By KATIE DAWSON
The Sachem
February 8, 2007
Seven of the proposed 50 new OPP recruits are already on the streets making Haldimand County a safer place. Just after January 1st, seven recruits fresh from Ontario Police College were sent to Haldimand County where they were teamed up with one coach officer each and sent on patrol.
These recruits are only a fraction of the 50 that Haldimand County will see added over the next several months. It originally sounded as if the officers were going to be patrolling Caledonia the Douglas Creek Estates situation alone, but the new officers will be throughout Haldimand County, a presence that is sure to be noticed. The new officers are 24 year old Constable Tom Laing who before becoming an OPP officer spent much of his time flying helicopters in the James and Hudson Bay coastal areas as well as the Canadian Arctic.
Constable Jonathon VandeKlippe grew up in Kincardine and worked as a cadet for the South Bruce OPP before joining Haldimand County OPP. Constable Michael Sortino spent four years in the Canadian Armed Forces and owned many successful businesses before joining the OPP.
Thirty-eight year old constable Mark Stadig has been married to his wife for 13 years and has twin boys to keep him busy. Prior to becoming an officer, Stadig worked as a certified Athletic Therapist in Collingwood. Constable Christine Millson, 24, currently lives in Guelph but will soon be residing in Haldimand County. She worked as an Auxiliary Constable with the OPP for four years at the Cambridge Detachment.
Constable Erin McIvor, 26, grew up in Fort Frances and attended York University to acquire her B.Sc Psychology and worked as an OPP cadet for 10 months at the Toronto Detachment. Constable Lori Mournahan lived on a farm in Grand Valley and has three children and two grand children. In 2005 she joined the OPP as a Cadet in Caledon, Ontario.
"All of our new officers bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to an already excellent team of officers at the Haldimand County detachment," says Constable Paula Wright. Acting Staff Sergeant Mike Rigby, who has also recently joined the Haldimand County OPP, says the presence of the OPP will definitely be noticed.
"I am a supporter of foot patrol and being out there in the community," he says. He says with the new recruits will come a lot of changes and challenges, but that this is a positive time for the people of Haldimand County. Within the next two weeks, Sgt. Rigby is hoping to announce the opening of a reporting office in Dunnville. This office will be where the officers who work that zone will sign in, leave their vehicles, and pick up their vehicles.
"They won't need to drive to Cayuga and then to Dunnville, which will mean a constant presence in Dunnville." On April 30th six more recruits will be sent to Haldimand, while 18 others are trained at other detachments simply because of volume. The process for a new recruit includes a six month probation in which they work with a coach. This coach officer is always with the recruit helping him or her to become familiar with the community. Sgt. Rigby says the new recruits have received briefings, history, policy and procedures regarding the Douglas Creek Estate land claim situation. "All of the officers at some point will be assigned to duties in Caledonia on a rotating basis."