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6 The IFP - Halton Hills · Saturday, December 24, 2011 Hail to the chief OPINION 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@theifp.ca) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@theifp.ca) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@theifp.ca) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@theifp.ca) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@theifp.ca) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@theifp.ca) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@theifp.ca) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@theifp.ca) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@theifp.ca) If nothing else, Halton Police Chief Gary Crowell has an impeccable sense of timing. The personable chief, who has 41 years of policing behind him, announced last week that he will be retiring from the Halton Regional Police Service as of June 2, 2012. His announcement came the same day Maclean's magazine named Halton Region the Safest Place to live in the Greater Toronto Area and the Safest Regional Municipality in Canada for the fourth year in a row. Maclean's based its ranking on 2010 annual crime data from Statistics Canada for municipal police services serving the nation's 100 largest populations. The Crime Severity Index (CSI) scores six personal and property crimes: homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, auto theft, robbery and breaking and entering. Crowell was hired as Deputy Chief in February 1999 and in June 2006 was promoted to Chief of Police. Prior to coming to Halton he served with Peel Regional Police, and began his career with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Under Crowell's watch in Halton the service introduced or expanded many communitybased programs-- such as Drive SAFE, Community Road Watch and Speedi. Community policing was a priority with Crowell, as it was with his predecessor Ean Algar. As a testament to his persuasive skills, in recent years Crowell has had to fight -- mostly successfully-- for increases in the police budget, despite the downturn in the economy and the need for public spending austerity. Deflecting praise directed by the police services board toward himself, Crowell commended "the Service team and many volunteers, our community partners and Halton citizens" for having Halton top the Maclean's list, once again. Success in any organization, however, is dependent on having good people at the top of the totem pole. On behalf of Halton residents we offer Chief Crowell our thanks and wishes for a happy retirement. Letters policy Letters must include an address and daytime phone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. Publication is not guaranteed. Email: jmcghie@theifp.ca Steve Nease Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. Letters to the editor Students praised for generosity Dear editor, I am a teacher at Christ the King Catholic Secondary School and I would like to take this opportunity to commend our students for their generous donations to the school's fundraiser. The fundraiser was for Chalice, a Christian-based charity that provides food, shelter, educational materials, and other necessities to third-world countries. I would particularly like to congratulate my students, two Grade 10 classes each consisting of 30 students, and Ms. Lauc's class of 30 students for their contributions. The students in these classes proved their selflessness by graciously donating well over $2,700 of their own money to the cause. That is an average of $30 per student. Many of these students were donating savings that could have easily gone to the latest cell phone or iPod. In some cases, students donated on behalf of friends and family members as their Christmas gift this year. Some students even sacrificed their own presents, asking their parents to donate in lieu of the gifts they themselves would be receiving. This kind of sacrifice is rare, and it is a testament to the character of these individuals. It speaks to their leadership in our student community, and their ability to work toward a common goal that is for the betterment of others. We can only hope that parents and the rest of the Georgetown community will follow the altruistic example of these students and give generously to charities of their choice this Christmas season. Ken Flynn, Christ the King Seconary School professional and caring the players are to their fans and community. We hope more Georgetown residents can come out and support the Raiders and enjoy the great product they are putting on the ice. Cheering from the stands. John Waller, Georgetown Postal workers really delivered Dear editor, This is a busy time of year for the post office. I'd like to thank them for providing great service recently. My church received a letter from the lovely province of P.E.I. with an incomplete address and an incorrect postal code. It was simply addressed to "St. John's United Church, Georgetown ON." Someone at the post office wrote "11 Guelph?" on the envelope, which brought it safely to its destination. Inside was a cash donation in memory of a much-loved member of our church who died last month. Thank you to the postal workers who helped this letter find its way to us. Janet Duval, Georgetown WEB POLL RESULTS (Go to www.independentfreepress.com) Should local media outlets publish the names of everyone charged with criminal offences? · Yes (68%) · No (25%) · Undecided (7%) Raiders thanked for great effort Dear editor, I would like to thank the Georgetown Raiders' organization, especially the players, for making my son's experience at a recent Saturday game memorable. The entire team made a longlasting impression that was truly appreciated by my little guy. I was very impressed on how The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.