The police chief of Windsor believes Police Week is a fantastic opportunity to ‘connect with the community.’
The Windsor Police Service, together with the Ontario Provincial Police, La Salle Police, and the Canada Border Services Agency, has set up several displays inside Devonshire Mall in Windsor for Police Week.
Windsor Police Chief Jason Crowley emphasizes that connecting with the community and establishing trust is vital to their mission.
“We rely on the public not only for support but also for their help. We’re always asking the community for information or video. But it’s also that they can expect police to do police things. If the community’s expectations can’t be filled, we have a problem,’ he says.
This year’s theme, “Protecting Ontario Through Service,” honors the work of police officers and law enforcement personnel who contribute to keeping our communities safe.
Crowley mentions that being present during Police Week is crucial to showcase what they do.
“The public can come and see the equipment that we have and the tools that we use for public safety,” he says. “Then on top of that, we can explain to them why we do it. How it works and why we have these tools. It all comes down to public safety.”
Crowley points out how policing has evolved since he began his career as ‘a little bit of everything to everybody.’
“A lot of our calls for service are not police-related. When we talk about mental health, drug addiction, and homelessness, this is part of what we do now,” he says. “This is just the role of policing. That is one of the biggest changes, but we still have our core function of policing, crime prevention, and public safety, things like that.”
You can check out the displays and interact with local law enforcement agencies at Devonshire Mall on Friday from 10 a. m. to 8 p. m. and Saturday from 10 a. m. to 6 p. m.
