CRIME TASK FORCE NEEDED - CIPOLLA

Ride Along With Police An Eye-Opener

Orillia's police force needs an advocate at City Hall if they're to
effectively deal with a growing drug problem in the city, Ralph
Cipolla said.

The veteran councillor got a view of Orillia he'd never seen when he
rode along with Const. Ron Hazael Friday night.

"I now know where the majority of crack houses are in Orillia. If
people think there's only one or two, they're kidding themselves,"
Cipolla said, noting there are 12 to 15. "What I saw... is it's in all
four wards."

From Cipolla's experience Friday night and Saturday morning, during
his 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. shift with the police, showed the youth here are
a target market for drug dealers from other locales.

"The old saying, 'Do you know where your kids are?' fits really well
in this community," he said, adding parents need to be more aware and
in touch with their kids.

About 90 pert cent of the calls to which Hazael and Cipolla responded
involved 14- to 25-year-olds, Cipolla said.

He talked to a 17-year-old boy who was high, and asked him why he was
doing drugs. The teen told Cipolla there was nothing to do in Orillia.

While doing their rounds at local bars, they stopped at a downtown
club that was having a youth dance, which 400 kids attended.

"It was great to see them, but when they came out, some of them didn't
have a place to go," Cipolla said. "The city can provide these
facilities for kids. We need to provide that. Right now, the
alternatives for young people are to do drugs, drink.... What else is
there for them to do?"

It shocked the councillor, as well, to see the majority of domestic
disputes involved young couples, many of them in their teens.

He would like to see a crime prevention task force - including youth,
counsellors, social workers and police - to curb the rising crime rate
and give kids other choices.