WITH DRUGS AND VIOLENCE BECOMING THE NORM

With drugs and violence becoming the norm in the new Calgary, it's
time to hit the road, Jack. Let us cut short this long goodbye.

Enough already.

Police morale couldn't go any lower without hitting water. Jack
Beaton, the do-little police chief, takes up space waiting out his
marathon sayonara, alternating the life of a recluse with that of a
thumb twiddler.

There is no coherent plan of attack to combat the growing legions of
drug-addled idiots in the inner city, there is no backup for the
badges who must treat all kinds of creeps with the most tender of kid
gloves and still worry the chief might get mad if they wrinkle some
bad guy's T-shirt.

After all, that wouldn't be a measured and balanced approach, to use
the meaningless jargon of Jack, who once boasted of being a street cop
many, many years ago.

Jack must go, the sooner, the better, and don't let the door hit him
on the way out.

Jack announces he's leaving back in February and, according to the few
souls who have actually laid eyes on the invisible No. 1, is still
collecting a fat paycheque until the last day of his Long Goodbye at
the end of the year.

Or maybe not.

In fact, let's look into the Page Five crystal ball. Perhaps the
city's police commission realizes Jack's Long Goodbye is ludicrous,
maybe even they've tired of the lame duck act, especially since this
duck was never much of a waddler.

Jack has one last gig when the nation's cops come to Calgary later
this month. Jack will play host and then what? Four more months of
staring out the window?

No, the city's police commission should do and, if the crystal ball is
correct, will do what they should have insisted on in the first place.

Speed up the exit, name an acting chief and then find a replacement to
Jack.

And that successor should be a law and order individual, a police
chief, for Calgary's sake -- not someone who has skimmed Sociology For
Idiots and wants to explain away every beef with nuggets of
nothingness such as: "Crime is a complex issue" and "We have to find
the root causes."

It must be somebody who pushes Ottawa, supposedly Conservative Ottawa,
to tighten up this catch-and-release injustice system. It must be
somebody who stands by their troops. Deal with any bad apples but
don't assume every complaint is automatically legit.

And, most of all, it must be somebody who wants to take on the
thankless task of fighting crime, not explaining it. They cleaned up
New York City -- surely Calgary isn't an impossible nut to crack.

The stories of wrongdoing are tiring. Parts of the downtown look like
clips from Michael Jackson's Thriller video. In the Beltline, south of
downtown, crackheads have descended like vultures on the area.

A crack stroll exists, next to a club for lawn bowlers. Storekeepers
confront thieving space cadets. Druggies either beat the crap out of
each other or confront the law-abiding fools who believe they should
be able to walk around without being hassled or worse.

There are a few more cops assigned and all kinds of talk about bylaws
and aggressive enforcement. The local alderman takes a look before the
election and gets a picture taken showing great concern. But it only
gets worse.

The authorities talk big and act small while the crime fighters in the
trenches do what they can.

Yesterday, another day in the new Calgary. No stabbing spree, street
brawl or routine episode of ultra-violence on offer.

Cops update the case of Gage Prevost, 17, who went by the handle
12-Gage and had a web page where he boasted of selling weed. He is
killed while involved in argy-bargy during Wednesday's rush hour at a
crowded C-Train station known for being a cesspool of low-rent punks.
Police look for a young, dark-skinned woman with facial scars in
tight-fitting Capri pants and a red or pink tank top.

While we're discussing mayhem, Staff Sgt. Kevin Forsen also talks of
human remains found near the Cushing Bridge in an isolated area of
brush and bush. The remains are not intact.

"It's not a picnic area," says Staff Sgt. Forsen. Indeed.

A new chief will confront all of this -- hopefully, a chief with the
good old-fashioned courage to lead.

Al Koenig, the police association prez who would make a fine alderman
and should take on one of the latte lifters on city council, says a
quick exit by Jack would "not be an unwelcome surprise."

"It's the seventh inning. The pitcher has lost his arm. It's time to
get someone else to win this game. The sad thing is, this isn't a
game. It's about the safety of Calgarians."