The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday February 11, 2009 www.oakvillebeaver.com Old cadet program is new again in Halton By Tim Whitnell METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Andrew Fletcher knows the value of getting on-the-job experience before deciding on a career. The deputy police chief of Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) is reviving a police cadet program that will see four young adults with a keen interest in policing get an opportunity to be paid to learn policing skills, and then decide if it's the job for them. The pre-recruiting preparation program is designed to identify potential police officers from among Halton residents aged 19-24 who may benefit from training/development for one year, prior to applying to be an officer. Those selected will be hired on a temporary contract at a salary of $40,000 for no more than one year starting June 8. They will work 11hour shifts on a four on/four off rotation at the Police Reporting Centre. Cadets will receive two weeks of training -- comparable to that given to police recruits prior to attending the Ontario Police College -- including use-of-force training. They will also receive training on the Niche system for police reporting. They will not be issued a service firearm, but will wear a police uniform identifying them as cadets. "This is my baby," said Fletcher. "When I took over as a deputy two years ago, I wanted to get it back on the forefront. It's a work experience program." "We're looking for local young people, who may have taken a police foundations and law and security program, but may be short on experience," said Fletcher, who expects about 100 candidates will be selected and ultimately whittled down to the four. Fletcher, in his 25th year with Halton police, began with the service in 1984 at age 19 in the previous cadet program, which was discontinued around 1990. Now one of two deputy chiefs with Halton police, Fletcher says he knew early in his stint as a cadet that he wanted to make policing a career. He said the police association, the union that represents Halton's officers, is on board with the program. "We don't want to get into a situation where you have contract policing," Fletcher said. "We look at it as an Deputy Chief Andrew Fletcher enhancement to our (full-time) officers and it's also a recruiting aid. It will take some of the low-priority tasks away from the full-time officers ... (and) it gives them (recruits) some exposure to us and we get to see what they've got to offer." Besides himself, Fletcher said current Halton officers who began with the service as cadets include Adam Hanna and Bob Waller. Cadets must meet specific criteria -- including physical, psychological and written testing -- to qualify for the constable recruiting process. Although they will not be required to have completed an Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police (OACP) certificate when applying for the cadet program, they must attain it within their contract year. The objective of the new program is to staff a Halton police call centre and obtain all relevant information from callers and complete appropriate occurrence reports, provide front-line information and assistance to the public, in person and by telephone, to represent the service at community events and to assist full-time officers with major incidents, including traffic control, neighbourhood canvassing and ground searches. Criteria for applying to the program includes: being a Canadian citizen or having permanent resident status; being at least 18 years old; having a valid driver's licence (minimum Class G) with a good driving record; successfully having completed secondary school or the approved equivalent; meeting vision standards; possessing a good level of fitness; and having a current Standard First Aid certificate and a current CPR certificate (Basic Rescuer Level C). The job will be posted at www.hrps.on.ca. The selection process will involve an interview, psychological testing, background investigation and a medical examination. Open houses will provide information to interested applicants on Monday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m. at Halton police headquarters, 1151 Bronte Rd., Thursday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. at the No. 3 District station in Burlington, 3800 Southampton Blvd.; and at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at headquarters. Due to limited space, people are asked to pre-register for the open houses by sending an e-mail request to policerecruiting@ hrps.on.ca. Applications will be accepted online as of Monday, Feb. 23. Applicants will be requested to attend on one of two dates -- Thursday, March 5 at 6 p.m. at police headquarters or Saturday, March 7 at 10 a.m. at headquarters, with sessions running every 90 minutes -- to hand in documentation and complete a background questionnaire. Interviews will be conducted followed by psychological assessments, background checks and medical examinations. Job offers will be made the week of May 22. Vision ­ To be the most livable town in Canada Monday, February 16, 2009 Glen Abbey, Iroquois Ridge and River Oaks Community Centres Joshua's Creek, Kinoak, Oakville and Maple Grove Arenas Special guests include: All events are FREE except recreational swimming and skating ($3.25/person). Panago Pizza will be selling $1 pizza slices from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at each community centre. Money raised from pizza sales will be donated to the Town of Oakville Monday, February 16, 2009 WARD 5 RESIDENTS MEETING February 19, 2009, 7-9 p.m. River Oaks Community Centre, Room C Visit www.oakville.ca/makeyourmove.htm for the complete schedule of events and times. Please come prepared to participate with appropriate footwear and clothing. concerning your neighbourhood. They wish to hear directly from the residents of Ward 5. This is an opportunity for you to provide your input on the issues, challenges and opportunities facing your community. mgrant@oakville.ca PUBLIC MEETINGS Monday, February 23, 2009, 2 ­ 4 p.m., Trafalgar Room, Town Hall Thursday, February 26, 2009, 7 ­ 9 p.m., Oakville Room, Town Hall Sign By-law - Advertising (Billboard) Provisions To address a recent court decision, two (2) public information meetings as noted above have been scheduled to receive input on potential amendments to the Town of Oakville Sign By-law relating to locations and criteria permitting advertising signs (billboards). Potential amendments shall address the overall requirements of satisfying visibility issues as well as the number of signs permitted, and shall focus on: All input received will be addressed in a final staff report to March 31, 2009, at 7 p.m., Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road Anyone unable to attend these meetings may forward their input no later than March 2, 2009 by email to meetings. Further information is available at www.oakville.ca, or ext. 3093. Visit www.oakville.ca and participate in our online website survey.