,  KPMG,  has recommendations, (helped, I’m told, by a seasoned senior police consultant from England )and all in all has very detailed findings, one that would rearrange station locations, reduce the number of officers in cars, replacing many with portable devices that are faster, simpler, cheaper. Also they advocate a three year freeze on new officers and more promotions. Without a doubt, these and other findings, are called for. But then there’s the police union…

    The Union’s leader is a man named Mike McCormack who always — prompty and probably — inserts his hand in most issues. Union leaders are, as we know usually  tough-minded and outspoken . Mike MacCormack has been. But for whatever reason, he’s become milder on  the current issue.The other day, after all this reform and renewal talk was public, McCormack went on CBC’s morning radio, where he was surprisingly restrained . It’s been that way since. The city council had tongue-lashed the police but the union has been restrained. Talk has it that McCormack has advised them to be so. That’s something new and is being interpreted by observers as a sign of a weakening organization. One example: The Star’s city hall bureau led an April 24 story with this sober perspective: “The tongue lashing city councillors gave police last week over controversial paid duty was the latest sign of the Toronto Police Association’s waning influnece at city hall….” I wonder. And what does it indicate?

 

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Past blogs are archived on my website: your comments are welcome there: www.kennethbagnell.com.