Former Ottawa police chief Brian J. Ford writes that hiring William Elliott might help to revitalize the RCMP.
photo credit: Pat McGrath, The Ottawa Citizen

Re: RCMP bristles at pick for top brass,

July 7, 2007.

The appointment of a civilian to lead a large police service is not without precedent in Canada. In 1963 the Ontario government appointed Eric Silk, a career bureaucrat and lawyer with no previous police experience, as commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police.

The OPP were then in a crisis similar to that being experienced by the RCMP today. The OPP was experiencing a lack of perceived public confidence, low morale leading to resignations, management problems, and allegations of corruption linking it to organized crime and coverup.

Mr. Silk's appointment was not met with enthusiasm. In his obituary, the media noted that "his appointment evoked a torrent of controversy. Critics claimed politicians and lawyers had no business at the helm of the province's top police body."

It is interesting to note the similarities of the backgrounds of Mr. Silk and Commissioner William Elliott. Both are lawyers and both had extensive backgrounds in government bureaucracies. Mr. Silk spent time in the attorney-general's office, the equivalent of the federal justice department where Mr. Elliott spent time. Both were adept at developing leading-edge legislation.

Mr. Silk led the OPP until 1973. He became a well-respected member of Canada's policing community and did an outstanding job in revitalizing the OPP. He was responsible for many innovations in the OPP and literally turned the force around.

As one retired OPP officer said: "Commissioner Eric Silk has to go down in the history of policing as one of the greatest. He led the OPP from yesterday into tomorrow and did it by not having ever been a police officer ... I am proud to have served under him as were many others."

What is needed right now is a William Elliott -- someone from outside -- to revitalize the RCMP, a police service suffering a lack of public confidence and low morale and other issues of alleged cover-up and corruption.

It's in the best interests of members of the RCMP to give Mr. Elliot the support that he needs to restore the confidence of the public and members of the RCMP. Someone coming from the outside is not necessarily a bad thing. Mr. Elliott has all the requisite abilities to do the job.

Brian J. Ford,

Ottawa

Mr. Ford is a former Ottawa chief

of police.