Time To Get The OPS Under Control

The plot concerning the Kanata bear thickens and that stink you smell is coming not from a dead carcass but from the Ottawa Police Service.

Below is a release from bylaw services. It’s a curious document because it, as the second release on the putting down of a bear that was apparently terrified of people and hadn’t bothered anyone, it doesn’t address the primary issue of why the bear was shot.

All it really says that we didn’t do it … we being By-law and Regulatory Services, the Ontario
Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, and the National Capital Commission. Who made the decision to shoot the bear? The Ottawa Police Service.

The OPS has its own public relations department and it apparently isn’t saying, from what we see from the release below. But then the OPS isn’t saying so we don’t really know. Someone has a reason to be holding the information back. Looks as though it is the OPS, which can’t do much of anything of significance without piddling all over itself, isn’t coming clean with what happened to the Kanata bear.

So let’s look at the possibilities here. 1) The police can’t be bothered to respond despite significant interest from the public, especially in the Bells Corners and Kanata neighbourhoods. That’s not good. That’s just laziness or arrogance. They can’t even bother to lie; 2) The police have something to hide. Perhaps a little quick on the trigger finger? 3) What happened to the bullets that missed, if there were any? Might that not be of interest to the public and the immediate neighbours to the shooting? How many shots were fired? What kind of gun was used? 4) Are flying bullets more dangerous than flying tranquillizer shots in a suburban neighbourhood? 5) Why aren’t you talking? 6) Are flying bullets more dangerous than a young bear that is scared of people? 7) Who disposed of the meat from the carcass? Could it have been used at one of the shelters? At least the young bear would have been of use to some people.

Kanata Bear Was Terrified Of People: READER

So here is the reality of the Ottawa Police Service. And perhaps the personnel from top to bottom might be interested in discovering how the public views them.

The former police chief said that his job was to clean up the racism and misogyny in the force. Some police officers have adopted a flag, The Thin Blue Line, that is remarkably similar to flags flown by right-wing racist nutbars in the United States. Some police officers worked at cross-purposes to the will of our elected officials, the public and their own administration in dealing with the right-wing nutbars in the Freedom Convoy. That police refused to say what penalties, if any, officers paid for that conduct, save one officer who got a slap on the wrist, speaks volumes. Some police officers have broken the law. This just in … the police are supposed to enforce the law, not break it.

This weekend Ottawans got a sneak peek from a camera of the Ottawa Police Service in action when the participants didn’t know they were being videoed, at least at the beginning of the incident. At best, we can say that it wasn’t a good look. It will be interesting to see how the court case turns out in that one that adds to a list of untoward actions by the OPS. People are afraid to speak to the Ottawa Police Services Board in person for fear of being targeted by the police. Would the police target them? Hard to say. But that’s the image the Ottawa Police Service has. Not a good look, yet again.

Which brings us to educators not wanting to bring in a uniformed officer to a school show-and-tell day. Some community groups don’t want uniformed officers in schools either. Memo to the OPS: these people are not nutbars, they are not criminals, they are not robbers or rapists or killers. They are EDUCATORS. They are reasonable, intelligent, well-meaning people who want what is best for the young people in their charge. And they don’t want uniformed police officers addressing their young charges. Whether or not the educators are right or wrong is important but not necessarily germane to this position. What matters is that the educators have taken that action. Shocking? Not if you know the OPS.

The educators … remember … EDUCATORS … don’t want uniformed officers in their schools for show-and-tell. Maybe they are afraid the bad will rub off.

So perhaps it’s time that Mayor Mark Sutcliffe, who represents the angry and disappointed people in this community concerned about policing (and those include reasonable people such as educators), have a little informational chat with the chief. Explain to him that the actions of the police are not open, caring and inclusive. That the people who pay their salaries think they are doing such a bad job that they don’t want them uniformed in their schools. That a federal inquiry said that they acted like the south end of a north-bound donkey in their handling of the Freedom Convoy.

At best, the police have a god-awful image problem. At worst, they are terrible at what they do and don’t have the best interests of the public top of mind. You know, a waste of shoes or boots as the case may be.

So Why Was The Kanata Bear Shot?

Perhaps the police could explain to the mayor how they will try to do better and give him a concrete plan that is released to the public concerning how the OPS will be able to be respected in this community again. They can’t do much worse.

Here’s a start … do things right rather than wrong. Get some ethics.

And now back to the bear. If the police won’t release why and how they treated a dumb young four-legged mammal, what are the holding back about how they treat intelligent two-legged mammals when the video cameras aren’t running?

Ottawans would like to be proud of their police force. It’s difficult to be proud of it now.

Ken Gray

Here’s the release below from the City of Ottawa that tells you nothing significance about the real questions Ottawans are asking:

Large Wild Mammal Response2

Update: Police have issued a statement which says in part: “After exhausting all available options, it became clear that the animal could not be safely relocated.”

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