"When Halifax police commissioners walk into a meeting with city
councillors Monday, sources say they�ll recommend regional cops take
over patrolling the entire municipality."
>snip<
I wonder if this is a good or bad thing for HRM?
--
Ice!
As long as I've been around the local police know the local areas best, and
the RCMP know the rest. I see no reason to screw around with this. Leave
it alone.
When the RCMP were here they weren't up to date on most of HRM's
bylaws that they were supposed to be enforcing. The noise bylaw is
one we had many frustrations with - the officers had no clue about it.
When I had to complain about an ongoing problem, I had to show the
officer a printout of the bylaw because he was telling me the opposite
of what the paper said. That is not good policing.
To me, it makes sense for one force to cover all of the HRM, bet it
HRP or the RCMP.
Correction: that should say "be it" not "bet it".
Bad if they try to service all of HRM. I suspect they will only try
and get the high population centres, like Cole Harbour, sackville and
Tantallon. The rest will be left to the RCMP.
There seems to be no love lost between the two organizations, so I
don't see many RCMP constables moving over to HRPD.
> Bad if they try to service all of HRM. I suspect they will only try
> and get the high population centres, like Cole Harbour, sackville and
> Tantallon. The rest will be left to the RCMP.
> There seems to be no love lost between the two organizations, so I
> don't see many RCMP constables moving over to HRPD.
Isn't the play better with the RCMP?
A former colleague's husband is a city cop, and she once said that he'd
ultimately like to sign on with the RCMP. She said that an experienced
officer doesn't need to stay as long in Depot as the new recruits
(although there is still a training period), and she opined that the pay
is better with the RCMP.
I was still surprised... a member of the HPD knows that he'll always
work in the area, whereas an RCMP member can be transferred anywhere in
Canada, if I understand correctly. I think I'd take the lower pay rather
than risk being assigned to Nunavut or some other remote corner of the
country!
wmd
I spoke to an RCMP memeber today, and he indicated pay, benefits and
pensions are better for teh RCMP , than HRPD. He wasn't interested in
changing affiliations.
> I was still surprised... a member of the HPD knows that he'll always
> work in the area, whereas an RCMP member can be transferred anywhere in
> Canada, if I understand correctly. I think I'd take the lower pay rather
> than risk being assigned to Nunavut or some other remote corner of the
> country!
I don't believe they've had mandatory transfers for quite a number of
years. Some of the Queen's Cowboys in this area have been here almost as
long as I have. Some time ago, the RCMP took over policing in several
Valley towns. Members of the local police departments joined the RCMP and
I believe most of them are still in the area.
gwh
Lateral transfers normally need only 2 - 5 weeks "indoctrinating" into
the RCMP culture. Policing is policing...no matter the uniform.
Postings are an issue. Lots of Northern postings...and lots of BC
municipal postings. Also the RCMP look at laterals differently than
"regular" members...not quite accepted 100%.
> I wonder if this is a good or bad thing for HRM?
I grew up with the RCMPs in Lr Sackville. Then, when I moved into town,
naturally, it was the Halifax police doing the rounds. And I say, No
Contest! Use the HRM force for the whole thing!
The RCMP folks I dealt with during the '80s were brash, unprofessional,
and sketchy. They stayed off all but five or six main roads... They
pestered people who did nothing wrong, while ignoring genuine trouble. In
short, they just plain didn't do a good job of actual policing. They were
great at intimidating or wasting time (theirs and yours), but I doubt
their patrols ever accomplished much.
Now... in the time I've lived here in Halifax (since '89), I simply
haven't seen that kind of unprofessional behaviour from local HRM police.
I suspect they'll do a better job of patrolling Sackville, once they get
used to it.
db
Trust no one.
-Al-
That's up to you...
Did they read you your Charter Rights first ??
> Did they read you your Charter Rights first ??
The RCMPs?? Never.
On one occasion, I "caught" them doing doughnuts in Sackville Heights'
parking lot, as I was walking home from Green Gables. At first, I didn't
know it was a cop car (who'd guess it to be?), and so, when I saw two
headlights aimed at me, coming *for* me, I ran... through snow... didn't
get far ;)
"Stop or we'll shoot!" I turned to see two cops and a black-and-white. In
their own words, they "placed me under arrest" for trespassing. When I
questioned that -- my understanding was that only *loitering* was an
offence -- they barked, "We can take this down to the station!" As it
stood, they drove me off the school grounds, and that was that. No cuffs
or anything.
(In Sackville, cutting through a schoolground, especially during non-
school hours, was as common as using a bike path around here... No one I
know ever thought of it as an offence. One cop told me once, "As long as
you have one foot in front of the other, you're fine.")
They weren't *all* jerks, but the ones who were... *really* were. I've
never had these experiences (thank God) with the Halifax police.
db
He can't accept the fact that he and his friends were obviously
*targeted* by the RCMP in Lower Sackville for reasons that he won't
admit to in this forum (if at all). No one else that I know who grew up
in that area during that time frame, had any issues with the RCMP
what-so-ever.
> He can't accept the fact that he and his friends were obviously
> *targeted* by the RCMP in Lower Sackville for reasons that he won't
> admit to in this forum (if at all). . .
Funny how it all stopped when I moved to Halifax, eh?
As far as not "admitting" to things, I think it's safe to say I'm fairly
open about my lifestyle on this newsgroup. And my lifestyle back then was
pretty boring.
The fact of the matter is simple: The RCMP didn't want to do any *real*
patrolling of Sackville in the '80s; they kept to the main streets
(Sackville Dr, Glendale, Cobequid, Beaverbank, and sometimes Riverside and
Pinehill), and followed people coming off the main drag (from buses,
stores, etc). As a result, many had a shitload of time on their hands,
and they screwed around with it!
Doing doughnuts in the parking lot of Sackville Heights, spraying gravel
all over the portables and cars, isn't exactly in their job descriptions,
is it? No... Nor is speeding up and down Glendale *every five minutes*,
and I saw that more times than I can recall.
Or maybe they were doing that because I was secretly doing something wrong
and wouldn't admit it! Ya think?? 'Cause that would be the obvious
course of action.
I've known them to lie, to threaten, and to *actually inflict injury* upon
people who were cuffed. In fact, there was a whole gym full of SHS
students who could tell you all about that last one.
> No one else that I know who grew up in that area during that time frame,
> had any issues with the RCMP what-so-ever.
None whatsoever?? How many people did you ask? None??
Maybe your "friends" -- y'know, the ones you asked and all -- weren't
pedestrians. They didn't pick on us when we were driving anywhere; it was
when we were walking the streets that we caught their attention... and
that was all it took.
db
> You need to ignore it - it's the same over in the CCTV thread - if he
> ran the risk of being tormented to death like my relatives I wonder if
> he would be so bloody supportive of useless cameras and applaud them
> driving crime into suburbia - I doubt it !
You can't tell that pompous ass a goddamned thing. He believes he knows
all, and that his lifestyle is a model for everyone else.
db
It isn't?! I'm shocked!
--
jw (a.k.a. Nagilum)
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
-Albert Einstein.
Sturgen's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crud" -Theodore Sturgen.
(Sturgen was an optimist.)
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by
stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor.
The thing being is that I am not now or have ever been involved in
illegal activity like db admits to in this newsgroup. He and his friends
were probably *known* to the RCMP and that is why he garnered so much
attention from them.
As for your "tormented relatives", you are the only person that has
ever told me such tales about misadventures with the police. All I can
say is that I have never had one such experience with law enforcement
officials (not even a Commissionaire on parking enforcement patrol) in
my life. I guess I must living life the right way or I am not doing
anything to cause a blip on anyone's radar.
You can't find this kind of entertainment on television. It's like a
soap opera, lets call it "As Your Stomach Turns" LOL
Awesome reading here today, no doubt about that. :-)
> I have received poor to rotten treatment from HPD - through no fault
> of my own. Perhaps you think I am a liar, you always sound doubtful.
>
Based on your posts here, I can envision you being flippant and
rude to any police officer.
However, when a cop stops you, it's time to put away the verbal
daggers and kiss their ass. Why? Because they have the ticket book. :-)
--
Ice!
If you talked like that, that's why you got a ticket. It pays to
be polite and nice, cupcake! :-)
--
Ice!
Are you saying that a "kid" can not be known to the police? If so, you
are sadly mistaken.
> WTF are you talking about ???? My relatives have no problems with
> the police, I never said they did.
You are the one who mentioned your tortured relatives in this thread
and I quote, "if he ran the risk of being tormented to death like my
relatives". I assumed that you were speaking about the ATV incident last
year.
> I have received poor to rotten treatment from HPD - through no fault
> of my own. Perhaps you think I am a liar, you always sound doubtful.
I have told you numerous times that I don't understand why you seem to
draw the alleged ire of the police (no matter what force) and why you
have such an intense hatred of anything related to police and law
enforcement. They are doing their jobs and if people behaved within the
boundaries of the law, then people wouldn't have anything to concern
themselves with in regard to the police.
Yep. You walk the straight and narrow Brian. And you try to ensure that
everyone else does too. Ain't a hands free cell phone great?
> He was a kid then
And almost as dull as Brian back then... didn't drink, didn't smoke,
didn't toke... certainly didn't get into fights or steal. The only thing
I did to "draw attention" to myself was to walk from place to place. And
*many* of my friends growing up there at that time experienced the same
thing. Some didn't care... I did! Some readily complied with these
off-the-cuff police "procedures"... I didn't! I questioned it, and
complained to the station when I felt it was appropriate to do so... and
it was more than once! (Those answering the phones would give the
impression that they'd be following up on it all... but they never did a
damned thing about any indiscretions -- old boys club back then.)
I didn't mind those cops who were polite, "Hi guys, this is just something
we do every now and then... Can you give us your names?" But those who
*demanded* the info as though they had a right to it (Screech up to you,
and yell, "What's yer name? Where ya goin'?") were mostly jerks. And
some went beyond what their job allows in order to intimidate and control.
As it was explained to me, most of them were rookies, not even from the
area, and (according to the guy I spoke with), many didn't want to be down
here in the Maritimes. It was a guess on his part (he was in training to
be a cop), but it was as good as any.
Of course, we could get Brian to explain why the cops were spraying gravel
all over Sackville Heights with their doughnut-cruiser (imagine how
impressed Brian would've been had any of the cars parked there that night
been his little Toyota!)... why they tried to beat the crap out of a guy
they'd already cuffed on the Sackville High schoolgrounds (with plenty
looking on). Unless I'm making all that up too. Or maybe the cuffed guy
was *still* doing something wrong and needed, for our protection, to be
beaten up. Yeah... that's gotta be it.
And Brian: If you don't believe me, you can simply shove it. Thankfully,
you and your self-righteous ass played no part in my childhood or teen
years... so your wild speculations about being "targeted" are just the
blatherings of an ignorant fool.
> Perhaps you think I am a liar, you always sound doubtful.
That delusional freak thinks *everybody* is a liar. Yet he expects us to
believe that he's *never* in his entire life done *anything* that's even
remotely illegal... he's never raised his hand to another person for any
reason... he doesn't swear. Fuck, he's more uptight than most of the
born-again Christians I know... except that he worships himself.
db
> I have told you numerous times that I don't understand why you seem to
> draw the alleged ire of the police (no matter what force) and why you
> have such an intense hatred of anything related to police and law
> enforcement. They are doing their jobs and if people behaved within the
> boundaries of the law, then people wouldn't have anything to concern
> themselves with in regard to the police.
The only times she complained, from what I've read in these threads, was
when she *had* been behaving within the boundaries of the law.
But of course, she couldn't have been. The cops are perfect, and they're
just doing their jobs... just like that one in Bridgewater. Seriously,
Brian, why don't you finally tell us the *real* story behind that... What
were you up to? If you'd been parked legally, you wouldn't have drawn his
attention now, would you? Something's up... and you're just not admitting
to it.
Yeah, I'm being a prick... But *imagine* growing up in Bridgewater with
*that* cop... and others like him. What would your occasional contact
with the police have been like? Memorable?? Now clue in to the fact that
there can be assholes like that in *any* community!
db
> What is this ???? Brian has been in trouble with the law in
> Bridgewater ????
<http://groups.google.com/group/hfx.general/msg/aff935a55ffd288b?dmode=source>
db
That was my point, Donna. You put it well, "they can truly make
your life miserable."
--
Ice!
Discretion is the better part of valor, Rob. It has nothing to do
with the vulgar way you described my way of handling such situations.
Tell a cop off and see who comes out on top.
--
Ice!
I don't know what you mean. I know how life has been for me with no
issues in my interactions with the police, I do not know why you have
such a difficult time in your interactions with them.
> "ATV incident last year" - not a clue what you are talking about.
You went on about how in your opinion the RCMP dragged their heels and
made insinuations about the incident last year where your relative (son
in law?) was involved in an ATV rollover.
> I wondered if you would be quite so keen on spending money on CCTV
> cameras if it moved the crime into your area and thugs broke into your
> place and gave you the once over.
Do you honestly believe that there is no crime in residential areas?
Have you ever heard about home invasions? Where do you think they occur?
Life is a roll of the dice and if you're fortunate you come through it
unscathed, if you're not, then you don't it's pretty simple.
> I don't have 'an intense hatred' but I am leery of their honesty and
> completely sure they are pretty much without discipline and honour. I
> have always, except for speeding, lived within the boundaries of the
> law, paid all my bills, paid all my taxes, done masses of work for the
> community until recently and generally lived a generous life, raised
> kids who are also tax payers and not welfare recipients, so I am not
> sure why any police have it in for me.
The way in which you speak about law enforcement personnel, it comes
across as intense hatred towards them. They are there to protect you, me
and even db. :^)
> Of course I do have one big failing in your eyes, that is that I am a
> woman.
It's not your fault you were born a woman, but even though you are one,
I still like you and consider you a good friend. :^)
That was the case where the one officer told me I couldn't park on the
street where I was, because it was Exhibition Week. There were no signs
prohibiting parking there. He was playing with anyone who wasn't a
*townie*. Not surprisingly the town council refused to respond to phone
calls and e-mails. But that is typical of the small town mentality in
this and every province and state on the continent. Any other officers I
saw when I was in town were always in a good mood. Perhaps he was
disgruntled because he didn't want to work that day. Who knows and after
so many years, who even cares?
> I don't know what you mean. I know how life has been for me with no
> issues in my interactions with the police, I do not know why you have
> such a difficult time in your interactions with them.
Ahh... It's never happened to you; therefore, it's never happened to
anybody. Or, if it did, they must have deserved it... always your
implication.
Maybe LB and I tend to stand up to behaviour you'd let slip. People are
different. And some of us don't like being barked at by officers who
don't have any call to do so.
db
> That was the case where the one officer told me I couldn't park on the
> street where I was, because it was Exhibition Week. There were no signs
> prohibiting parking there. He was playing with anyone who wasn't a
> *townie*. Not surprisingly the town council refused to respond to phone
> calls and e-mails. But that is typical of the small town mentality in
> this and every province and state on the continent. Any other officers I
> saw when I was in town were always in a good mood. Perhaps he was
> disgruntled because he didn't want to work that day. Who knows and after
> so many years, who even cares?
I dunno... No one else that I know who visited or grew up in that area
during that time frame had any issues with the cops there whatsoever.
db
No they can't make my life miserable!! I'm not talking about receiving
or not receiving a ticket, I'm not doing anything wrong, it is only a
roadside check. They did try to slow me down a bit longer than usual at
one of these checks because I refused to answer questions that were none
of their power struck business. I'd hardly call that making my life
miserable, I seen it more like a joke, or sport.
Mrs Nospam, now she can make my life miserable, so I kiss her ass ;-)
Oh the power struck.
> Discretion is the better part of valor, Rob. It has nothing to do
> with the vulgar way you described my way of handling such situations.
> Tell a cop off and see who comes out on top.
>
I can tell you they don't like being stood up to, but they eventually
get over themselves.
Good post!!
> I dunno... No one else that I know who visited or grew up in that area
> during that time frame had any issues with the cops there whatsoever.
>
>
> db
I have, sort of like your Sackville days, and I can tell you they are
dirt easy to deal with. I was leading two of them around one day like
the were dogs on leashes. Mind you I was only walking down a street
minding my own business and not doing anything wrong, not even illegally
parked.
> Well I think you have put that to rest with these posts which paint me
> as a criminal the police quite rightly hassle.
I have on occasion gotten the feeling that we are guilty of something
until it can be proven we are innocent of whatever that something is.
Judge, jury, and want-to-be executioners.
That is one of the reasons why I don't like Profiling.
>> That is one of the reasons why I don't like Profiling.
> Profiling is quite wrong because as one only tends to hear about the
> teens who go wrong and not the great majority who lead blameless
> lives, so one Arab person does not make a killing team. One cannot
> paint everyone with one brush.
Two more reasons.
Yes, it was my point. All of us who drive any amount have had
dealings with the police, be it roadside checks, getting caught
speeding, etc. You seem to be the only one who repeatedly complains
that they are all rude and can't be trusted. When *all* of a group of
individual are "rude and can't be trusted" it might be time to look at
what the common denominator is.
My my point stands; regardless of whether you get a complete twit
or the nicest cop in NS, and regardless of whether or not you are right
or wrong, you have a choice of being polite and even submissive (even if
it galls you to no end) or paying the consequences. You won't win an
argument with a cop, an airport security guard, or even a bar bouncer.
They have more authority than you do, and some can and do abuse it. All
a cop has to do is write you a ticket, deserved or not, and they have
made your life miserable.
Yes, you can fight it in court, and depending on the circumstances,
you might win, but they have made your life miserable. Unless you like
fighting in court. You won't beat a speeding ticket no matter how hard
you try, because the judge, by default, will take the cop's word over
yours. I know a number who have tried, including myself, and the crown
always wins. Usually it is fought because it's the last straw due to
points where the driver will walk for 6-months. Sometimes you get lucky
and the cop doesn't show up, or you *might* get lucky and get of on a
technicality. Either way, wouldn't it be better not to get the ticket
to begin with?
I believe it is better to hold your tongue and drive away without a
ticket. Even where a ticket is unwarranted, I've seen cases where
mouthy drivers get held up for 20 minutes while the cop(s) go all over
the car looking for safety violations. They can take their good old
time checking the emergency brake, signal lights, tail lights, break
lights, etc. That's fine if you don't have to be anywhere, but if it
makes you miss an appointment, they have made your life miserable.
--
Ice!
I agree on that. With age comes the wisdom for all of us to use
our common sense, and that applies to cops as well as anyone else. It
is true that you tend to have the hardest time with a newly minted one
trying to prove themselves. They probably don't like being stood up to,
but if you get a stubborn one and they decide to throw their wait
around, they have the deck stacked in their favor.
That's what I was trying to get across. I've never had an argument
with a cop because I always have taken the "yes sir", "no sir" approach.
Got caught speeding twice and both times I got a warning. Other than
that, simple roadside checks that took 30-60 seconds. Guess I've been
lucky.
--
Ice!
No, you've been cooperative, Ice. That's the way to deal with the police.
Give them a reason to give you a hard time, and I'm certain they can be
accommodating. Cops can be intimidating at times, but that's part of their
job. They have no clue as to what they're facing when they pull over a car,
anymore than when they answer a "domestic dispute" call.
I hope we keep the HRM police in town and the RCMP on the outskirts; that's
how it's always been and I really don't see the benefit of changing things
now.
That about sums it up nicely.
They have to prove themselves to their superiors as well to their
peers. I've read articles and spoken with friends in different police
departments who all say that traffic stops are the most dangerous part
of a police officer's job. They never know what they will come up
against. If they are on edge when they stop a person, it is to be
expected, anyone of us would be acting in the same way doing that job.
> That's what I was trying to get across. I've never had an argument with
> a cop because I always have taken the "yes sir", "no sir" approach. Got
> caught speeding twice and both times I got a warning. Other than that,
> simple roadside checks that took 30-60 seconds. Guess I've been lucky.
It costs us nothing to be polite to anyone in that profession.
> demibee wrote:
>> I dunno... No one else that I know who visited or grew up in that area
>> during that time frame had any issues with the cops there whatsoever.
> I have, sort of like your Sackville days, and I can tell you they are
> dirt easy to deal with. I was leading two of them around one day like
> the were dogs on leashes. Mind you I was only walking down a street
> minding my own business and not doing anything wrong, not even illegally
> parked.
Oh, I'm just shoving Brian's own words back at him; it's almost a cut-and
-paste of what he'd said to me about my experiences in Sackville.
db
> Thinking back on that, my SIL is a person who lives well within the
> rules, be it the safe keeping of his guns, not drinking/driving etc. so
> I think it becomes clear that the police will hassle anyone,
> particularly people that they do not need to hassle, maybe they just
> don't understand innocent people.
I have to wonder if, for some, that's the case... They're so used to
dealing with people who have long records, maybe some really can't
conceive of a person being truly innocent.
There's also the projection factor, I think... My brother had a friend
who became an RCMP officer, and in his youth, he was a hell child (from
what I hear). I have to wonder if people like this assume everybody is
like them... a sort of "You *must* have done it... 'cause *I* would have
in your position."
> Well I think you have put that to rest with these posts which paint me
> as a criminal the police quite rightly hassle.
I think he equates all illegal activities. Be it speeding, pot smoking,
or killing people, it's all the same to him. And, of course, he's NEVER
done ANYTHING that could be considered illegal by anyone... bit of self-
delusion there, methinks. I recall a cop on a news-magazine show saying
basically that there are so many laws that we probably all break one or
two a day without ever knowing it. But not that perfect specimen of
common sense, Brian.
db
> That surely shouldn't be so ??? A fine upstanding citizen and the
> parking lot attendant and cops hassled him ??? He must have given them
> some lip, he must have been flippant, he definitely must have given them
> some cause to do that !
Yep... there's definitely something we're not being told!
db
He's a "specimen" alright.
He conveniently forgets his Fisherman's ex parking incicent
Ian
Thanks for finding that. I am glad to see my memory isn't failing me
Ian
>
> Thanks for finding that. I am glad to see my memory isn't failing me
>
Sounded familiar to me too - talk about "asking for trouble."
Ian.
Yes, you said that this AM, but in previous posts you indicated
otherwise. Selective memory?
--
Ice!
Brian knows every rule that exists or ever existed on every topic. He
would never break any one of them. That makes him perfect. All hail
Brian.
--
jw (a.k.a. Nagilum)
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen."
-Albert Einstein.
Sturgen's Law: "Ninety percent of everything is crud" -Theodore Sturgen.
(Sturgen was an optimist.)
"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by
stupidity." -Hanlon's Razor.
Ah well. Its only one little incident in an otherwise perfect life. :)
Thats what I figured...Police don't normally pick on an unknown person
for no reason...
Just remember, it's not paranoia if they REALLY are out to get you!!
Exactly, they have much better things to do with their time.
Fuck that.
> Exactly, they have much better things to do with their time.
... than to pick on an innocent driver in Bridgewater. Agreed! You were
clearly doing something you're afraid to admit here.
db
> Thats what I figured...Police don't normally pick on an unknown person
> for no reason...
If you believe pure speculation from BS, then you're the fool who follows
the fool.
db
I'd say you know her VERY well..too well in fact lol
And that might accord you special treatment ??
You're from Bridgewater ?? That explains MANY things..
Thats human nature, and they are members of that particular group.
>When they pull over a speeder and find they're a member of a
> group they have no use for, they can get hostile and antagonistic.
If they're speeding...what's your point ?
Normally they are on the receiving end of the barrage...
Suck it up Buttercup
> Gawd knows we've heard enough stories of racial profiling by cops so
> it's not a stretch to think that police officers can have automatic
> disdain for seniors behind the wheel.
There's NOT enough profiling...if 90%
There's NOT enough profiling...if 90% of the robberies are by blacks
(and it is around that number), would it not make sense to concentrate
there ?? PC be damned.
> You're from Bridgewater ?? That explains MANY things..
No, I grew up in Sackville... merely using Brian's experience in
Bridgewater to show him that some cops can indeed be assholes... And if
you're unfortunate enough to live in the jurisdiction of cops who're like
that, hassles like the one Brian went through can be more than a one-off
experience.
These cops -- ALL cops -- should realize the impact their behaviour has on
teens... and those teens' subsequent perception of them.
My experiences with the RCMP and the HRM PD lead me to believe the HRM PD
would do a more professional job of running the *whole* HRM.
db
My experience is the reverse; HRM Police have one of the worst reputations
in the country for dealing with the public.