Wednesday, March 28, 2007



Don't Forget The Blog-Off Continues!
Please check out the POLICE stories this week
at:


Remember I am not in The Running:
It is quite fitting that I don't get to compete in the blog-off when the subject this week is Police. The irony is that my Father is a retired Metro Toronto Police Officer.
I grew up the child of a Cop.
That is not an easy tag to have as a kid.
In elementary school I was beat-up every day at the school gates for having a Dad who is a cop.
There is always one kid in the school who's Dad or Brother are in jail, and they will take their anger out on anyone who represents a connection to those who incarcerated their relative.
I was the smallest kid in the school, but I was tough. The beatings made me tough. By grade 6 I was tough enough to fight back. And a few quick kicks to the groin of the beaters and I showed them that I was not to be ignored.
Soon after I started to fight back the beatings at the school gates stopped, and I became just another invisible kid.
Not matter what the outside world did, I was still the kid of a Cop.
I was and I still am proud of my Dad.
My Dad was the first Hostage Negotiator in Toronto.
He was a Detective, and he was a special investigator for the Metro Toronto Police Internal Affairs Unit. This is the unit that investigated Bad Cops who were dangerous and corrupt.
This is the most dangerous job on The Force.
It is bad enough that the Police have to go after criminals with guns.
The truth is though that most criminals with guns can't shoot, if their life depended on it, so the risk is lower.
The worst is investigating Cops who are Dangerous and trained to Shoot To Kill.
Bad cops who go to jail have no chance in there. The other criminals will kill him because he WAS a cop. So a Bad Cop has nothing to lose when they face arrest, and they are unpredictable.
My Dad had to carry a gun 24/7, no matter if it was his day off or not. He was in danger all the time from the loose Bad Cops whom he might face.
Surprisingly, my Father never had to shoot anyone in his 30 years in the line of duty.
I think it was because he is a giant, and he can have a look on his face that will drop anyone into a blubbering heap.
If those bad guys knew my Dad is a Gentle Giant, they may have chosen a retaliation.
I am proud of Dad for being a Cop, and I was even prouder that he decided to retire after 30yrs at age 48.
He turned 65 in August, and he is my Husband's best friend, and my Sons' only Papa my Mom's Husband and Buddy, and he lives for Golf!
Golfing starts Friday! WEEEE!

8 comments:

Evey said...

I think it is amazing your dad served as a police officer and never once had to shoot anyone, amazing. I am glad you posted this and that the title for this weeks post inspired you to do so even though you are no longer competing.

God bless your dad for all his years of service, he sounds wonderful. And I am with him on golf season being here. WAHOOOOO!

Diane said...

Thanks for posting your story and it's great your father made it through a long police career. So many cops are quitting over here due to stress etc.

TaraMetBlog said...

oh man that was a perfect topic for you.

RheLynn said...

Very nice story! Nice description - gentle giant. My grandfather was one of those too (and a security guard)

Teena in Toronto said...

Your dad sounds like a great guy :)

Anonymous said...

Wow! The first hostage negotiator in Toronto? I bet he has some crazy stories!

What a great post, Lynn!

Anonymous said...

Hostage Negotiator huh? I would love to pick his brain. You must be very proud of your father!

Great entry MM!

Mother of Invention said...

Interesting that his choice of career helped shape you because of having to fight back. (He might know Mike Sale,(about 55) who is now retired from Metro where he was last in PR but now is the Historian on temp. contract for the force and is writing a book on it.