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THE WEEKEND OUTLOOK Friday February Page Features Love for his job is paramount By LISA POT The Herald His first case as a detective in was the sensational Hed da murder which even tuaJIy led to the first degree murder conviction of her band Buxbaum Now six years later Deputy Commis sioner Ron Piers of Georgetown heads all OPP investigations in Ontario Dep Commissioner Piers his new promotion in January and in a personal inter view at his home last Thursday talked about the dramatic Bux investigation his career as a police officer and some of the changes he hopes to make in the force The Buxbaum investigation was one of the most time- consuming and publicized cases of Piers career in the in vest igative field of police work He was still cleaning up some racketeering cases from his five year stint as a Detective Sergeant m Toronto and t yet made the move to the new criminal investigation unit in London when he got a call from his boss now Commissioner Tom 0 Grady who asked him if he would look after a shooting in London He was soon to learn that the millionaire Buxbaum who owned several nursing homes in the London area had hired ac complices to murder his wife Buxbaum was involved with the lower life of London said Piers He liked younger women and drugs and maybe he decided he liked that lifestyle as opposed to the one he had with his wife Remembering back to the case which began with the phone call on July Piers recalls thinking it was a horrendous crime On the surface it appeared a horrendous crime was done to pillars of the community My job was then to investigate and find the persons responsible The murder happened after the couple had gone to the airport to pick up their nephew On the way back Buxbaum pulled up behind a car which contained assailants later found to have been hired by who ap proached the Buxbaum vehicle This was when Mrs was shot said Piers Piers said the first thing he found odd about the incident was that occurred past the cutoff leading to the Buxbaum s residence in Komoka Next witnesses told him how unconcerned Mr ap peared after the shooting of his wife Even at the hospital witnesses said he didn seem too concerned said Piers Soon Piers and his team of in began uncovering evidence indicating Mr Bux wasn blameless in the in The investigative process happened so fast we never thought this case t be solved said Piers First the police learned that while on a drinking binge a per son bragged to his friend that he was involved in the murder of Mrs Buxbaum Then police were able to connect Mr Bux with some unsavory people in Florida who later testified they were involved in a plot with Mr Buxbaum to kill his wife This evidence along with much more the investigators uncovered such as phone calls Mr Buxbaum made along the way to Toronto on the day of the shooting with hired accomplices led police to cal him in for an interview Piers conducted the interview Mr Buxbaum gave answers which I considered not ap propriate which led me to believe along with our evidence that he was lying and responsible for the murder said Piers After the interview and based on investigative results he decided to arrest Mr Buxbaum for the murder of Mrs Buxbaum It wds a classic case said Piers we had the facts that indicated what hap pened Mr was arrested in July 1984 The trial started in Oc 1985 and finished on Feb 14 1986 For two years Piers and his men worked on the case They worked on it exclusively for five months In the end seven people were charged with firstdegree murder Mr Buxbaum of firstdegree urder is presently under appeal And what is it like to be m charge of an investigation follow so closely by the media and public We felt a lot of pressure to get itsolvede he said But he doesn resent the media attention to cases such as the Buxbaum one I ve always had great support and help from the media he said He cited one case he worked on in 1986 where a woman was found behind a gas station with her hands chopped off We gave the story to the media and it t long before we found out she had stayed overnight at a hotel and by following up on other leads that led us to Detroit we were able to a suspect to Canada the suspect was later convicted of second degree murder said Piers Investigating grisly incidents such as these is not an easy nor enjoyable job But Piers said he loved his job II was a tremendous job a great challenge You have to try and match wits with the people responsible for these horrendous crimes The challenge is tD not only find the person but put an airtight case together he said I enjoyed it immensely It probably the best job in the entire organization Nothing can match interviewing someone who you believe is a murderer and when done arrest them In his new position Piers no longer does the actual investiga and he says be misses it but he enjoys other aspects of the position One is the increased pay and decreased hours Before he would work endlessly at the ex of his personal life and family My family has suffered through the years but my wife and I made a pact that I would put in the time necessary to get further in my career he said I missed a few years of my kids growing up but they turned out well We had quality time Now that he works regular hours with a yearly income of Piers has mo time with his family but no less respon sibility In essence he oversees all the investigations taking place across Ontario As one of three Deputy Commissioners he is also a member of senior management for the organization which charts the future of the OPP Moreover he s chairman of the discipline committee and chairman of the accommodation and awards committee And where once he was com mitted to catching criminals now hes intent on improving the in vestigative process I ve seen it all the in vestigative field I ve done the in vest igat ion been in charge of them and supervised them he said I e seen where the system needs improvement and now I Deputy Commissioner Piers have the responsibility to make these improvements One of the areas he d like to see improved is the guidance of of ficers who respond to currences many of whom are young and may have difficult with some of the situations they face Improvement in the co ordination of investigation is another priority As well he d like to see that positions are available in the in vestigative field for people suited to the position and officers eager to pursue a career in investiga turns Commissioner Piers was given the chance to pursue his teres and talent in the in vestigative field after he became a police officer in like to see other police officers get the same chance New village constable a part of the community By 1 ISA BOONSTOPPEI POT The Herald He a streetwalker A man armed but not dangerous In fact he walks the beat to serve and protect His name is Constable NickLeoni Constable is downtown Georgetown s Village Constable He s already been making his rounds talking to passers by checking up on store owners and organizing the Vilhge Constable concept Now his office is ready and was officially opened Friday as local dignitaries and topranking police officers cut the ribbon in front of C and S Printing on Mill Street An officer on beat can change the lifestyle of his community for the better is how Constable Leoni describes his position As a year police veteran living in Georgetown he working for the community he a part of and he s eager to mike the concept of the Village Constable work in the community Through visibility and the plementation of prevention programs I hope to change our lifestyle for the better he said like to call it going back to the future in a time where all com had foot patrol cops and could relate to them on the street made you feel more com fortable in the area Constable area is strict ly downtown Georgetown from George Street to Maple Avenue from Guelph Street to Market and Main Street Considering that 1 452 people live in the area and l 380 students are enrolled at the high school there s always a buzz of activity in his range Statistics from a crime tion survey Regional Police conducted indicates 16 per cent of the total crime taking place in Halton Hills takes place in his designated area Some of the things Constable has been doing since he took up his post January is meeting with seniors developing informative talks he will present to Grade Nine students at Georgetown District High School next week developing a business alert There a lot done for seniors but not much police interfacing with seniors said Constable Leoni in explanation of why he meets with them at the seniors home on Durham Street weekly Since the high school is within his boundaries he s also making high school students a target for his talks I just want to in troduce myself and tell them what I m here for in a non confrontational manner he sold So far Constable Leoni is on targt for what he s hoping to Hes presently working on set ting up a Community Consulta tion Committee to be made up of a cross section of community members Together we be able to discuss problems in the community and how to correct them Constable Leoni will be the Village Constable for a minimum of three years but he hopes to hold the position for longer than that because he likes the close contact with people and the chance to improve the communi ty where he lives Walking the beat and talking to store owners such as Peter of Sports on Main Street Is part of Constable Nick leoni job as village constable His office in and Printing on Main Street was officially opened Friday Herald photo Watch For KNECHTELS Weekly Specials on Page 7 then drop in to Georgetown Food Market Moore Park Plaza Georgetown Money Saving Coupons Available On Page 15 Under This Weeks InStore Specials