Police Services Board

Friday, September 20, 2013

Friday, September 20, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, September 20, 2013

Bratina wrestled with conflicting roles of mayor and police board chair

Bob Bratina says for more than three months he thought of the grieving family of police shooting victim Steve Mesic and felt conflicted.

The mayor in him wanted to reach out immediately to offer condolences. The Hamilton Police Services Board member in him wanted to follow Chief Glenn De Caire’s instructions to have no contact with them at all.

Bratina learned the chief had ignored his own advice by phoning Steve’s pregnant fiancée to offer his sympathies last week.

Monday, Steve’s loved ones packed an emotionally charged police board meeting demanding kindness from their mayor and chief.

After the meeting Bratina talked with his wife and advisers and reflected on his “responsibilities as the mayor.” He decided to resign from the board.

Just last month, Bratina was elected chair of the police board. Now he is the only Hamilton mayor in recent memory to not hold a seat on it.

“When tragedies occur within municipalities there’s an expectation that mayors will be responsive in ways that aid the healing process,” Bratina said at a hastily called news conference Wednesday. “However the advice I received as a member of the police board was to not make any statements or have any contacts with anyone connected to the investigation … My position as member and chair of the board interfered with my ability to meet the expectations of the community in responding to events.” (Source: Hamilton Spectator)

Wednesday April 17, 2013

Wednesday April 17, 2013By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Wednesday April 17, 2013

Police Services Board approves chief’s new budget

Hamilton’s Police Services Board has approved a revised budget proposed by Police Chief Glenn De Caire Monday evening, holding the line at the city-requested budget hike of 3.52 per cent.

The vote was 4-2, with board members and city councilors Terry Whitehead and Bernie Morelli opposed.

City councilors earlier expressed anger and dismay at De Caire’s plans to hire additional officers – despite their pleas to hold the staffing levels steady.

At Monday’s meeting De Caire made a last-minute to approve council’s 3.52 per cent budget offer. That amount, which councillors endorsed last week, was intended to allow the police to meet obligatory costs, like wages and benefits, without adding room for new hires.

However, De Caire’s recommendation states that he still plans to hire 15 new officers and one civilian member. While those staff won’t cost much in 2013 – only $383,820 – the additional wage, benefit, and pension costs will make a permanent $1.151 million dent in the city’s budget each year.

“If he’s going to show contempt – and that’s what I see it as – for council, obviously we have to look at more draconian means to address it next year,” said Councillor Terry Whitehead, one of the three councillors on the police board along with Mayor Bob Bratina and Councillor Bernie Morelli. (Source: Hamilton Spectator)