Policing

Police, fire and emergency services

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Cobourg council must decide on future of police station, says board chair

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Cobourg police station

The show:

The full interview with bonus material:

Cobourg council recently received a report from the Police Service Board outlining the current conditions of the station on King Street. Complete with numerous images of the deficiencies, it calls into question the viability of the historic Armoury Building as a suitable space. In this interview, Cobourg Police Services chair Ron Kerr and Chief Paul VandeGraaf discuss the submission. While there are several options, it is clear that they are pushing for a new facility with a cost ranging from $30 to $35 million. However, the final decision will be up to the council. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, #Cobourg, Community, Police, Policing, Politics

Police review underway as politicians and residents grapple left to grapple with future

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OPP cruiser

The show:

The full interview with bonus material:

You will want to listen to today’s show if you care about your municipal taxes. The cost of policing is one of the largest expenses for municipalities in Northumberland County. It is one of the main drivers, but not the only one, behind a review underway at the county council. Meanwhile, the Cobourg council is facing a tough decision regarding a police station. Port Hope budgets are under strain, plus it has a mixed service for Ward 1 and 2. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Northumberland County, Police, Policing, Politics

New deputy chief for Cobourg police force outlines his experience and vision

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Deputy Chief Jeff Haskins

The show:

The full interview with bonus material:

Around 30 years ago, a new cadet on the Durham Region police force got an idea. He would organize a basketball game and slam dunk contest for high school kids. They would be divided up into two teams – east and west. Each school would send its top players. The winners would get to go to see the Chicago Bulls game. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Police, Policing

Cobourg police board seeks public input on use of body cameras

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Charges of racism and police violence have renewed calls in Canada for frontline officers to wear body cameras. The debate is taking place across the country. From the RCMP to Toronto’s police, Indigenous groups and Black Lives Matters are calling for officers to wear video recording devices on their chests. The longtime debate over the need to wear body cameras is coming to Cobourg. As part of its technology and innovation strategy, the Police Services Board wants your opinion. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Take a Moment to Consider This, Community, Police, Policing, Politics

Opioids in Northumberland County – a frontline perspective from Cobourg police

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If you live in Northumberland County, surely there has been a time when you were standing in the sunshine and looked north only to see the dark clouds of a storm. And, you may wonder, it is going to come here or is it just going to pass by. The recent headlines coming out of Peterborough related to the opioid crisis facing that community are shocking. In a single weekend in early June, 13 people overdosed and two died within a 72-hour period. Deputy Chief Timothy Farquharson said in an interview with CBC, he hasn’t seen anything like it in his 33 years in policing. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Northumberland, Community, Opioids, Police, Policing

Fentanyl deaths quadruple in Cobourg in less than a year, says police chief

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The number of deaths due to fentanyl has quadrupled, while the number of calls to police has doubled in the past year, Chief Kai Liu said during an interview on Consider This Live. These are just calls where the police respond, he added. There are also those cases where people call an ambulance and those are not recorded in the police statistics, he explained. The number of calls up until July was 25 compared to 13 fentanyl calls for all of 2017.  The number of deaths in 2017 was one. By July, it was four. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Live, Police, Policing

Solution-based policing and other topics with the Cobourg chief of police

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Cobourg Police Chief Kai Lui reviews the 2015 annual report, discussing some of the major initiatives and “solution-based” policing used locally on Consider This Live as part of the Drive Time on Northumberland 89.7 FM. Continue Reading →

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Filed under: Consider This Live, Police, Policing

Remembering former Cobourg Police Chief Dan McDougall

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By Robert Washburn

It was with deep sadness the news of the death of former Cobourg Police Chief Dan McDougall arrived this past week. It would be wrong to say I knew him well because I didn’t. But, he and I had lots of contact when I was a reporter at the Cobourg Daily Star. For the all the years I worked as a reporter, the police beat was mine. So, we regularly crossed paths. Continue Reading →

Filed under: Thinking Out Loud, Police, Policing