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Brian Thompson, Expoeill>rS Six Nations police officers display their new uniforms for the first time Monday. ='Our people know who we are now' i, Peter Fitzpatrick, Expositor Staff fl/4.l(ol (fl About 120 people gathered at the park OHSWEKEN - Most were content to to listen to politicians and police officers ogle from a distance, but one member of laud the advancement of community polic- the crowd in Veterans Park couldn't keep ing on the reserve. Among the speakers bis paws off the new Six Nations police was Ontario Solicitor General Mike Far- uniforms. nan, who promised to increase the level of "Ah, get down, Magic," cried Const. Ri- self-policing by native communities in the chard Johnson, pushing a.side a tawny province. boxer doe which had leapt up, happy to "It is important that policing semces see his master in sleek black and grey. 'lbe constable brushed the paw prints off his pants and smiled. "They ftt better •.. I like them because they're different." Const. Richardaon was one of eight of- ficers to attend Monday's ftrst public view- Ing of new uniforms. The officers have traded their tradi- tional blue uniforms for new outftts that feature a dark grey shirt with black trim, black pants with grey stripe, and a Stetson bat. Const. Dave Whitlow said he is excited by the new look. "I think they're pretty Impressive - they're different anyway. They make us stand out a little differently from other pol- ice." • The bread and cheese event - Page C1 be responsive to the needs of the communi- ties they serve. If this is to happen, com- munities must have a strong say in how they are policed," he said. "For ftrst nations communities this can happen only when ftrst nations people are members of that police service." Chief Councillor Bill Montour said in- troduction of the new uniforms is a aym- bolic, but Important, step In the evolution of a native-controlled justice system. "Having our own police force has been a big factor in the community, and people are beginning to accept the policing that's being done by the guys from the commu- nity," he said prior to the ceremony. "I think taking them out of the predom- inantly blue uniform of the OPP is going to enhance that. They're going to have a look that is Six Nations' own police." The chief councillor said the next step in developing a native justice system will be installing a justice of the peace on the reserve, something he hopes will happen within a year. Eventually, a full .court will operate on the reserve. Police Chief Glenn Lickers said he 1ik'8 the new uniforms because they are dis- tinct. "One of the problems we've had in the last ftve years is to get people to realize we're not the OPP," he said. "Our people know who we are now. In a sense, it's a statement that goes beyond our own territory. We're a stand-alone pol- ice force." The uniforms were chosen with a con- sensus of all 12 officers, said the police chief. Some are self-conscious about the stetsons, though, so officers will continue to wear baseball caps and only don the broad-brimmed hats for s ecial occasions.