The 2008 budgetary guidelines, as established by Council, stipulated a 2% net budget increase. It was difficult for the police service to reach that target this year and next year I expect it to be next to impossible. This year our 2% net equates to $113,000, but that’s not adequate. The increases to our various wage and benefit accounts, independent of anything else, totals $339,000. This number includes an increase of $37,000 for 9 employees (5 officers and 4 civilians) who are currently moving through the various progression steps identified in their collective agreements, as well there was $59,000 which we were saddled with as a result of councils recent decision involving increases to contribution levels reflecting changes to W.S.I.B. legislation in the province. All of this left us scrambling to make up a shortfall of $226,000. We accomplished this primarily by anticipating continued growth in our criminal record check services that we provide as well as striving for full cost recovery for court services provided on behalf of other police services and full cost recovery for all external paid duties. We, as an organization have been very aggressive in going after these revenues in the past several years. The 5 core police services are identified in section 4(2) of the Police Services Act which states ‘adequate and effective police services must include, at a minimum all of the following police services:

1. Crime prevention
2. Law enforcement
3. Assistance to victims of crime
4. Public order maintenance
5. Emergency response

No where in the act does it list revenue generation as one of our functions or responsibilities. However, since 2003 the Brockville Police Service has generated revenue of some $4,487,000. That’s almost $4.5 million that we have been able to save the taxpayers of our community. In generating these revenues, we have successfully been able to self fund many of our minor and major capital projects over this time period, thus freeing additional funds for allocation to other city departments.

In crafting this 2008 Budget we also managed to trim expenses in most non wage and benefit related areas. We cannot continue in this fashion. It is not sustainable. We have no expenses left to trim and there will be a day when our revenues plateau or decline.

Due entirely to our criminal record check contracts, in the last 5 years, we have shown budget surpluses in all but 1 year and our budget increases in the last 3 years has totaled a remarkable 5.8%, a number that I would challenge any police service in this country to better. That being said, we are not progressing, we have not adequately staffed our requirements in our 2002 – 2004 Business Plan and are struggling to keep up with the demands placed upon us. In 2007, we responded to 13,357 calls for service. With these restrictive budgetary guidelines we will not be able to meet the expectations of our constituents nor fulfill our requirements of adequate and effective policing into the future.

What drives our 2008 budget?

In 4 words or less, its people, people, people and things. The internal people are our 41 sworn officers and our 22 civilian members, every one of these employees works in accordance to the terms and conditions of a contract that the Brockville Police Association negotiates, on their behalf, with the Brockville Police Services Board.

The Brockville Police Services Board is comprised of 5 voting members and a secretary:

Chair – King Yee Jr – Provincial Appointee
Vice Chair – Mayor Henderson – City Appointee
Member – Councilor Kalivas – City Appointee
Member – Dave Mitchell – Provincial Appointee
Member – Tom Blanchard – City Appointee
Secretary – Jim Baker – City Director of Human Resources

Our members contracts, all of which are either arbitrated or negotiated with the board, provide for wages and benefits, overtime rates, vacation entitlements, parental leave, medical leave, health and dental coverage, vision care, pension plans, etc, etc, etc. Its calculated that negotiated benefits add approximately 23% to all wage entitlements.

The external people driving our budget are the citizens of Brockville with their demands and expectations of what a police service is or should be. As I mentioned earlier, we responded to 13,357 calls for service in 2007.

In 2007, we also investigated:

- 745 motor vehicle accidents,
- Laid 373 charges under the liquor licence act,
- Charged 3,215 people for highway traffic act violations.

Investigated:
- 275 assaults
- 100 domestic complaints
- 549 thefts
- 94 frauds
- 140 public disturbances

As well, we spent 6,000 hours providing court security and we housed 2,377 prisoners at the courts and transported 2,730 prisoners. We also provided 709 hours of Court Case Management through the Crown Attorney’s Office.

Other external human influences include political and appointed people. Its these individuals that set our guidelines, budgetary and otherwise, establish policy that influences procedure and they also dictate standards and adequacy requirements. All of which serve to influence our court case load, our reporting requirements and our associated work load.

We are truly a servant of the people!

To varying degrees we answer to; the citizens of Brockville, Brockville City Council, Brockville Police Services Board, the Special Investigations Unit, the Ontario Civilian Commission on Policing Services, the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and I’m sure that I’ve missed several other groups or legislative bodies.

But that’s OK! I don’t mind answering to anybody. I don’t mind being held accountable to anybody, because the police, by their very nature and function have a tremendous amount of authority. We live in a free and democratic society and yet the police can deprive people of their basic rights and freedoms. We have the legislative authority to use force on individuals – deadly force if necessary, and as such we should and must have a tremendous amount of public accountability. Each and every one of our 63 employees has a clearly defined roll and everyone regardless of their roll has to be accountable.

As I mentioned earlier, when answering the question, what drives our 2008 budget?, that in 4 words or less its people, people, people and things. Well, the 1 thing that drives our budget in 2008 is our infrastructure, our almost 2 decade old building and the upgrades that it requires, plus our vehicles & fleet maintenance and equipment. I will always spend as much money as I have to, to get the best equipment I can. I cannot send people out there to do a difficult or an impossible job for you without looking after them!

What are the future issues?

Issues that will affect the Brockville Police Service in the future and consequently impact our future budgets, in 4 words or less are things, things, things and people.

Mobile data terminals which allow officers to perform their own road duties more effectively, more efficiently and with a greater degree of safety.

In car video recorders, which enhance officer safety and presents complaint or court case best evidence.

Electronic ticketing devices that will print a traffic ticket with the swipe of a drivers license. This device cuts court overtime costs, eliminates officer error in writing tickets and allows for more patrol time as the result of less paperwork.

Facility expansion – after almost 20 years we are bursting at the seems. We have inadequate male and female locker rooms, we get by with inadequate fitness facilities, we conduct our annual use of force training at St. Lawrence College because we can no longer accommodate that training within our building and we have inadequate space for the proper storage of evidence and lost & found property.

The ‘people’ aspect of the future are the staffing issues. By that, I mean the right people in the right spots, doing the right jobs. With 90% of our dollars being spent on ‘people issues’, this is a very important part of the equation.

There is change that will be required over a certain time period. That change will require the movement of some people. We see changes that should be made and some of us complain about the way things are done and yet as creatures of habit, we fight tooth and nail to keep things the way they are. It is easier to stay on the beaten path than to create a new one. As we move forward over the next several years, we have to be prepared to create that new pathway. I happen to believe that police officers need to be on the streets and not performing support functions. I happen to believe that the biggest deterrent to crime is the fear of being caught – with meaningful consequences. To hold up our commitment, we must be adequately staffed, properly equipped, appropriately financed and always accountable. The management of financial resources determines what we can do and how well we can do it.

During last years budget process, I sat at the back of Council Chambers and noted various comments that individuals made. Some of these may sound familiar.

‘the police are far too busy to be enforcing by-laws’
‘we often ask various departments to do things that are not their responsibility and we should not do that’
‘we need the appropriate level of response to each call, we do not need everyone to respond to everything’
‘budgeting on revenues is like building a foundation on sand’
‘you have to be very creative and look at all the options that are open to you’
‘if our priorities change or shift, than you don’t just keep adding to your list of things to do, but you will eventually have to drop things from the priority list to accommodate what you have added to the list’

We have listened to what you have said, we know what our legislated requirements and responsibilities are and we are bound by our moral obligations. Within that framework we have crafted our 2008 Budget.

Our 2008 Budget is $5,773,266, which represents a 2% increase over 2007. The tax base is split roughly 66% residential and 34% industrial commercial and that residential component is comprised of approximately 22,000 citizens. That means that the total resources of the Brockville Police Service are at your disposal 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year for a per capita cost of .47 cents per day based on the residential portion of the municipal tax base. A cost that is less than the annual amount each of you spend on the residential alarm system that you have, or should have.

Brockville has a police service that is staffed by dedicated women and men; officers and civilians who are ready for the challenges of the future – whatever they might be!

Thank you for your time and on behalf of the 63 men and women of the Brockville Police Service, I thank you for your continued support as we work together to ensure that Brockville remains a safe and healthy community.

Chief John Manoll

View the 2007 Budget Presentation

View the 2006 Budget Presentation