One of the issues that this newspaper has been fighting for has been proper police and emergency service disclosure.
While the police don’t give out every call for service; some forces, like in Kingston, give a breakdown.
The SD&G OPP do that on occasion, but the Cornwall Police refuse.
That means that we media are alone many times to investigate cases and the public doesn’t end up knowing what’s going on.
Today CFN confirmed that there have been 37 SUDDEN DEATHS in Cornwall and 27 more reported from the the SD&G OPP so far this year. What’s really scary about this is that the population of SD&G is far greater than the City of Cornwall. No breakdowns of how, why, ages, etc have been given.
This investigation started after the Cornwall police reported a weekend of 201 calls for service while only disclosing a single call.
That weekend tragically a two year baby died in Cornwall.
We had to bounce between the Coroner and Police to get any info, and we’re still working on this one as it’s alleged to be a CAS cover up as well.
The point being is that the public deserves to know what its public service is doing so it can be held accountable and if they refuse to issue the numbers and info, especially to we media how can the public judge any important issue and how can politicians justify Police and Emergency budgets?
The Cornwall Police did respond with a statement for publication:
Police officers routinely attend residences where a death has been reported or to notify family members that a death has occurred. Police work in partnership with the Regional Coroners Office, who are appointed to investigate sudden deaths as mandated by the Coroners Act.
A number of interests must be considered concerning the release of sudden death investigation information. Considerations include the re-victimization of the family, the level of public interest, as well as the nature of the investigation and whether the release of information could jeopardize the investigation. These considerations go into in every sudden death investigation, with each situation being unique.
The Cornwall Police Service is committed to providing transparency and accountability to all members of our community. We continue to review our procedures on a regular basis in order to serve the City of Cornwall with professionalism and integrity.
If the CPS really was committed to transparency and accountability why on earth are they refusing to give out call break down counts like Kingston and other Professional services? They have the information. Why withhold it from the media and public? This newspaper has requested this info literally over a dozen times with no movement.
Is that being transparent? Or accountable? Or earning their $20M per year with integrity?
More to come on this story and it’s amazing how much is being covered up and not disclosed, especially by the Cornwall Fire Department.
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