14november 2012 Blue line magazine

by Dana Barnett

It has been said that successful leaders surround themselves with good people but great leaders surround themselves with people even better than they. Look closely at a great police chief’s deputy and you may find an equally great leader standing in their shadow.

The second highest ranking officer in a police service, deputy chiefs reports directly to the chief. Serving as the chief operating officer, they oversee everything from financial and human resources and operations to developing and implementing policing strategies programs and tactics. Their numbers and divisions of responsibilities may vary but the function is always critical to policing because it assumes management responsibility for the day-to-day operation, services and activities.

behind the scenes supportRunning an organization as complex and

dynamic as a police service requires strategic tactical planning. While the chief and municipal police services board ultimately decide on strategic directions, the deputy chief feeds the strategic plan and puts the rubber to the road by operationalizing it.

“We breathe life into the business plan,” says Hamilton Regional Police (HRP) DC Eric Girt. “Making it work requires an awareness of many factors – like an understanding of the workload, staffing, financial constraints, adequacy standards, case law, the budget – and current and emerging issues such as psychiatric treatment wait times for emotionally disturbed person calls. This is critical to ensuring our members have the tools to do their job effectively.”

To better understand the pressures members face, a deputy chief will often sit in on a shift parade/briefing, visit a block training session with sergeants or go out on patrol. In Ontario they are required to qualify every year, which is fine with to HRP DC Ken Leendertse, who loves interacting with officers when on patrol.

“The work the members do on the front line is amazing,” says Leendertse. “They use all the tools to their fullest while at the same time, using their policing skills to identify and arrest the bad guys. The workload is incredible but members are extremely professional and very good at what they do.”

Leendertse still makes the occasional arrest when on patrol, noting his most recent collar was an individual he found breaking into his garage. He chased and caught the suspect, who was convicted. “You never stop being a cop” he explains.

Public relationsOne of a deputy chief’s most critical job

functions is maintaining crucial relationships with

elected officials and community stakeholders. In any given week this involves spending countless hours – often into the evening – being active with community organizations, attending various committee meetings or sharing best-practices with other law enforcement agencies.

Members of a police command are the face of the organization to the public. They represent all other members - uniform and civilian. This is particularly important when a crisis hits. The deputy chief often plays a critical set of roles in the organization and is responsible for exercising a variety of command functions under the most difficult conditions.

When a man opened fire in Toronto’s Eaton Centre in June, Toronto Police Service (TPS) Command members had to deal with the fallout from multiple victims, a fearful public and a barrage of scrutiny over the city’s safety record. TPS DC Peter Sloly, who was acting chief shortly after the shooting, recalls his involvement.

“In the weeks following this tragic event, I found myself overseeing the operational impacts of the high profile shooting in the three impacted police divisions (52, 51 and 14) and managing the concerns of the three most impacted city councillors,” said Sloly.

“In addition to co-ordinating the operations to deal with the immediate crime/order management priorities, I needed to provide enough information to keep city councillors, the media and the public informed – while maintaining the integrity of the investigation – and supporting the councillors’ efforts to calm their constituents by holding police/community town hall style meetings.”

managing the human dimensionDeputy chiefs make a concerted effort to

not “change their stripes” just because they were promoted. They know that their people are the greatest asset to the organization and need to make time for them whenever possible. That means trying to keep an open door policy and being available, says Halton DC Andrew

Fletcher; if that doesn’t work, go out to the members, he adds.

“I often stop in on morning briefings or stop by calls or traffic stops to let them know that I’m out there and paying attention to them. Some will find it intimidating while others will see it as you being one of them.”

This may sound simple but when your job requires you to make recommendations or final decisions about specific transfers and promotions, a casual conversation can be a dangerous thing. What you say can sometimes be “treated as gospel,” notes Fletcher.

“I once made a passing comment to someone about how I heard they were interested in working drugs. That person misinterpreted it to mean they were getting a spot on the team.”

Staying connected means different things to different deputy chiefs but the approach is always the same: make time for people, whether it’s through attending social functions, sending personal notes of recognition to staff or stopping to say hello in the hallway.

next in command?The deputy chief is the only member, besides

the chief, directly recruited and appointed by the municipal police services board, so it’s no surprise boards look to them first when a chief moves on. They can be considered the most stabilizing figure in the command, often having spent upwards of 20 years with their organization before being promoted to deputy. This results in a deep-rooted trust with the police executive and membership. They also have established relationships with community groups and other police organizations.

When Ottawa Chief Vern White suddenly announced he was leaving to accept a post with the Senate, it was no surprise when 28 year Ottawa Police Service veteran DC Charles (Chuck) Bordeleau was appointed after a brief internal process. It turns out that, not only was Bordeleau in the running for the position, he was in a small group of candidates already being groomed for it.

second in command The deputy police chief

15 november 2012Blue line magazine

“When former Chief White was hired (2008), he was given a mandate to plan for succession from within the service,” he says. “Although he left sooner than planned, he was able to ensure the board had two candidates to select from within the ranks of the police service. This was welcome news for our members and the greater community. Having come up through the ranks and born and raised in this community has been a tremendous advantage for me, especially during the transition period.”

Bordeleau stands firmly behind the succession planning process in Ottawa. As chief, he intends to play a key role in planning for his successor.

“As chiefs of police, it is our responsibility to ensure that we have the depth and breadth in our senior ranks to assume senior leadership roles within our organizations. This requires careful and deliberate planning, which cannot happen overnight. For us to achieve success, we need to look deep into the organization and identify future leaders at least five years out.”

Succession planning from within the ranks is not unique to Ottawa. Seven of the 10 largest Ontario police services replaced their most recent out-going chief with an in-house deputy.

All things considered, it would seem the job to aim for is not chief but deputy chief; that’s where the action really is.

Dana Barnett is a freelance writer located in the Ottawa area. She may be contacted by email to danaisathome@yahoo.ca

REGINA — Troy Hagen, chief of police, admits he was probably the hardest person to convince that it was time to change the Regina Police Service’s logo.

But eventually, he accepted the idea, and on Thursday, the 120th birthday of the RPS, the new logo was unveiled in front of the Osler Street detachment.

“It’s always go-ing to have a special place in my heart, and it’s served us very, very well,” said Hagen. “You get attached to certain items.”

Discussions began 18 months ago about replacing the 1973 logo. Doing so required changing the RPS letterhead and business cards, the decal on patrol cars, uniform shoulder flashes and officer hat badges.

A flag with the new logo was raised in front of the detachment at the end of the ceremony.

So far, the changes have cost the RPS about $20,000, but should increase once the emblem on the front wall of the detachment

regina Police Change Logois replaced within the next four weeks.

The new logo has the RPS coat of arms, a prairie lily, bison and the Canadian Flag. Similar to the previous logo, it also includes

the phrase Vigilius Genus Latin for “a most vigilant breed.”

“I think the new look is refreshing, and I think it demon-strates that the organ-ization is not sitting still,” said Hagen.

After the cere-mony, Hagen further explained why it was

difficult to change to a new logo.“I’ve been policing for over 33 years

now the only shoulder flash I knew was our past one, which we retired just yesterday.”

Officers will be able to keep their old shoulder flashes, and some will be on display in the RPS museum, said Hagen.

Thursday’s ceremony was only one item on the Board of Police Commissioners meeting agenda.

tmceachern@leaderpost.com © Copyright (c) The Regina Leader-Post

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Internet dating The Ottawa Citizen Sat Nov 15 2003 Page: E3 Section: The Citizen's Weekly: Style Byline: Dana Barnett Source: The Ottawa Citizen

When Bridget Jones sat crying her eyes out while lip-syncing to All By Myself, she obviously did not have a computer at home. If she did, she would have been online, connected to one of the many Internet matchmaking services looking for another man.

That's right, brush up on your grammar and spelling, put on your best outfit for that .jpeg and heed some good advice that follows on a phenomenon that has caused a tidal wave in the Net surfing world. Internet matchmaking is the latest trend in dating and it's coming to a favourites folder near you. You can now order up your mate like you would a coffee at the Tim Hortons drive-through: one medium-size regular, with a little extra sugar on the side.

If you're considering mentioning Internet matchmaking to single friends, you might be thinking they'll recoil at the notion of stooping to advertise their desire to find a mate. But you might be surprised. Could it be that they, too, have succumbed to the urge and already are secretly members, using a handle that wouldn't tip you off? Perhaps "New to Ottawa" is your friend who recently moved from Montreal.

If you think about it logically, it makes sense that the very technology connecting us to relatives across the world, to that next job and the local grocery store; should be the medium through which we search for our perfect mate.

Single Imports

Despite the glamorous persona portrayed by celebrities who change partners as often as they change their sunglasses, being single is not all it's cracked up to be. Meeting that significant other has always been a challenge, but the transient nature of people who live in major cities such as Ottawa -- which, according to the 2001 census, is now the fourth most-populated municipality in Canada -- deserves particular attention.

When you move to a new city, many of the traditional matchmaking techniques -- set-ups, social functions, participating in community activities -- are no longer available. You have to start from scratch. Normally, you would quickly invest money and time participating in activities to build the base for solid relationships. But chances are you moved here to further your career, so you really don't have the time to establish this base. Enter the Internet -- a tool you can access from the comforts of home for as little as $9.95 per month for server access and an additional fee for a membership to an on-line matchmaking service that screens and advertises potential suitors.

Ottawa's single population is on the rise and the census shows singles make up almost one-third of the city's households. Many talented singles are drawn here by the anticipation of economic growth and career prospects.

The Seven-to-One Myth

We've all heard the rumour that there are seven women for every man in Ottawa. The 2001 census does reflect that Ottawa has 5.1 per cent more females than males. However, women are proportionately more numerous in older age groups (70-plus) because of their longer life expectancy. Between the ages of 25 and 54, which includes the prime dating years, the numbers are much more even -- about 103 women to every 100 men.

So how do the numbers fare when we just look at the single population? The census counted 281,410 single, separated and divorced people over the age of 15 in Ottawa. Of that total, 140,540 were men and 140,870 were women. This represents a negligible difference in a population where the average age is 36.7. Women dominate the numbers slightly in the separated (56 per cent) and in the divorced (60 per cent) population.

Security

Opening yourself to the World Wide Web can make you vulnerable and susceptible to people who thrive on opportunities for illegal or immoral activities. Before registering with a service or connecting with a possible mate, consider the following dos and don'ts:

DO:

1 Get yourself a separate e-mail address; these are offered free through various browsers (Yahoo, Hotmail, etc.).

2 Take time to view the matchmaking sites and digest information before registering or establishing contact with members. Write down user names that interest you so you can return to them later.

3 Be honest about who you are and what you are looking for. You could inadvertently raise a suitor's expectations and run the risk of an unpleasant experience should you choose to meet the person.

4 If you plan to meet a potential match, always do so in a public place. Tell a friend, family member or colleague where you are going and call when you return home.

5 Review the security and confidentiality policy of the service. Ask questions if something is unclear. You should pay particular attention to the policies on confidentiality and credit card usage.

6 Watch your credit card statements. Stay on top of any additional charges you have not authorized; some services automatically renew your subscription and you have to request a termination. Many services allow you to browse for free, but if you choose to make a connection, you will be asked to become a member.

7 Pay attention to your instincts. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or pressured by someone using the service, terminate the correspondence. Most services allow the option to block a member or profile.

DON'T:

1 You should not offer personal information that makes you uncomfortable. Many services offer the "Prefer to not say" option for some questions in the profile questionnaire.

2 You don't have to rush into a face-to-face meeting. You are at the controls and can terminate the correspondence if you feel any pressure.

3 If you choose to post a picture, never post photos with children. In addition to the strain this may put on the relationship with your estranged spouse, it could potentially endanger your child.

4 Never reveal your last name and address. If you offer a phone number, consider using a cellphone number.

Source: InfoMart

The rise of the single parent by choice

The Ottawa Citizen

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Page: E2

Section: The Citizen's Weekly: Style

Byline: Dana Barnett

Source: The Ottawa Citizen

The other day I paid a visit to my doctor to have a prescription refilled. I wasn't actually out of

the prescription, having a three-month supply on file. Instead, I secretly wanted to pick the brain

of my thirtysomething doctor.

After some doctor-patient chit-chat, I casually threw in a comment about children, more

specifically the fact that I do not have any. She saw right through me. Quicker than a tri-athlete

jumps off her bike and begins the running portion of the race, she searched through my file for

my age.

- - -

Yes, I am 35, the magical age that translates into the beginning of the high-risk, low-fertility

pregnancy zone, the age when many women no longer fear getting pregnant, but instead fear not

getting pregnant.

Like many women of my generation, I have put off having children. Time passed, work was

relentless and relationships were hard to sustain.

My doctor was not very reassuring, offering only that women are having children successfully

into their forties, provided their "aging" ovaries are up to the challenge.

She was well versed on the topic, however. It seems I'm not the only thirtysomething singleton

looking to expand her one-person family. We arrived at a list of three options to consider if I was

serious about becoming a single parent by choice: donor insemination, domestic adoption and

international adoption.

I was warned that the information available is mainly geared to couples, but I quickly found

evidence of growing support for single adults wanting to become parents, especially given the

fact that fewer babies are being born in Canada each year; fertility rates have dropped to 1.49

children per woman in 2000 from 3.9 in 1960.

Single parenthood by choice is not just a Canadian phenomenon, of course. Celebrity magazines

are full of reports of actors, actresses and musicians going it alone in the parenting game -- not

always with happy results. Michael Jackson is perhaps the most notorious celebrity single parent

by choice these days. Meanwhile, the Seattle adoption agency that helped actress Angelina Jolie

adopt her son Maddox from Cambodia is accused of paying mothers $100 each to give up their

children.

But those are just a few of the many well-known personalities -- including Mia Farrow who is

mother to several adopted children, Calista Flockhart, Rosie O'Donnell and Jodie Foster -- who

have become single parents by choice in recent years, either by adoption or by assisted

reproduction.

Does that make it more acceptable for the rest of the world to take on parenting as a single? It

depends. If nothing else, popular culture's embrace of the single parents by choice puts it on the

radar screen and leaves increasing numbers of women and men considering it as one option -- if

a distant one.

In Canada, many fertility clinics have begun seeing an increase in single clients looking for

donor sperm, and more singles are approaching agencies that help arrange international and

domestic adoptions. But there are still roadblocks for singles; waiting lists for international

adoptions can be longer for singles than for couples because some countries do not allow singles

to adopt. And the costs, which are high for both international adoptions and fertility treatments,

can be prohibitive for singles.

Those who choose adoption face costs that can add up to $30,000 and a maternity leave of 35

weeks compared to the 52-week allowance for birth mothers. Medicare does not pay for in vitro

fertilization, which can cost as much as $10,000 per treatment, or for donor insemination, which

costs between $500 and $1,000 a cycle (a month). Neither do most private health insurance

plans.

Still, fertility centres have seen an increase in single clients, says Dr. Paul Claman, program

director for the Fertility Centre at the Ottawa Hospital.

Shelly Cutts, a 47-year-old teacher from Welland, has to talk loudly into the phone. The

animated chatter in the background tells me her three children are getting ready to settle in for

the night. Two of her children, Abigaille, almost 5, and Olivia, 13 months, were adopted from

China. Her oldest, Madeline, 8, was the result of donor insemination.

When she was almost 40, Cutts left a three-year relationship that she had hoped would lead to a

family with children. She decided to take matters into her own hands and, after talking with a

friend who had gone through the process, began researching donor insemination. That research

took her to a Toronto clinic.

Several trips to the clinic began to take their toll. "It can get very costly," she said, "but it's not

just the money, it's the time off work, the travelling and the emotional strain." Adding to the

stress was the knowledge that only 18 to 20 per cent of inseminations result in pregnancy, and it

can take a number of tries to become pregnant. Cutts, one of the fortunate ones, became pregnant

after her second cycle.

She hasn't decided yet how to deal with the inevitable questions Madeline will ask about her

father, but she is equipped with a package containing non-identifying information about the

sperm donor. Her only request when choosing a donor was that he be tall "like me and most of

my family" and good at math. According to Cutts, Madeline looks like her, is the tallest kid in

her class and is a quick study at math and reading.

Cutts tried donor insemination a second time but was unable to become pregnant, so she turned

to international adoption to expand her family from two to four.

Donor insemination is the oldest and most successful method of treating infertility. It's a

relatively simple procedure that involves injecting previously screened, frozen and quarantined

donor sperm into the female's reproductive tract. The insemination usually causes little, if any,

discomfort and requires minimal time.

In some cases, the woman's eggs cannot be fertilized inside her body. Instead, they are removed

and fertilized with sperm in a petri dish, a process called in vitro fertilization. Successfully

fertilized eggs are allowed to grow by dividing and the resulting embryos are then transplanted

into the woman's uterus to potentially establish a pregnancy. This procedure costs much more

than donor insemination because it involves time-consuming lab work and fertility drugs. One

treatment can cost up to $10,000.

Health Canada estimates that up to 6,000 Canadian babies are conceived each year from donated

sperm.

Sperm recipients get a written profile of the selected donor, including his and his family's

medical history. The donor may also provide personal information about his occupation,

education, personality and interests. Patients select the donor from information provided by the

sperm bank.

Long-awaited federal legislation on assisted human reproduction would mean changes to the way

sperm donation works in Canada. Donors could no longer receive the usual $50 to $100 payment

for their sperm. This worries the Ottawa Hospital Fertility Centre's Dr. Claman, who feels the

extra incentive means a larger semen supply.

But the proposed bill is in limbo after Parliament was prorogued late last year. The bill would

also make commercial surrogacy illegal, create an agency to monitor fertility clinics involved in

stem-cell research, and ban human cloning.

As interest in assisted reproduction by singles grows, so does interest in adopting, both from

within Canada and overseas.

Like Shelly Cutts, Lianne Thompson of Mississauga, is a single mother of two girls adopted

from China.

She laughs when her 21-month-old daughter picks up the phone and repeatedly says hello into

the mouthpiece. "That's Cassidy. She is just learning to talk."

Thompson is one of a generation of women who reached their early thirties and began to realize

that Prince Charming was not materializing as quickly as the fairy tales promised. When she

began looking into adopting, she found it daunting. In her experience, singles were not

considered a "priority.". Private adoption was out of the question because many birth mothers

favoured two-parent homes for their babies. Then she came across an article that changed her

life.

The story led her to Children's Bridge Adoption Agency and, ultimately, to two trips to China to

pick up her daughter Bryanna in February 2000 and Cassidy last March.

Children's Bridge is one of the largest licensed adoption agencies in Canada. It handles 250 to

300 international adoptions each year, mostly from China. When asked why China is so popular,

executive director Martha Maslen says, "They are so organized, and truly committed to finding

good homes for the children."

Do those "good homes" include ones headed by single parents? In China they do, but not all

countries allow single applications. Even China only allows about 10 per cent of applicants from

singles, which means the waiting time is longer for singles than for couples -- up to three years in

some cases. That could change soon if an agreement is signed to allow Canadians to adopt from

Vietnam, where there are no barriers to singles adopting.

Domestic adoptions by singles are also taking place. In Ottawa, the Children's Aid Society

(CAS) regularly places children with single applicants, says spokeswoman Debbie Hoffman,

"and the adoptions are as successful as every other type of adoption."

The children available for adoption in Canada are, largely, older and many are classified as

having special needs.

Three years ago, Ed Renaud, a 32-year-old teacher from Windsor, walked into the Windsor,

Ontario CAS and asked for an application to adopt a child. Today he is the proud father of

Brady, 5. The social worker assigned to him was a single adoptive parent who realized the

benefits of placing children waiting to be adopted in single-parent homes.

Renaud recalls being turned away from some agencies, both provincial and private, who "prefer

to place children in two-parent homes." But the Windsor agency went through the standard

interviews and found Renaud and his support system of friends and family to be a good match

for Brady. Brady was listed as a special needs child because he was developmentally delayed,

but Renaud says his son seems to have beaten those odds. He is excelling in kindergarten and has

settled into his new life.

Renaud says he always wanted children and got tired of waiting for "the right girl" to come

along. He wonders why so many people are waiting for babies when "there are many children

living in foster homes who need families." In fact, Renaud sees many benefits to being a single

parent by choice, especially a single male parent. Sometimes children who have been abused

respond better to a single parent. He adds that sometimes it's better for the child to get

"consistent discipline and routine" in a one-on-one relationship.

When asked if he has any advice for single males considering adoption, he is succinct. "Don't be

afraid, be persistent and ask questions."

As for me, I've come to the conclusion that a biological clock is not going to make the decision

for me. I now realize that making a family does not necessarily mean making a baby. Perhaps,

instead of looking for the answer from within myself, I should be looking at children who are

already here, and in need of a family.

Dana Barnett is an Ottawa writer.

Illustration:

• Photo: There is growing support for singles wanting to become parents: Actresses (Calista

Flockhart), Jodie Foster, far left, and Angelina Jolie, pictured with her son Maddox, are among

growing numbers of celebrities who have become single parents by choice. Jolie adopted her son

from Cambodia through an adoption agency that is now facing charges that it bought babies.

• Photo: Actresses Calista Flockhart, (Jodie Foster), far left, and Angelina Jolie, pictured with her

son Maddox, are among growing numbers of celebrities who have become single parents by

choice. Jolie adopted her son from Cambodia through an adoption agency that is now facing

charges that it bought babies.

• Photo: Actresses Calista Flockhart, Jodie Foster, far left, and (Angelina Jolie, pictured with her

son Maddox), are among growing numbers of celebrities who have become single parents by

choice. Jolie adopted her son from Cambodia through an adoption agency that is now facing

charges that it bought babies.

• Photo: and baby makes two in vitro adoption international private Canadian

Idnumber: 200401170091

Edition: Final

Story Type: News

Length: 1862 words

Illustration Type: Black & White Photo