Biography on CHIEF WALTER JOHNSON of the LONDON ONTARIO POLICE Essay

Biography on CHIEF WALTER JOHNSON of the LONDON ONTARIO POLICE - Essay Example With the help of Bell Canada, a futuristic 911 system was created. It was not as sophisticated as todays 911, with the 911 operator knowing which address a call is coming from, but it was new then. A 911 system allowed people from London to call 911 for police or emergency assistance. Also in 1974, personal police radios were put into regular operation as part of the new Personal Radio Equipped Police System. Other technological advances were put into place. Computers were used to keep track of Record Entry and Retrieval System for more efficient management of records in 1975 (London Police Department, 2004). In 1980, a Systems Analysis and Programming Unit formed. Chief Johnson was not afraid of technology, using any means possible to capture criminals. retired Inspector John Robinson and former Chief Walter Johnson helped draft a historical change in the response of Londons Criminal Justice System to wife battering. In May 1981, London became the first police force in Canada to institute a policy that instructed officers to lay charges of assault in wife abuse cases, regardless of the wishes of the parties involved, whenever there existed reasonable and probable grounds to believe an assault had taken place (London Police Department, 2004). The implementation of this mandate placed the onus on the police rather than the victim to pursue justice in cases of wife assault. City police also began to give out victim information cards to all victims of wife assault at the time of police intervention. These cards contain occurrence information including the officers names and number and the plan of action, as well as a listing of community support services available. Former Chief Johnson, like most beat patrolmen, understood that wives a nd husbands loved each other and wanted to protect each other. This measure was in result of frustrating domestic calls, where a woman was too in love