Letter to the Editor – Cobourg Police – A Broken System In a “Feel Good” Town

Pete Fisher
4 weeks ago
• Categories: Letter to Editor

When I moved to Cobourg in 2020, I came looking for peace—a break from decades spent working in fraud and civil litigation across the GTA.

This was supposed to be a quieter chapter of life.

And for a while, it was.

Cobourg – marketed as “the feel-good town” felt like a sanctuary.

But that illusion began to unravel quickly.

I want to be clear: I support good policing. I respect those in uniform who serve with integrity.

But after a career in investigative work, I know the signs of institutional failure – and the Cobourg Police is failing.

Not just to meet expectations, but to meet even the basic standards of effective, transparent and ethical policing.

The cracks began to show during the rise of the Brookside homeless encampment. As public concerns mounted – over safety, property crime and community wellbeing – CPS remained conspicuously absent.

Many residents, myself included, were left wondering: Where are the police?

That question sparked my unofficial return from retirement. Not professionally, but as a citizen investigators determined to understand why our local police appeared unwilling – or unable – to respond.

What I Discovered Was Disturbing.

Over the last few years, I’ve filed Freedom of Information requests, attended Police Services Board meetings, and spoken to current and former officers. I’ve examined data, compared operations with similar-sized communities, and connected with other police services. The picture that emerged was both alarming and consistent.

CPS is an institution adrift —plagued by weak leadership, a toxic internal culture, and a glaring lack of accountability. The Police Services Board, responsible for civilian oversight, has become little more than a ceremonial body, rubber-stamping policy with minimal scrutiny. Meetings are often devoid of substance, while closed-door sessions-used sparingly in most jurisdictions-are the norm in Cobourg.

I strongly urge citizens to attend or login into future meetings to experience for themselves the mind-numbing redundant topics that are discussed at these meetings.

Transparency has become the exception, not the rule.

The service itself primarily suffers from a detached leadership and disconnected notion of policing.

It’s telling that several members of CPS’s mid and upper-level command staff don’t even live in Cobourg.

While not illegal, this physical and emotional distance from the community may help explain the apathy, detachment, and indifference that many citizens feel when interacting with the service.

Internal sources describe a command environment ruled by favoritism and fear. Officers who question the status quo are marginalized, while those who conform are rewarded. Several sources cited increased mental health leaves, and in some tragic instances, suicide attempts by members under pressure.

These are not just personnel issues-they are public safety concerns.

Repeated requests for accurate crime statistics have gone ignored. My emails, phone calls and several visits to the police station have made me feel irrelevant as a tax-paying citizen.

In order to analyze the police statistics, I thought outside the box. According to internal sources from other police services using the same Niche reporting system, CPS routinely inflates its numbers – padding statistics with non criminal “calls” like foot patrols and property checks to appear busier than they are.

Cobourg spans a mere 7 km east-to-west and 4 km north-to-south, patrolled by multiple shifts of officers, yet the service claims it’s stretched too thin.

Why then are special constables and auxiliary officers -who are not trained to the same level as uniformed officers— so frequently used for front-line work?

For a town this size, the amount of surveillance equipment and tactical resources used is staggering.

Police drones, CCTV networks, and now an incoming K9 unit – shared with the City of Belleville – are being pushed through in the new budget.

Why should Cobourg residents fund services for other municipalities? I don’t doubt that a larger city like Belleville will require a police dog more often than a small town like Cobourg. Does this mean Cobourg taxpayers will be footing the overtime bill while our streets remain underserved?

I recently encountered a patrol officer whose vehicle rifle was equipped with a suppressor. Multiple sources in larger agencies confirmed this is highly unusual, especially for a town like Cobourg. lf there haven’t been recent shootouts, why the military grade gear?

Is this about community safety – or an inflated tactical fantasy?

Even the Mental Health Engagement and Response Team (MHEART) —a well-intentioned initiative meant to reduce police-led responses to mental health crises —appears to have lost its way.

Despite provincial funding increases and grants funded by the Northumberland Hills Hospital the public sees no evidence of additional officers or improved services. Instead, sources claim MHEART money went to stealth vehicles rather than clearly marked, purpose-built units.

Where’s the accountability?

Where’s the outreach?

Under the current CPS leadership these are programs that will only perform on paper.

Initiatives like Safe Streets and STEP are heavily promoted and routinely billed for overtime, yet drug use, theft, and violence continue to rise. New programs like Neighbourhood Watch were introduced with fanfare, but when I pressed officers for details at a local event, basic operational questions went unanswered.

If concerned citizens – like those around Brookside – were ignored when they effectively operated their own watch programs, what makes us think this one will be different?

With all the officers, cameras, drones, and “watchful eyes,” are we protecting our community – or building a surveillance state that does nothing to tackle actual crime?

Despite its performance issues, CS’s budget continues to grow, consuming a larger portion of the municipal pie each year. Yet officers here are among the lowest-paid in Ontario, contributing to poor morale and, potentially, higher risks of misconduct and corruption.

At what point do we, the taxpayers, ask: What are we actually paying for?

The uncomfortable truth is this: CPS is not just underperforming – it is structurally broken. No amount of internal reform will fix a culture defined by secrecy, dysfunction, and favoritism. However, there is a solution that we as tax-payers may not want but actually need.

It’s time to consider a bold alternative: contracting police services to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).

Unlike CPS, the OPP operates under multiple layers of provincial oversight, employs specialized units and standards, and maintains a level of operational and fiscal transparency Cobourg has not seen in years.

This change won’t be simple-and it won’t be instant. But it could offer the reset this town desperately needs.

As the next municipal election approaches, Cobourg residents must ask themselves: Are we being protected – or just pacified with hollow promises and PR videos.

This is not about politics. It’s about public trust, safety, and the future of our town. We deserve a police service that answers to the people, not just its own internal hierarchy.

I’m speaking out not because I want to – but because someone has to.

And I know I’m not alone.

It’s sad to say, but I, like many – and I mean many – have lost faith in our small-town police.

Wake up, Cobourg. You’re being misled – and your silence is being mistaken for consent.

It’s time to speak up.

R. L. Fournier

A Disappointed Citizen