Toronto: Policed by out-of-towners?

[typezed]

Perhaps we should, like many employers, eliminate the free parking for employees at police stations.

A couple weeks ago I asked this question about the several months duration use of the public space in front of 52 Division as parking lot. Maybe there's not enough space underground for parking for both private and police vehicles. To ensure that employees commuting by car have free parking (despite being located right at the subway) they've laid claim to the front. To me, this seems like a possible instance of police who commute from far outside the area imposing suburban expectations on the neighbourhood, and whatever city body that is encharged to regulate zoning being powerless to oppose the cops.

 

[js97]

just impose a non-residency deduction from their cheques.

Maybe it bee 1500 dollars a year or something.

Smalle incentive to get them to live in the city.
Expective cops to live in neighbourhoods where they police will get a little tough in certain areas, i.e. forest hill, bridlepath etc.

THat being said, expecting cops to take the TTC after a 12 hour shift is a little rediculous, especially when they have to be back after 12 hours.

Toronto police generally do an excellent job, those who point at the G20 summit should be blaming those in high command for putting out the directive.

 

[Chuck]

Toronto proper is too large to see the benefits of a resident only hiring policy, if benefits even exist in the first place. Suppose an officer serves in south Etobicoke. What difference would it make if they lived in Scarborough versus Markham? It fact, it might be more advantageous for them to live in Port Credit than the northern or eastern parts of the 416 area code.

 

[nfitz]

THat being said, expecting cops to take the TTC after a 12 hour shift is a little rediculous, especially when they have to be back after 12 hours.

Why not? If they are that overtired, should they be driving?

 

[buildup]

Perhaps we should, like many employers, eliminate the free parking for employees at police stations.

nfitz, you just have a hate-on for cops. Every job has some sort of perk - especially mine.

It may be that since police stations have to store patrol vehicles on site, its natural they swap spots with their civilian cars as they take patrol cars out.
Whatever.

You'll like cops more if you get your $150,000 class action settlement. If I was the judge on that I'd give everyone $20 per hour of confinement, unless they are unemployed. I know you wanted my thoughts on that.

 

[GraphicMatt]

While I think it can be overblown, I do think we'd see better levels of service from our City Workers, Police Officers, TTC workers, etc if they lived closer to where they worked.

You might be able to encourage this with the police force specifically if we looked at offering property tax breaks to cops if they buy a house within certain neighbourhoods. I know there are various programs offered in the U.S. that do things like this - the HUD Good Neighbor Next Door Program (http://www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/reo/goodn/gnndabot.cfm) - but I'm not sure if there are any similar programs available in Canada/Ontario.

 

[nfitz]

nfitz, you just have a hate-on for cops. Every job has some sort of perk - especially mine.

???? What a bizarre comment? I've advocated removing free parking for anyone who works in downtown Toronto! Why should police be treated any differently? Why do you think they should get special treatment? BTW, I assume like other City of Toronto employees, police are now paying income tax on your free parking ... thanks to Councillor Ford.

How this possibly could lead you to saying I have a hate-on for cops is beyond me. I've never been anti-cop, or voiced that here. I don't believe that they should have any special privileges or be above the law ... but surely you don't believe that either.

I'm quite disturbed that you would accuse someone of hating cops without any basis, and I look forward to your apology!

It may be that since police stations have to store patrol vehicles on site, its natural they swap spots with their civilian cars as they take patrol cars out.

Perhaps. During the daytime shift, what's the ratio of police cars out on patrol, compared to the number of personal vehicles.

You'll like cops more if you get your $150,000 class action settlement. If I was the judge on that I'd give everyone $20 per hour of confinement, unless they are unemployed. I know you wanted my thoughts on that.

What are you talking about??? What has that either got to do with the subject, or me; I have not made any comments regarding class action lawsuits ... I haven't even read much about it.

 

[Admiral Beez]

It's interesting that whenever anyone suggests here on UT that the references to Toronto should refer specifically to the City of Toronto, a hue and cry goes up that Toronto and GTA are the same. So, if a Toronto police officer is living in Markham he's still in Toronto so to speak.

 

[nfitz]

It's interesting that whenever anyone suggests here on UT that the references to Toronto should refer specifically to the City of Toronto, a hue and cry goes up that Toronto and GTA are the same. So, if a Toronto police officer is living in Markham he's still in Toronto so to speak.

I don't believe that at all. If someone says Toronto they generally mean Toronto. If someone says Toronto area, Toronto region, Greater Toronto ... one tends to mean GTA ... at least when locals are talking to each other. When one talks to someone on the other side of the world, of course one must speak to their understanding - so one who lives in Mississauga might say that they live in Toronto as the majority in Europe have no idea that Mississauga borders Toronto.

 

[buildup]

???? What a bizarre comment? I've advocated removing free parking for anyone who works in downtown Toronto! Why should police be treated any differently? Why do you think you get special treatment? BTW, I assume like other City of Toronto employees, you are now paying income tax on your free parking ... thanks to Councillor Ford.

Perhaps. During the daytime shift, what's the ratio of police cars out on patrol, compared to the number of personal vehicles.

What are you talking about???

1) Im going to go out on a limb and guess your issue with removing free parking "for everyone" arose during this police thread - is that a bizarre assumption? Your own bizarre assumption/insult is that I work for the city.

2) Doesn't have to be 1:1 ratio to make some sense.

3) Sorry, I should ahve clarified as this was referring to G20 thread. The 1,000 aggrieved, brutalized protestors have launched a class action equivalent to $150,000 per person jailed a few hours to be paid by tax-paying non protestors.

 

[nfitz]

1) Im going to go out on a limb and guess your issue with removing free parking "for everyone" arose during this police thread - is that a bizarre assumption? Your own bizarre assumption/insult is that I work for the city.

... uh no ... I've been saying this for years; I've even advocated this at my place of employment ... much to the amusement (and for the amusement) of those who work in almost rural offices. BTW, earlier I reworded my post to remove the assumption you worked for the city before you posted this; you've replied to an earlier version, which I admit did contain an assumption that was not warranted by what was said.

2) Doesn't have to be 1:1 to make some sense.

Either way, Toronto police who work downtown shouldn't be treated differently from other city employees.

3) Sorry, I should ahve clarified as this was referring to G20 thread. The 1,000 aggrieved, brutalized protestors have launched a class action equivalent to $150,000 per person jailed a few hours to be paid by non protestors.

Perhaps we should keep that discussion to that thread - unless you can see some relation between wrongful detention of brutalized protesters and out-of-town policing. Did you observe a pattern between those police who were abusing protestors and what city they lived in?

I'm still waiting for an apology BTW, you seem to have ignored that part of my post.

 

[buildup]

... uh no ... I've been saying this for years; I've even advocated this at my place of employment ... much to the amusement (and for the amusement) of those who work in almost rural offices. BTW, earlier I reworded my post to remove the assumption you worked for the city before you posted this; you've replied to an earlier version, which I admit did contain an assumption that was not warranted by what was said.

Either way, Toronto police who work downtown shouldn't be treated differently from other city employees.

Perhaps we should keep that discussion to that thread - unless you can see some relation between wrongful detention of brutalized protesters and out-of-town policing. Did you observe a pattern between those police who were abusing protestors and what city they lived in?

I'm still waiting for an apology BTW, you seem to have ignored that part of my post.

ok, I am impressed, I will take you at your word that you have been advocating against the free parking issue. I apologize for that, nfitz. And I apologize for the other comment as you have informed me you are still waiting for that. And I apologize for all my yet to be conceived, ill conceived comments.

I am realistic enough to consider the possibility some out of town officers may have indulged themselves at some protestors' expense, and for everyone's amusement. And that some protestors did all they could to provoke officers. I just dont think its worth sorting out.

Since you carry a mental audit of all your past posts, come up with any generally favourable police comments? I'm really hoping you can't otherwise I will have to cash in another apology.

(And you should congratulate me on becoming a senior UT member which I just noticed)

 

[typezed]

THat being said, expecting cops to take the TTC after a 12 hour shift is a little rediculous, especially when they have to be back after 12 hours.

I see nurses on the TTC. They often work 12 hour shifts. I'd guess that others classes of workers do the same. I don' t know why it's ridiculous to expect that the TTC could be a commuting option for officers, one that they measure against the costs, like parking, of other options. Why is using the TTC more ridiculous than commuting back and forth to Georgetown or Port Perry after 12 hour shifts? Anyway, on TV they're all bitter cynical loners who only live to work. No children to raise in the leafy suburbs. Cops like that should be able to find accomodation downtown.

 

[buildup]

I wonder if police dislike TTC commuting because in that environment, even 'off' duty, they still feel they need to be 'on'. If anything happens they feel compelled to intervene etc. By the end of shift perhaps they have had enough of the public etc.

 

[Dan416]

I don't believe that at all. If someone says Toronto they generally mean Toronto. If someone says Toronto area, Toronto region, Greater Toronto ... one tends to mean GTA ... at least when locals are talking to each other. When one talks to someone on the other side of the world, of course one must speak to their understanding - so one who lives in Mississauga might say that they live in Toronto as the majority in Europe have no idea that Mississauga borders Toronto.

I disagree. Saying "Toronto" by itself is ambiguous."Toronto" by itself can mean any of the following: the GTA, current City of Toronto, former City of Toronto, former Metropolitan Toronto, former Toronto Township (Mississauga). Just because in your mind "Toronto" is short for "City of Toronto" does not necessarily make it so.

That said, I think having residency requirements is silly, no matter who is doing it, it's discriminatory. Discriminating for a "good reason" is still a discriminatory.