When county council considered its Police Services Board report last month, councillor Bob Wilson was curious about the discrepancy in the number of parking tickets issued over several months.
From June 1 to 30, police issued 142 parking tickets. In July, there were 194 tickets issued.
In August, there were only 60, Wilson pointed out.
County liaison to the board Lynda White explained that holidays had an effect.
Warden John Green also noted that when the board receives complaints, police will crack down on specific areas until the offences are decreased, and that had happened, too.
Green said, “We allocated people to watch that area.”
Green then noted that Wellington County OPP Inspector Steve Walsh was in the gallery.
“Steve Walsh is nodding, so I guess I’m close,” Green said with a smile.
In other police board business, White noted that the county OPP will be conducting another policing exercise on Nov. 13 to demonstrate the techniques officers use in case of sudden emergencies.
That exercise will take place at the old Kenilworth school, which is now a training headquarters for the OPP.
Citizen participants learn about the weapons and modern technology that the OPP is using and the mandatory annual training that all OPP officers must go through in order to keep their jobs.
Among the exercises presented at the last session were hands on target shooting (using paint ammunition) and the use of tazers, plus demonstrations on the use of various police equipment.
The final demonstration shows how regular street officers are trained to react when there is a sudden emergency, such as a shooting at a school. With a police officer or auxiliary person playing the role of the shooter, participants can monitor how officers act and react by watching TV monitors. Then, they can watch the techniques for cornering a suspect.
“It’s well worth going to see,” said White, who attended one held earlier this year. “It’s just amazing to see it.”
