To celebrate Police Week, the Chatham-Kent OPP opened its doors to the public, giving people the opportunity to meet some of the officers who work hard to keep our highways and waterways safe.
According to one of the guides and media officer Const. Jay Denorer, 80 people took part in the tour, with different officers speaking on their respective areas of expertise. After the tour, which included many school-aged children, participants were treated to a barbecue.
The event included a look at the computer system officers are linked into, a tour of the holding cells, and a demonstration of use-of-force weapons such a taser, handgun, shotgun and assault rifle.
Sgt. Brian Knowler kept kids in the tour groups enthralled with a demonstration of a taser and how it is effective to stop people in their tracks, locking up muscles. Knowler also explained how pepper spray works.
“Being sprayed with pepper spray is part of our training, so we know how much it hurts. The burn is so intense it leaves a red welt across your forehead (where the trainer sprays it),” he explained. “It creates a burning sensation in your eyes and sinuses and it definitely takes the fight out of you.”
The tour also gave kids a chance to sit on the police motorcycles and ATVs, see inside the prisoner transport van, check out the boat that patrols lakes in the area, and see all the equipment officers carry and use to keep themselves and the public safe.
Tour guide Const. Katie O’Neil introduced participants to Const. Laura Matthews, who explained the traffic accident reconstruction equipment, a very specialized and expensive area of expertise to help police determine what happened at accident scenes.
Parker Giroux, age 11, who went on the tour with her mom and siblings, said although her mom is the one who booked the tour, she found it very interesting and was glad she went.
With the success of the tour and interest from members of the community, Denorer said they plan to make the tour an annual event to coincide with Police Week.
“It was our first tour and it was very well received,” he said. “We don’t have many opportunities to interact with the public and it was a good experience. Our officers on the tour said they really enjoyed it.”
