Leather presents first Chief's Update

Screenshot of Chief Chris Leather

By Cecilia Nasmith

Just three weeks into his job as Cobourg Police Chief, Chris Leather attended Tuesdays Police Service Board meeting to issue his first Chief's Update.

Four people from the GTA were arrested June 12 in connection with a $140,000 scam in which local senior residents got a call from someone purporting to be investigating suspicious activity on their bank accounts.

“We remind residents to verify unsolicited calls, and never share financial information,” Leather said.

Four Controlled Drugs and Substances Act enforcement sweeps were reported, in partnership with several police agencies. From those incidents, eight individuals were arrested and charged, and drugs with a street value of $84,000 were seized.

The series of swatting incidents in April got national attention, as calls came in of local schools reported to be in life-threatening emergencies. Each one had to be treated as credible and receive a full response – not to mention the alarm experienced by students and staff.

Their Warrant Apprehension and Bail Compliance initiative saw 19 bail violations apprehended plus 44 arrests made (17 of which were held by other police services, and eight of which resulted in the person being returned).

Highway Traffic Act enforcement is not a dedicated unit, so these duties are done in combination with their other duties – still, more than 200 charges were laid the first quarter of the year. Vehicle theft continues, two incidents involving keys left inside and two involving vehicles lent out but not returned. Their PINE unit (Post Incident Neighbourhood Engagement) has visited concerned neighbourhoods for checks and education.

They observed Police Week with designating a School Resource Officer to provide early intervention and foster trust and healthy relationships.

Leather was delighted with his first Pitch To The Chief event and his introduction to the Police Tech Accelerator.

“I was really impressed with the quality of the presentations – the passion, the commitment these high-school students brought to their presentation,” he said of the six teams that presented pitches.

“Every team demonstrated a strong awareness of community needs and a desire to be part of the solution.”

The top teams will be working over the summer with their police-tech lead to bring their ideas to fruition.

The June 6 Cram-A-Cruiser brought in 1,417 lb. of food and $1,354 in donations for the local food bank. The next one will be July 4 at No Frills.

This is just one project of the auxiliary, whose presence in the community provides a certain much-valued level of security.

And their 11th annual Pride Barbecue was a hit, kicking off a summer where they strive for higher visibility in parks, the downtown and the wider community.

Leather's report included comment's on the department's “professionalism, commitment and pride, both across our sworn and civilian officers.”