Pubdate: Thu, 20 Jul 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Jake Rupert
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/youth.htm (Youth)

KILREA PROMISES MORE 'REAL POLICE'

Chiarelli Claims Opponent For Mayoralty Has Facts On Policing 'Totally Wrong'

Ottawa mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea announced his "tough on crime" 
platform yesterday to a chorus of expletives from about two dozen 
street kids and condemnation by his rival candidates.

If elected, Mr. Kilrea says he'll raise the number of officers doing 
"real police work" on the streets by almost 50 per cent from 252 to 
390, and bring in several new "zero tolerance" policies, including 
one on people living on the streets.

He says he'll hire 78 new officers, and 60 would be reassigned from 
their current "over-bureaucratized, non-essential" duties.

"Too many men and women have joined the police service to become 
officers and they've become clerks," Mr. Kilrea said at a press 
conference during which fellow mayoral candidate Jane Scharf, a 
homeless advocate, interrupted to protest. Several homeless youth 
also yelled obscenities at the would-be mayor throughout his presentation.

Mr. Kilrea chose the Rideau Street pedestrian underpass where Steven 
Beriault, 21, was stabbed to death on June 14, to announce his platform.

Mr. Beriault was living under the bridge and died after confronting a 
man who was urinating in the area.

Ricky Roger Hankey, 35, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Mayor Bob Chiarelli, who is running to keep his job, said Mr. 
Kilrea's police and crime numbers are "absolutely and totally wrong."

Mr. Chiarelli said there are currently 600 officers he considers 
"front-line," and the city's crime rates are falling.

"He's suggesting we add 78 new officers, and, in reality, we are 
already adding 160 officers in 2006-2007," Mr. Chiarelli said. "His 
facts are totally wrong, and I think it's clearly a desperate move."

Mr. Kilrea's platform targets people living on the streets, drug 
dealing, guns, aggressive panhandling, public drunkenness, 
prostitution and gangs.

He is also concerned about vandalism and graffiti.

Mr. Kilrea said he would make police officers enforce the letter of 
the law against all crimes, provide businesses with the tools to 
fight graffiti, and form a city "hit squad" to get rid of graffiti immediately.

Mr. Kilrea said he would focus police attention downtown and in the 
Byward Market, where there are "countless people sleeping on the 
streets, drug dealers operating in plain view, and roaming gangs of 
thugs at night," he said.

"Ottawa residents do not feel as safe on the their streets as they 
used to," he said. "A Kilrea administration will have zero tolerance 
on crime in this city. I will make sure the offenders are punished. I 
will lead a personal attack on gangs, muggers and thugs."

As for the homeless and street people, Mr. Kilrea said he would offer 
as much help as possible to get them off the streets; but if they 
don't take it, they won't be allowed to continue living on the streets.

"Living on the streets will be unacceptable in this city," he said. 
"They can't live on the streets, and they can't aggressively panhandle."

To pay for the extra police officers, Mr. Kilrea said he'd find the 
$7 million needed, as he says he will find money for many of his 
platform promises, by reviewing all city programming and cutting out 
unnecessary spending in the millions.

During the announcement, Ms. Scharf invited Mr. Kilrea to meet some 
of the youths living under the pedestrian underpass this summer, and 
he took her up.

He told them he was there to help, but the youth weren't buying. 
Instead, they complained about being harassed by police.

"The Ottawa police are one of the finest police forces in Canada," 
Mr. Kilrea said.

The street youths started a chorus of "bulls---, bulls---, bulls---" in answer.

Ms. Scharf said Mr. Kilrea's plans are "regressive" and the 
tough-on-crime approach is not a "solution." She said this was the 
police approach until 2003 when more money was poured into outreach 
programs, housing programs, shelters, and other social assistance for 
street youth. Since then, she says the number of youth living on the 
streets has decreased dramatically.

She said increasing the number of officers and strictly enforcing 
laws doesn't work.

"It's not a real solution, and it's not reasonable or fair to treat 
vulnerable people like that," she said, adding that Mr. Kilrea's 
approach would be costly to tax payers.

Fellow candidate Alex Munter agreed. He said Mr. Kilrea is trying to 
style his platform after New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani's approach 
in the 1990s, but that Mr. Kilrea is missing some important pieces.

Mr. Munter said along with enforcement, Mr. Giuliani created programs 
to deal with drug and alcohol addiction and boosted levels of 
affordable housing and mental health care dramatically. He also 
questioned how Mr. Kilrea is going to pay for all of this.

"Of course we should have police officers walking the beat on Rideau 
Street and in the market, but if on day one he's going to round up 
and arrest all the homeless people, who is going to pay for this on 
Day 2," Mr. Munter said.

Mr. Chiarelli said that in the last six years, the police budget has 
gone from $129 million to $190 million, and the crime rate has 
dropped steadily, including a six-per-cent decrease last year.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman