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10 Wednesday Dec 1980 Chief defends force Mr H President and Ford Mercury Sales Main Street North Acton Ontario L7J Dear Mr Doberthien I regret that like many other residents of this and any other city town or village you have joined the ranks of those who have become the victim of crimes Regrettably because of the type of business you conduct you nave fered on more than one occasion As a citizen and victim of crime you have every right and just ificatlon to and f would assure you Sir that your concerns are shared by the officers and men of the Regional Police Force In my capacity as Chief of Police I feel it my duty to give account of the quantity and quality of police vice delivered to the community to anyone who might ask it I am pre pared to discuss the response of this police force to your needs at any time and hopefully from that discussion will come a better under standing of each other situation I must confess to concern the manner in which you chose to bring these matters to my attention Many members of tin force arc convinced that you ore not in fact writing to me but to the local media and that in doing so you have demonstrated that you were more intent upon fan the flames of discontent than you were in obtaining a police res to your concerns Be that as It may I accept your expressed con as a citizen as I do my to respond them How ever let me state in the plainest of terms that I do not and will not accept your erroneous allegations mat my officers ore not a part of the community nor your inference that they are not sweated laughed and grieved with the rest of us I take that to be an undeserved malicious slander upon the character and reputation of all officers the Hat ton Regional Police Force and in particular those officers who serve In the No Police District and more particularly to the officers who live with their wives and lies within the Town of Hills and the other officers their wives and families who live in the County area nearby You might be interested in the following list of community act ivitles In which those officers have willingly participated for the benefit of the community in which they live and in which they serve The Army Cadet Corps The Air Cadet Corps The Board of the Acton 4 The Board for the Association for the Retarded The Board for the Legal Clinic The Boy Scouts The Red Cross Emergency Response Team The Volunteer Fire Deportment The Volunteer Ambulance Department 10 A variety of community pro grammes such as Swim programme for re tarded children Visit to Lion Safari for re tarded children Bicycle licensing pro gramme Scrvi or Service Clubs On which of these committees do you serve Mr Doberthien At the Invitation of the Acton Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Business Impiovement Area Inspector John as my representative attended a meeting it the Acton Library to discuss the posture of policing in the area When Inspector left he did so on the understanding that the member ship would call similar meetings whenever they might perceive the need To date we have had no such request We note Sir that you were not present at that meeting The fact that a copy of your letter was sent to he media generated the production of a cartoon which refers to the Police as ghosts In years of police experience I hove never witnessed a greater piece of journal istic irresponsibility Sad will be the day when humor would not be an important part of our lives but the men at the was do not see It as humor nor do I Police officers and responsible members of the community have colled me to say that they view it an an Invitation to the criminal to come and commit crime Having said that Sir I will again express the belief that both the public and the media play a vital part in the development of Its police service Public comment support and indeed criticism are vital to our needs I would assure you and the many citizens who share your concerns that we hold ourselves accountable to the public for the quality and quantity of policing that we are required to deliver within the bounds of available resources I look forward to meeting you Sir so that these matters con be cussed to the full satisfaction of us both Yours faithfully I James Harding Chief Police Review town fire alarm panels for industry There could be a fire operation In Georgetown panels are in the fire dis alarm panel and fire patch office in George potchcr in Acton some e service to Acton town and the town handles the calls Holmes noted the town The panels are Monday Hills Ins a fire alarm system designed to give on early general committee to serve Industrial in warning of afire detect a received a report from and drop In water pressure in fire chief Mick Holmes firms made up of two a sprinkler system or calling for a staff study of separate panels owned of a malfunction In the present fire panel by a couple of firms The alarms Hi panels urn did filled to capacity laid the lease or buy equipment or Hie existing panel to system anil continue the ire department lion been operating with the panels nude by the panel owners directly with primarily for George- firms iitoMterl in It would possible up Only rte Acton industries to firm Jul Ming A In if they pay the line costs The l an tin town to I it J I Id in be to pre vide service rin QofderrAgers Enjoy trip despite storm An extremely windy and snowy night greeted number of Ac Inn Golden Age members when they returned to their bus after an evening at Burlington Senior Complex This was a definite contrast to the damp afternoon when the club held their meeting at St Hull on Dec tilting Urn ji nt club The at tn and I report d i t to part this Friday a set tilth annual water show at the Act Lions Indoor Pool Pictured here are Fountain Tommy Scott Cathy Tost I Inda I Water show Friday This Friday night the School from 7 to J m w iter skits and Hills pool staff The show will feature appearances by celebrity will stage their seventh competition swimming swimmers annual water show at diving synchronized Admission to the show Acton ions indoor pool safety is free and even at and rescue demon win hi Dau of Knox Hold progressive dinner ABC to tour creeks in town A tour of creeks in other groups they a ill by the examine the Btautification closely to see what ABC was rained is needed out Sunday The tour will At their be rescheduled meeting last Wednesday The ABC which it wan decided creek clean up well as development so the creeks and Fairy Lake will be used Wood will look into ho the group can signs placed at the entrances to Acton giving the The Christmas meeting of the Daughters of Knox took the form of a Progressive Dinner on Monday evening Dec 1 very one gathered first at the home of Vivian Swallow for and punch There was almost a full attendance of members as well as one new mem Before moving on to the next home group photos were taken by Mr Swallow The main course of the meal was enjoyed at the home of Mrs John Robertson held at Hansen home The devotional portion was conducted by Van Fleet and her group and was taken from the Christmas vice In the Glad Tidings magazine Betty Ashley and her group were in charge of the entertainment por of the evening A verv humorous game causing much laughter was enjoyed by all The gift exchange followed and a special gift presented to Hansen in appreciation of all the work she did in promoting so many new for recreation decided town and other In before seeking support of formation Bill Coats will be examining ways of business directory signs erected at the ranee off Highway to the industrial park from Councillor Terry Holmes said all Acton Industries may not be aware of the fire panels observed that for an Acton firm to hook up there would be a hefty fee since wire would have to be run to Georgetown Councillor Roy Booth pointed out Bell would charge by the quarter mile to run the wire to Georgetown from Acton Holmes said part of the tudy will be a review of Building Products costs adding there city for Acton firms to tap Into the system so there would have to be a separate line from Acton to Georgetown Clerk administrator Richardson said cists would be a big factor in Acton firms hooking into the system was Acton having its own a J j a dispatcher Acton costs 1 jnd be part of the report lit which will look at a Hot a i number of alternatives Ui at for the municipality in I- tit f serving Georgetown OUR CHRISTMAS TREES HAVE ARRIVED AT FLOWER MART the purple place a ideas in our during the past year The dinner was con eluded by the serving of delicious Christmas cake Beth Smith expressed the thanks of the mem bers to those who had opened their homes for our Christmas meeting More news B4 B6 B7 miles west of Acton See our good selection of Christmas Plants Open evenings and Sunday to 8 Christmas Day from 9am Citizens meet Harding Dec 18 Continued f re m page raps Doberthien for taking his views to the paper and for saying officers don l live in the community and t involved The chief wrote that officers live in Hills another seven close by and out lined some of the community activities they are involved in He questioned community Harding asks where was when Insp John spoke to Acton businessmen ah out policing last year and described a cartoon in this newspaper which referred to police as ghosts journalistic irresponsibility He added he has heard from officers and responsible members of the community who view the cartoon as an ion to the criminal to come and commit crime The chief he is concerned about crime here and the views of and invites to meet with him and discuss the matters he raised in He Harding wont help matters with this letter observed It will just get pie more upset He felt Harding didn address the issues only defended the force Doberthien said he d like to see something const ructivc come out of his letter to Harding and the re ply He said he has received considerable support both in calls and a letter from fellow Actomans who share his unfavorable views of policing here Unfortunatly I haven heard from people who think our police are A 1 only people who share my view If there are people who are about the police I to hearing from them It time he said for both citizens and police to put their differences aside and get to know each other so residents can help the police do a better job To far too many people in Acton officers are just a face in a cruiser Maybe they should be trying to Introduce themselves to the business people and other people in Acton whoenre about the town Doberthien wants to see officers out walking the beat more checking doors at businesses at night Again this past Friday thieves hit his business Ford Mercury stealing the free wheeling front hubs off a vehicle The vehicle wis parked right be side the sidewalk on Main St North and the thieves would have needed to 15 minute s time to remove the six Allen Head Set studs on each of the two front wheels He said the thieves would practically have to sit on the sidewalk to remove the hubs It would be nice to know they police are patrolling cheek THE ACTION IS ON COME AND EVERY SINGLE J NIGHT MISSION SUNDAY INKJHMATION CM AFTER 5 ALL PROCEEDS TO CHARITY INTERNATIONAL- CENTRE ing businesses and sometime find out you been hit before coming to work in the morning Now that this has been opened up we should do something positive It started as a letter of ion I don know whit the answers are and I certainly not going to tell the police what to do Obviously there is a problem de dared adding he t find answers in ding reply In his letter he suggested vigilantes might be the to reduce crime in but he tin favor of citizens running around with guns taking the law into their own hands He does think some people ing here who have radios would be willing to help patrol the streets and could report crime to pol ice if the force monitored channel like the OPP does realizes there would have to be controls so the police wouldn be sent on wild goose chases while crimes take place elsewhere but he does believe residents can help the police Doberthien points out bubs were stolen from thli four wheel drive vehicle Friday night right the sidewalk on Main North He Is con about police protection In Acton CHATELAINE LIGHTING Multl Ideas For All Lighting Needs EXTENSIVE SELECTION OF HOUSE FIXTURES Tib Lnpi Cu Cm Clun f FREE PARKING- mi SATURDAY I Table