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30 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, May 23, 1990 SEs Sas LIMITED TIME OFFER Mention this ad and receive a 10% DISCOUNT ON ANY ORDER PLACED BEFORE JUNE 30/90 We specialize in Custom Kitchens, Vanities and Bars. FREE ESTIMATES PORT PERRY - Reach Industrial Park - 985-0420 FORDER-PARKS INSURANCE BROKERS INC. 34 Water St., Port Perry, Ont. LOL 1J2 985-8411 PERSONAL ATTENTION TO ALL OF YOUR GENERAL INSURANCE NEEDS Guaranteed Investment Certificates Best Rates we have Available at Our Office ... 1 YEAR 2 YEAR 3 YEAR 4YEAR 5 YEAR 13%% 12%% 12%% 12%% 12%% (Rates Subject to Change Without Notice) Box Plants ................ 89 {most varieties). Coco Mulch We also carry POTATOES, ONIONS & SHRUBS &) Monday to Wednesday 8:30 to 5:30 Thursday & Friday 8:30 to 8:00 Saturday 8:30 to 5:00 Sunday 1:00 to 5:00 SUBTRONICS SATELLITE - CELLULAR - ANTENNA - CAR STEREO SALES * SERVICE * INSTALLATION . 40 ft. Tower Antenna * UHF / VHF / FM Antenna * Amplifier * Rotor * 1 Year War. (Parts & Labour) installed ... $899. SATELLITE SYSTEMS Complete with remote, 10' dish, full warranty installed ... $21 99. MONTEREY 30 DESCRAMBLER * UHF Remote Control * Stereo * Parental Lockouts * Favourite Channel Menu * Prog. VCR Event Timer * On-screen Graphics * 10' Alum. Dish (5 yr. war.) * 1 yr. War. (Parts & Labour) installed ... $2899. CHAPARRAL MMUNICATI ONS € Weekdays 11 AM to 7 PM; Saturday 11 AM to 3 PM LITTLE BRITAIN Mobile 705-741-7028 ho . : 3 h -- Pp = EF) gr hy First class police constable Bob Walker is one of Port Per ry's finest. He allowed a Port Perry Star reporter to travel the beat with him Friday to see firsthand the duties of an offi- cer working In Scugog Township. A couple of hours in the life of a police officer patrolling Scugog By Julia Ashton The Michelin Man. That's how police constable Bob Walker describes how he and all other officers would look if all they did was sit in donut shops eating pastries and sip- ping coffee. "We'd all look like the Miche- lin Man and I don't think we do," PC Walker told this Port Perry Star reporter. And he certainly bears no re- semblance to the well-known tire mascot. Nosirree! He stands well over six feet tall and looks as if he hasn't missed a serving of Wheaties yet. But the odd stop at the donut shop can be beneficial, he said. "That's how we get to know people." I met PC Walker on Friday. I didn't meet him at the donut shop. Instead, I had somehow man- aged to sweet-talk the top guns at 26 Division into allowing me to ride shotgun with one of their finest for a couple of hours. Of course I had to sign a waiv- er dismissing the police force from any responsibility in case .I was injured, maimed or killed while on assignment. Once the paperwork was done (police know all about paperwork) we were onour way. It was 2 p.m. by this time and holiday traffic was beginning to build all over Scugog Township. I was sure the action was go- ing to begin any minute, but in- stead we did what most officers working in this Township do: We drove, and we drove and we drove. I kept thinking, "When will all the neat stuff happen? You know the stuff that makes good headlines -- sells newspapers. Where are the police chases portrayed by film directors on the big screen?" Those kind of occurances don't happen on a daily basis in Scugog Township, PC Walker on! And he's darn glad they on't. "Car chases are not fun," he told the Star. "They can be real- ly hard on the nerves." And car chases aren't re- stricted to the populated areas. "People tend to run in the country," he said. "There's more space out here and it's easier to got away." We're driving down a country road now. PC Walker says he's doing it to impede my writing and it's working. This guy has got a sense of humor -- and that could be the most valuable weapon a cop can have. Yes, the stress of the job can consume the best officer. Every day has a new combi- nation of occurances and they don't know from one minute to the next just what is going to happen. three car pile up with mul- tiple personal injuries, a child that has fallen down a well, a domestic dispute. And when their shift ends and the uniform comes off, they are still police officers under the scrutiny of all. What they do on their off hours can be just as critical as what they do on the job. All of a sudden we're follow- ing a vehicle into a municipal parking lot. I had barely no- ticed that we were back in town. But PC Walker is on the ball. Not only is he listening to me jabber away, he is answer- ing my questions, keeping an ear to the scanner for incoming calls and pulling over a gentl- man who is driving a vehicle with an expired licence plate sticker. I rolled down my window in an attempt to hear the conver- sation bétween the two men. As it turns out, the man had not forgotten to purchase his new sticker back in December of last year: He forgot to place it on the plate. He gets areprieve. Next is a tour past the high school. On our right is a gentle- man walking down the street with a case of beer. Only thing is, this gentleman doesn't look old enough for this to be lawful. He sees the cruiser turn around in a nearby driveway and he keeps on walking. We pull up along side him and PC Walker asks the fellow his age. "Nineteen," he replies. "Do you have anything to back that up?' PC Walker asks. The teenager pulls out his wallet and according to his li- cence, he is 19..but not much more. The fellow asks PC Walker if itisillegal to walk with a case of beer. "It would be if you were un- der 19," the officer says. The two exchange saluta- tions and we're off again. Things now seem to be pick- ing up. Over the scanner we hear the dispatcher trying to give direc- tions of a residence to an officer. He can't find the place. Appar- ently there was a language bar- rier between the dispatcher and the complaintant. The dispatcher calls for PC Walker. Today he has taken on the extra responsibility as act- ing sergeant. Can he help ex- plain where this residence might be? He tries his best. If the 9-1-1 system wasin place, there prob-: ably wouldn't be a problem right now. And at the same time, PC Walker is worrying about an ambulance heading for Ux- bridge Cottage Hospital from the outskirts of Brock Town- ship. The ambulance is transport- ing a man with no vital signs. The attendants are from out of town and are uncertain of the hospital'slocation. As it turns out, they had no trouble finding the hospital thanks to a police escort, but the story doesn't have a happy ending. The man they were trans- porting didn't survive -- a possi- le heart attack victim. A police report has to be com- pleted with the sergeant present. When we arrive at the Cot- tage Hospital, PC Walker learns that the family has al- ready been notified. If they hadn't, it may have been the responsibility of the police to tell the next-of-kin. And no matter how many times an officer has to break the bad news, it never gets any eas- ier. "Your tongue always seems to get so big in your mouth and you can never find the right words," he explained. "It's not any easier if you don't know the people." Once everything is wrapped up at the hospital, we head back for Port Perry. It's quitting time for PC Walker. Time to put the neatly pressed uniform away, time to retire the pistol, time to turn on the radio instead of the scan- ner. Yes, there is more to being a police officer in Scugog Town- ship than sitting in a donut shop, sipping on coffee and eat- ing pastries! uch more.