The Shootings: Opportunism Triumphs Over Reason

Long-time Bulldog commenter The Voter weighs in with this absolutely brilliant analysis of the plan to hire more officers for the Ottawa Police Service.

Following Mayor Mark Sutcliffe’s logic, since this shooting happened at a wedding, then we should place the new police officers, as well as some existing ones, at weddings around town.

If there are sufficient heavily armed police at all the weddings in the city, there’s a good chance there will be fewer wedding-located shootings. Then Sutcliffe will have had his point proven.

OPS Screws Up The Message In Ottawa Shootings

On the other hand, we could look at where crimes are being committed, what types of crimes they are and what the logical responses would be following good research and best practices. It would also be helpful to wait until we know what actually happened at this shooting before piping up from the peanut gallery with an opinion that molds the occurrence into something that feeds your own agenda. Of course, those approaches waste a good opportunity for him to promote his non-reasoned support of boosting the police force’s numbers.

At the same time he’s pushing his agenda forward on the backs of this wedding, he’s also ignoring the demands from sizeable parts of his community to refocus what the police do and hive off certain of their current activities to people with actual training and supports in place to deal with the issues that are bringing people to the attention of the police in the first place.

Where is former councillor Diane Deans when we need her? Having run the social services committee and the Ottawa Police Services Board, Deans knew that throwing more sworn officers into the mix was not the answer. What experience with either the police or social services does Sutcliffe bring to the table? Oh, that’s right – none.

One more question. Why is it so much more horrendous when a shooting happens at a wedding than when it happens at a club or on the streets of Lowertown or in a social-housing community? The victim is just as dead in each of those locations so what’s the difference between them?

Wouldn’t be a question of class, now would it?

The Voter is right. Deans would have made a wonderful mayor with all her experience at the city.

‘I Love The Ottawa Police:’ PATTON

Deans would, hopefully, have turned council into a real town hall, rather than a group of zombies. Good debate does not hamper collegiality. We have great debates on The Bulldog and we, and with luck the readers, are better off for it.

One other point. The Bulldog is blessed to have the really fine people who contribute to it, The Voter being one of many.

The editor of this little-puppy-that-could will be eternally grateful for your intelligence, work and fine contributions.

I won’t mention names because if I left one out, they might be offended, which is the last thing I want.

You know who you are. Thank you.

And one more point on The Voter’s analysis which she said without saying it. But I will make it clear.

This issue smacks of brazen political opportunism. We’ve seen too much of this over the previous three terms.

Sutcliffe is better than this. Ottawa needs leadership … not this.

Ken Gray

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