To The Expositor
I’m not sure just what Kara Hawke is talking about when she said policing is not what it use to be in the letter to the editor on May 18 on page 5, ‘Policing on Manitoulin is not what it used to be.’ I wonder if she thinks that this world is what it use to be. If she does, she needs to take off the rose coloured glass and take a better look around. This world has changed and not necessarily for the better. The job of policing is much harder than it was even ten years ago. They have politics and public opinion to deal with in a major way. I have lived on Manitoulin for the last 23 years. I know a lot of good people here. Some of these people are Police Officers. I realize that some people in the position of control can at times become full of themselves or what one might call power drunk. I’m sure we have all seen it at one time or another in teachers, public officials, conservation officers, and yes, our police officers. But I must say that I have seen less of it here than in other larger cities and towns. What I have seen here is young men and women lending a helping hand when it is needed. I’ve also seen them putting themselves in danger for the good of our communities here on The Manitoulin. Any time I have dealt with the police I found them polite and easy to talk to. I might add that I have dealt with them on both side of the coin. There was the time my son was missing in a small boat on Lake Huron and they didn’t leave a stone unturned until he was safe at home again. Then there was a time when I was driving too fast and had to pay the piper for my stupidity. I have had them pull me out of snow bank on a cold day when I slipped off the road. They have aided us in returning lost articles to their rightful owners and they have spent a lot of their own time in search of someone lost in the bush. I’ve seen them being kind and compassionate as they helped pry someone out of a car after an accident. I was one of those people a couple of years ago. I’m not sure what Kara Hawke’s problem with the staff sergeant is, but without his guidance and supervision I’m sure the officers under him would not work as well as they do. As for professionalism, I fear it is a difficult job at its best in this day and age. So Ms. Hawke, maybe you need to cut them some slack.
Thank you,
Sharon Montgomery
Kagawong
