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Incredible number and variety of patches amongst the police engaged in the operations to clear the streets of downtown Ottawa today. Really shows the importance of patches and insignia as an identifying means in these public order operations. Police from all sorts of services working together and doing an outstanding job as trained professionals. Very rare to see in Canada.

A great article researched by Rob Martin. The posting is in the Police History category on the website

Mike Ebbeling Jul 26, 2021 | 8:42 PM The City of Dryden will be losing its municipal police force. Council voted 6-1 in favour of switching to Provincial Police Monday night. Shayne MacKinnon was the only one in favour of keeping the Dryden Police Service. Dryden Council, led by Mayor Greg Wilson, directed staff in October 26, 2020, to request an OPP Costing Proposal. That resulted in presentations from the City Force, OPP, the consultant, and a public meeting. This followed a similar request in June, 2017. The same Council at that time voted 6-1 against the OPP Proposal. This time around those in favour pointed to yearly savings of roughly $1.1 million once the three year transition is completed, an increased compliment of officers and a more coordinated police approach. They stressed the decision isn’t reflective of the work done by Dryden Police officers, but noted it’s time to adapt to changing times and added and new pressures. Some stated the City just doesn’t have the same resources Provincial Police can provide. Michelle Price admitted at the meeting that this was a gut-wrenching but necessary decision. This is a developing story and more details will follow.

Ontario Provincial Police - Central Region 1thtSposonsorced · Nottawasaga OPP Provincial Constable Harry Lawrenson is retiring after 56 years of service from an extraordinary career and commitment to our community. Commissioner Carrique personally presented him with the Commissioner's Coin to thank him for his dedicated service. Harry Lawrenson is a name likely known, not only to police officers, but also to many community members of all ages. He was born on October 12, 1944, and started his impressive career with the OPP on September 17, 1962, as a Civilian Radio Operator at Belleville District Headquarters. Lawrenson joined the force as an Ontario Provincial Police Constable with class 51 on October 4, 1965. He was posted to Manitouwadge Detachment. Lawrenson moved throughout the OPP area during his career, spending time at Kakabeka Falls Detachment and Shelburne Detachment. Not only did Lawrenson move throughout the OPP, he also changed roles and responsibilities: - July 3, 1973, he joined the Drug Enforcement Branch (Special Investigations Branch). - November 14, 1977, he transferred to the Intelligence Branch. - September 1, 1980, he received a promotion to Corporal. - November 16, 1981, he transferred to Anti Rackets Branch. - January 4, 1982, he transferred to the Training Branch at the newly opened OPP training facilities in Brampton (Queen & McLaughlin Street) as an instructor and a Drill Sergeant. - June 1, 1985, he was promoted to the rank of Sergeant. - October 15, 1985, Lawrenson moved to the Office of the Deputy Commissioner (Field Division). A promotion, to Staff Sergeant followed. - On August 1, 1986, he transferred to the Field Coordination Branch. - On April 1, 1987, he transferred to the Computer and Telecommunications Branch. - On December 5, 1988, he transferred to the Security Bureau, which led to a transfer to Queen's Park Detachment on February 1, 1990. - On June 18, 1990, Harry received a promotion to Detective Inspector and was transferred to the Intelligence Bureau, where he remained until his retirement on December 31, 1994. Detective Inspector Harry Lawrenson had a total of 32 years, 3 months and 14 days of service to the people of Ontario. Lawrenson's career did not end there, in June of 1997, Lawrenson returned to the OPP as a part-time Constable. Since returning, Lawrenson has truly gone above and beyond with his time and commitment to our community. He has dedicated countless hours to the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, where he has had the opportunity to mentor thousands of youth in elementary schools. Lawrenson has also mentored and trained numerous officers, not only from OPP, but other forces as well, to become DARE qualified instructors. In 2019, Lawrenson was presented with the DARE International Lifetime Achievement Award. Lawrenson is now hanging up his uniform and tucking away his boots for the last time. As of June 30, 2021, he has served our community for a combined total of 56 years. Message from Nottawasaga Detachment Commander Inspector, S. Ridout: "Harry Lawrenson, we are all honoured to have worked with you and wish you all the very best in your well-deserved retirement. You are, and always will be, one to look up to. Well done sir, we salute you!" Heartfelt message from Lawrenson's family: "Not many of us are privileged to do what we love for a lifetime. Police work has been Harry's passion and his joy, regardless of his rank or position. His years at Nottawasaga in community policing and in the DARE program have been some of his most rewarding. While we have no doubt that retiring will be bittersweet for Harry, he will always find fulfillment in knowing he spent his life accomplishing his childhood dream of becoming a police officer." Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement, Harry. Thank you for your dedication to the people of Ontario and the OPP. #NottyOPP

https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/mobile/after-141-years-of-service-the-shelburne-police-department-will-be-replaced-1.5027118 SHELBURNE, ONT. -- After 141 years, the Shelburne Police Department is on its way out, to be replaced by the Ontario Provincial Police, a decision that has been weighing over the town for some time. On Wednesday evening, town council decided to make the change to the OPP after two separate cost estimates. The mayor says the decision was inevitable, and cheaper, with a projected savings of $6 million over the next 10 years. Several other smaller communities in the province have made a similar move, switching to the OPP, including Midland and Orangeville. The shift to the OPP would take place in February 2021 with officers based out of the Primrose Detachment.

‘It’s unbelievable,’ councillor on Dryden’s OPP Costing Category: Local News Published: Wednesday, 30 September 2020 20:00 Written by Ryan Forbes Councillor Shayne MacKinnon says he was ‘floored’ to see Mayor Greg Wilson’s Notice of Motion to add OPP Costing onto council’s agenda in October, after the OPP’s original proposal was shot-down in 2019. He believes the move could be related to a recent contract negotiation with the police union. Councillors with the City of Dryden are set to discuss and vote on potentially pursuing a second OPP Costing process on October 26. Mayor Greg Wilson filed a Notice of Motion to add the issue onto next month’s council meeting’s agenda earlier this week, which was approved last night at City Hall during a virtual council meeting without a discussion or a recorded vote. The City of Dryden eventually shot down their original OPP Costing process 6-1 in May of 2019, ending roughly two years of speculation from the community. Mayor Wilson was the lone member of council to vote to accept the OPP’s offer. However, councillor Shayne MacKinnon, who asked for a moratorium preventing any further OPP costing discussions for 15 years after last year’s decision, which was denied due to municipal laws, says Mayor Wilson should have discussed the matter with councillors before filing the motion. “I’m floored by this call for a new police costing,” said MacKinnon, in his comments after the meeting. “Rather than acting arbitrarily, the Mayor and leader of our team should have the courtesy to discuss his concerns about our police service before putting another motion forward to abolish it.” “I’ve been told the Mayor and another councillor attended the OPP office last week to talk to the detachment commander. That’s speculation. But if that’s the case, council should be privy to those discussions and they should not be secret.” “I also believe that because of the timing of this request, that this motion is a sore-thumb reaction to a recently granted police arbitration award, rather than a credible need to change our services,” said MacKinnon. MacKinnon says the Dryden Police Services Board and the Dryden Police Association entered into contract negotiations recently, and were unable to reach an agreement. The two parties made their case to an independent arbitrator assigned by the province, and MacKinnon noted the arbitration award seemed to favour the police union. “This may be that the Mayor is unhappy with the result, and he decided to seek retribution on the union and perhaps the Dryden Police Services Board, and is now asking for another costing from the OPP,” MacKinnon added. Wilson’s letter states that Dryden is the only community in northwestern Ontario with its own municipal police force, and policing costs per household represent about 25 per cent of the City’s annual budget. Policing costs per household in Dryden were estimated at $1,265 per household, where the average cost in the same year in Kenora, Fort Frances and Red Lake were roughly $727, which are also roughly twice the average cost in Ontario. Wilson's letter says policing costs have risen by 4 per cent year over year, which is twice the rate of inflation. He also says the recent contract settlement with the Dryden Police Association shows this trend is likely to continue into the future. “The numbers quoted in the Mayor’s letter are dubious at best, and fly in the face of the numbers we received 14 months ago. If the DPS had in fact cost 73 per cent more than the OPP, the vote may have been 7-0 in favour of switching, instead of 6-1 against. But it was cheaper to keep our police service. Council needs to explain this obvious difference,” finished MacKinnon. Following MacKinnon’s comments, Wilson said the councillor was getting ahead of himself, noting the discussion should be left for October’s meeting. Councillor Norm Bush agreed with the Mayor, but said MacKinnon’s comments were unfair. “I see nothing in the Mayor’s motion that talks about abolishing Dryden’s police services. The Mayor doesn’t do anything that’s capricious, that’s not in the best interest in this community, and I believe that his motion, however it turns out, is only put together with the best intentions of the community at heart.” “This discussion should take place on October 26 when people have had a chance to reflect on this. People should just keep an open mind, and understand that the intentions, I believe, are what’s best for the citizens and community of Dryden. They are not self-serving,” said Bush. When the original OPP Costing process was voted down, Councillor Bush said the city should re-explore the option by 2021, as councillors would have more financial freedom with lesser debt repayments. However, in May of 2019, the current set of councillors said they were not able to revisit the issue in their term, and the next municipal election isn’t set until 2022. Now, councillors will vote on whether or not to pursue another process through the OPP, on October 26 at City Hall. You can listen to councillor Shayne MacKinnon's comments during last night's discussion below. 00 05:52 The city’s original OPP Costing process began way back in May of 2017, when city staff requested a quote from the OPP for the cost of policing the city and amalgamating the Dryden Police Service with the OPP. In November of 2018, the OPP’s costs were estimated at over $7.7 million, including their base cost as well as transitional costs and severance fees. The Dryden Police Service’s budget was listed at $4 million. From that presentation, councillors had 6 months to make a decision, or the proposal would be scrapped. In May of 2019, the community packed City Hall’s council chambers to hear city staff’s final recommendation on the matter. Ultimately, city staff recommended councillors to vote down the OPP’s proposal, citing financial, liability and service level concerns. While the OPP’s model projected an estimated $1 million in savings by year 5 of the OPP, the roughly $4.5 million in transitional costs would have been very difficult to swallow – as staff continue to work towards more financial flexibility and lowering debt repayments in 2021. At a special council meeting on May 2, 2019, the city’s OPP Costing Committee -featuring members of council, the police services board and the community – also recommended against the OPP’s proposal. Members were concerned about a loss of governance control and assurance by switching to the OPP’s model, the loss of a Dryden-dedicated community service officer and impacts to employees and the community as a whole. For more information: Wilson proposes another OPP Costing process 2019 ends speculation for Dryden police https://www.drydennow.com/local/it-s-unbelievable-councillor-on-dryden-s-opp-costing?fbclid=IwAR13uzd9iYodpLtc8NFGsUZFqItfEqrJp0nnAwrW6G1VFbMo-4fOm4txjD4

https://www.everythingzoomer.com/lifestyle/spirit/2019/01/25/happy-95th-birthday-richard-rohmer-truly-original-canadian/

https://windsorstar.com/news/local-news/town-of-leamington-to-terminate-contract-with-opp?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1iJ4KARcBnmUYKKxCt3zkAdWOxW5sE3CEhyl9pT9OaBV4ncXnov3oesLg#Echobox=1591822417

Toronto police Chief Mark Saunders is stepping down source: https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/toronto-police-chief-mark-saunders-is-stepping-down-1.4974664 TORONTO -- Mark Saunders is stepping down from his role as the chief of the Toronto Police Service. Saunders, who has held the top title at the service since April 2015, will mark his last day in the role on July 31. “Here I am after serving 37 plus years of what I believe to be the greatest law enforcement agency in the world. I’ve watched this organization grow, learn, listen and serve the greatest, fourth-largest city in the continent and the most diverse city in the world,” Saunders said at a news conference held at Toronto Police Headquarters on Monday afternoon. “I look forward to being a full-time dad and a full-time husband that’s not an exhausted by-product who walks through the door at the end of the day.” n August 2019, following Toronto’s most deadly year ever, which included two shocking incidents, the North York van attack and a mass shooting on the Danforth, Saunders’ contract as chief of the service was extended until April 30, 2021. That was the second time in the past 40 years that the service’s chief would serve more than a single term. Prior to being named the first-ever Black chief, Saunders worked in several units of the Toronto Police Service, including homicide, professional standards and emergency task force. While announcing his resignation and admitting that not everything about his tenure was perfect, Saunders thanked his family, fellow members of the service, the media, and the people of Toronto for their continued support. “I want to thank the citizens and communities of Toronto for their partnerships you’ve created for us in keeping Toronto safe,” he said. “You’re responsible for solving most of the cases that were presented in the city, you’re responsible for working us through the good, the bad, the indifferent.” “You’re the ones who came to the table to keep us in-check whenever it was necessary.” When asked why he was leaving his position now, he stated that he wasn’t going to leave until he had “satisfied the men and women of the organization.” “As chief, the expiry date is when you retire, when your contract is up, or it’s when you finish a project or a mission,” Saunders said, adding that he believes the service is “in a safe spot.” “As a dad, as Mark Saunders, I can pick any time, but in my 37 plus years, I’ve never had an August off and this will be the first time that I will have an August off with my family and I’m not sure what to do with it yet, but I’m looking forward to it.” ‘I wanted one project’: Body-worn cameras coming to TPS Last week, Saunders said George Floyd’s life being taken at the hands of a white police officer in Minneapolis spoke to the value of why members of the Toronto Police Service need to be equipped with body-worn cameras. Body-worn cameras have been absent on the vests of police officers in Toronto for several years now. A pilot project that saw 100 front-line officers be equipped with the cameras for 11 months ended in April 2016. This past weekend, in the wake of Floyd’s death, thousands of protestors participated in anti-Black racism rallies in downtown Toronto, and across the world. Saunders joined protestors near Yonge and College streets on Friday and took a knee. Saunders said that he previously thought he would finish the year off as police chief, but after the weekend protests he received many calls for him to “go another five years,” and he said he “had to put it to a stop.” In putting a stop to it, Saunders made his announcement on Monday and noted that his “one project” of officers being equipped with body-worn cameras will hopefully be fulfilled by July. “I wanted one project and by all accounts I think we might have an opportunity to fulfill that and I’ll tell you, I’ll be the happiest chief in the world if that does happen in July but there are a whole host of reasons and at the end of the day, it’s a whole bunch of things but it’s going to be good to be a dad.” Earlier on Monday, Toronto Mayor John Tory said some officers could begin wearing body cameras as early as this summer. He said the matter will likely be discussed at next month’s Toronto Police Services Board meeting. Saunders on his proudest moment When asked for his greatest achievement as police chief and his biggest regret, Saunders touted his work on the service’s transformational taskforce. “I can’t think of any regrets, everything has become an opportunity, but I will say that the one thing that I thought was great was the transformational taskforce,” he said. “If you go back to when it started and what the concept of the transformational taskforce, it was giving the community equal ownership of what the Toronto Police Service should look like, no one has ever done that before.” He added that it was also one of his “most uncomfortable moments.” “Half of my best players and half of the community, different lenses, different colours, different mindsets and we built from a blank page. That has never been done before but now you fast forward to today, look at where we’re at, this is exactly where we are, this is what the community is demanding.” What’s next for Saunders? After taking some time off to spend quality time with his family, Saunders said he plans to continue working for the city of Toronto for free on issues close to his heart. “When I say retired, doesn’t mean that I’m done,” he said. “There are things that I want to do for the city of Toronto for free. I think I come with a lot of knowledge that can help in keeping the city safe.” “I see a lot of young black boys getting killed by young black boys and law enforcement deals with those symptoms and I want to help the cure for the disease and I think I have a ton of knowledge that can help keep governments in-check and do the right thing to make sure that we get it right.” Saunders underwent a kidney transplant in 2017. He said his health was not a factor in this decision. ‘Has always worked to protect the city’ In the wake of his resignation announcement, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Ontario Premier Doug Ford thanked Saunders for his hard work and offered him well-wishes in the future. “On behalf of all Toronto residents, I want to thank Chief Saunders for his exemplary service,” Tory said. “He has led the women and men of the Toronto Police Service for the last five years – working to modernize the service and establishing community-focusing policing.” “I wish him all the best in his retirement from the Toronto Police Service. We will continue to see the benefits of his pioneering work on modernization and culture change for years to come.” Ford called Saunders a “tremendous leader and a true champion for the Toronto community.” “I want to give a big thank you to Saunders for his service,” the premier said. “Together we took on many challenges and I want to thank him for his partnership and friendship.” “I wish him the best.”

source: https://globalnews.ca/news/6695624/york-regional-police-new-chief/ Deputy Chief James MacSween, a 30-year veteran of York Regional Police, is set to become the head of the force on May 1. “I want to thank the York Regional Police Services Board for having the trust and confidence in choosing me as the next chief of police, and for their ongoing support to our organization,” MacSween said in a news release. He has worked with various parts of the force, holds a bachelor of applied arts degree in justice studies from the University of Guelph, and graduated from the police leadership program at the Rotman School of Management, as well as a program at the Senior Management Institute for Police, the news release said. MacSween also volunteers at community organizations like Special Olympics Ontario. He is the vice chair of the board of directors for St. John Ambulance. MacSween is replacing Chief Eric Jolliffe who is retiring on April 30 after 40 years in policing and 10 years as chief.

https://www.orangeville.com/news-story/9996004-ontario-civilian-police-commission-approves-orangeville-move-to-opp/?fbclid=iwar3hg7jvr_dazm7oouaxlqvz5lxl3gtl0pj4kzygwlpxjmfrxgavxqcz9ku

Just letting all you Challenge Coin collectors know that Stratford Police have started issuing Challenge coins to their retirees as a thank you for years of service. Attached is a picture. At present I have only the one. Take Care John Hackett retired Stfd PS