Chief's Blog

Police Citycam project expands

We have been talking about adding CCTV Cameras at various locations through Hamilton for several months now. People have been very supportive about this initiative and I thank everyone for being so patient.

One of the requirements for the installation of cameras is public notification, through signage, in the affected areas. I am very pleased to announce that the signs are now in the Concession Street area. Our cameras are in place and they will be switched on for monitoring very shortly. We anticipate the installations will have a very positive, proactive effect on crime in that area.

Please send me a message to my blog is you have any comments about the cameras or any other issues.

HPS Host to 2009 FBI National Academy Associates Conference

Last week the Hamilton Police hosted the 2009 FBI National Academy Associates Conference for the New York State and Eastern Canada Chapter.  Over 120 delegates attended this event and by all accounts it was  a resounding success.  Topics at the conference included Facial Reconstruction of Skeletal remains, Use of the Internet in crime fighting and a full overview of the FBI's D/C Sniper case.

One of the things delegates/attendee said consistantly was they love Hamilton, it's people and our attractions. 

I would like to give special thanks to our Police Services Board for supporting this event and HPS Inspector Dan Kinsella for co-ordinating it.  I also like to thank the scores of volunteers who put in long hours to make the conference the very best.

Take Care and be Aware

Over the last two weeks we have observed several tragic traffic collisons that have resulted in the loss of life. As our Collision Reconstruction Unit investigates each of these incidents, as a police service we have been analyzing whether there are any commonalities or trends that may help to explain why the collisions are taking place.

As we examined the collisions we could not come up with any single trend that would help explain why they happened. Each involved different types of movement and at different types of locations.

When it comes to keeping our roads safet, Hamilton Police have a message for citizens:  please, when you are on our roads, be aware of your surroundings.  Whether you are a pedestrian, cyclist or motorist you have to actively watch the traffic movement around you. Be on guard and in a collision prevention mode at all times. Anticipate the movement of people and the traffic around you and take the necessary steps to prevent a collision. Always watch out. 

TAKE CARE AND BE AWARE

Let's keep our roads safe.

 

Part-time Policing comes to Hamilton

Today is a great day for the Hamilton Police Service. We are one of only four Police Services in the Province to have the ability to use part-time police officers and I presented badges to those five new officers today.

This initiative has been endorsed by our Police Services Board and it has been under development for over 18 months. It will have a positive impact on the workload of our front-line patrol officers.

All of these officers recently retired from our ranks and they have the same level of training as our full-time uniformed staff. They will be called in to take over duties of patrol officers when they are involved in guarding crime scenes, guarding prisoners in hospitals and performing escort duty. Their use will allow our full-time patrol officers to return to their duties and respond to high priority calls for service.

Keeping Crime Down

Last Monday evening our Police Services Board held its regularly scheduled meeting and during it we presented several year-end reports. In particular I would like to brief you on two of them. Copies of all of our public Police Service Board Reports are available for viewing on this web site.

The first report tendered involved the activities of our Gangs and Weapons Enforcement Unit last year . This unit has been doing an outstanding job disrupting the activities of the various gangs in our City. Over the year they made 151 arrest and 462 charges were layed. Almost $1.8 million dollars in drugs were seized and as importantly 50 illegal firearms were taken off the street. Our officers worked very hard but the credit for their success is shared. My gratitude also goes out to the citizens who assisted the GWEU in attacking this form of organized crime. My thanks to all involved.

The second report highlighted the youth crime stats for 2008. Last year we experienced a significant reduction in the number of youth involved in criminal activity here in Hamilton. This is despite the fact this segment of the population is increasing. Violent crime, such as fights etc, increased slightly over the previous year. We also saw great results from our youth diversion programs with a 91% success rate being experienced. In a nut shell we, as a community, saw some success in reducing this type of crime.

The last point in all my blog messages is always a crime prevention tip and today isn't an exception to that rule. In the last two months we have seen a marked increase in theft from vehicles. People are stealing cash, phones and gps machines in increasing numbers. Please take the necessary steps to conceal these type of items when you are away from your car. Always lock your car and park it in a well lit area wherever possible. Lastly, never ever leave your keys in your ignition - yes this still happens with some regularity.

Thanks for helping us reduce crime.

Last week I outlined that Chairman Morelli and I were appearing on Cable 14's Police Watch and 900 CHML's Bill Kelly show to obtain input into our upcoming 2010 to 2013 business plan. The response to this approach was excellent and we received over a dozen calls to each show. The input from the citizens who joined in the discussions was outstanding and we will take it all into consideration in our new plan. I want to thank everyone who contributed to those events.

If you didn't have an opportunity to provide input please don't worry. There will be geographically based meetings in March/April. Keep an eye out for the places and dates of those meetings. They will be promoted in the near future.

As a reminder, you can always open the Community Forum Blog, in this web address, to comment on the next plan. Don't be shy, let us know what you would like Hamilton Police to do in the future.

Crime Tip: Over the last year we experienced an increase in thefts from cars. Please remember to keep you cars locked. Don't leave valuables in the cars and place parcels in your trunk. If you ever see anyone acting in a suspicious manner around vehicles call 911!

Taking it to the Airwaves

This week Hamilton Police take another step forward in the manner we interact with our citizens. Tonight the Chair of the Hamilton Police Services Board, Bernie Morelli and myself will be appearing on Cable 14 (7:00 pm start time). We will be focusing this show on our upcoming business plan. Viewers will be asked to help us become a better police service by providing us with input on what we need to do better to meet their needs. All callers are welcome and I encourage you to do so.

In addition to the above, we are doing the same thing this Friday on 900CHML. My monthly townhall meeting will focus on the same subject and once again we hope to receive valuable input from our listeners. If you can please call in.

Driving Tip: We have seen a lot of snow this year and the number of motor vehicle accidents have increased. Don't forget to give yourself additional distance from the car ahead of you when driving on snow covered roads. In addition, leave a little earlier for your appointments because travel is slower.

Meet the Chief?

Next week I am going to start a new program that enhances my availability to citizens. It's called "Meet the Chief" and it has been designed to facilitate informal discussions with me in a comfortable setting.

The opportunities are planned to take place in coffee shops around the city and I am hoping to better address the needs of our community through it. Keep your eyes open for a "Meet the Chief" sign at various locations. Drop by and have a quick coffee with me.

A day in the life of...........Hamilton Police Chief

It is not unusual for me to be involved in several community events and presentations each week. Tuesday was one of those days where several other them came together. Let me tell you what my day was like:

At 9:00 a.m., I ventured to Millgrove Public School and had the pleasure of reading to all of the students in an assembly. What a great school! The kids were very well behaved and I was pleased to find several parents present as well. The event was part of Literacy Week celebrations.

At 11:30 a.m., I went to the Hamilton Convention Center to assist with the kick-off of Soupfest. What a fabulous event in support of an even greater organization, The Living Rock. Thousands of people attended the event again this year and they were all able to judge the soups.  For me, all the soups I had were the best I have ever tasted. Congratulations to the event organizer and the restaurants who participated on a job well. done.

Finally at 5:30pm I attended a Crime Stoppers of Hamilton Event. Did you know our local Crime Stoppers is 25 years old? It has been recognized repeatedly as one of the best in the world! Crime Stoppers in an invaluable partner with Hamilton Police in our quest for public safety and security.

Last year Crime Stopper tips resulted in 165 arrests, clearing 207 cases. Over $7,000,000 in drugs and over $230,000 in stolen property was seized with their help. Crime Stoppers is an outstanding organization!!!!!

This is all on top of the continuous briefings from my command staff, meetings, decision-making and other responsibilities that come with being Police Chief.

Finally I made my way home by 9:00pm. A normal day in the life of the Chief.....

Hamilton Police 2009 Budget

On Friday, January 23, I presented our 2009 Budget on behalf of our Board to City Counsel. That presentation highlighted that we require an increase of 3.48% or $4,034,780 to maintain our current service levels. This increase has been driven by our labour and fuel costs. Our other spending has been reduced from our previous year.

We have worked very hard on our budget and I want you to know we have the second lowest budget increase when compared to the police budget requests in our province.