A complex and thorough survey of the Orangeville Police Service (OPS) has revealed what many have suspected for a long time. Morale in the force is critically low.

Released on Tuesday, the 120-page product of the survey conducted by OPS padre Dave Kennedy indicates the force suffers from a lack of confidence in the command structure. As well, there appears to be confusion in the ranks concerning the proper procedures to be followed.

An intricate formula was applied to determine the “morale index” within the OPS. The padre wrote in his report that an organization with a healthy morale would score around 75 per cent. The OPS results, however, were just 33.9 per cent.

The survey was completed by 64 of the 66 eligible participants in the OPS.

Meanwhile, Chief Joe Tomei has expressed his belief that Padre Kennedy’s report, entitled “A Fresh Perspective,” will provide a foundation for healing the rifts in the OPS and allowing the force to move forward.

“I specifically asked Padre Kennedy to ask the hard and tough questions,” the chief said in an interview Tuesday.

“What I can tell you today is that we have already begun the work that is required to improve the morale of the service. I am working with the executive (of the Police Association) to put together a working group to address the recommendations.”

In his report, Padre Kennedy mentioned that clearly defined policies and procedures, consistently applied without bias or favoritism, “are the bedrock of the organization and without which, the effectiveness of the service will continue to decline.

“This reality has created a climate of uncertainty among the officers, who feel that they never know when they are going to be criticized of chastised for the manner in which they have handled a particular call.”

An example of the turmoil in this regard is currently suspended OPS Sergeant Curtis Rutt, a seasoned training officer who has faced back-toback suspensions for allegedly failing to conduct police business within the framework of OPS procedures.

On March 17, a hearing cleared Sgt. Rutt of any wrongdoing in regards to his actions during a domestic disturbance call in February, 2009. But the previous day he was kept under paid suspension concerning another incident that occurred in April, 2010.

Participants in the survey were asked to give their opinions of a number of statements by checking one of four categories.

They were ‘’All the Time’, ‘Usually’, ‘Occasionally’, or ‘Are You Kidding?’

To check the first two was essentially to compliment the force and its procedures, while to check the latter two was to be critical of them.

The most damning response came to the statement: “High employee morale is present throughout the organization. It can be felt.”

None of the respondents checked ‘All the Time’; just one ‘Usually’, while 16 checked ‘Occasionally’ and 47 ‘Are You Kidding?’

The response more or less echoed that in another survey conducted in December, 2009.

Of the respondents to that survey, 88% said morale was low, 10% said it was fair and only 2% said it was high.

While acknowledging the results of the earlier mail-in survey, Chief Tomei felt it was potentially inaccurate due to its nature and construct. He also noted that the survey was conducted while prolonged contract negotiations between the Town and the local police association were under way, an issue that could influence the participants’ response.

Last October, Chief Tomei and Inspector Mike Robinson approached Padre Kennedy with a proposal for a new one.

Despite the depth of the new survey and subsequent report, Padre Kennedy wrote that the morale index is of little true value until a second “morale audit” is undertaken six months from now to “provide indication of morale trends within the organization.”

In the meantime, there appears to be an OPS trend to target specific officers with repeated notices of suspension and/or investigation.

Besides the repeated suspensions to Sgt. Rutt, Cst. Stephen Fisher has received a memo from Staff Sgt. Dan Maloney that he is under investigation for inappropriate use of a police laptop assigned to his cruiser on the night of Dec. 23, 2010.

In the memo, Staff Sgt. Maloney said he used the laptop to “access the Internet for other than business purposes of the Orangeville Police Service.” The memo goes on to accuse Cst. Fisher of accessing his personal email.

The six-year veteran constable – already under suspension and facing five charges of disreputable conduct and three of insubordination – has also been informed he is under investigation for talking to the Orangeville Citizen. It is against OPS regulations for police officers, other than those designated to do so, to speak with the media.

(The Citizen denies having had any such contact with Cst. Fisher.)

While disciplinary actions are causing obvious divisions within the OPS, Sgt. Lindsay White shares Chief Tomei’s hopes that Padre Kennedy’s survey and report will be a step in the right direction.

“It’s a very accurate illustration of what the members think,” he said, speaking as the elected president of the police association.

“It identifies the issues and also has recommendations.”

The publicized problems within the OPS have prompted some to suggest the local department be dissolved and replaced with a detachment of the OPP.

Sgt. White said the OPP has come to the aid of the OPS on many issues, (notably the Sonia Varaschin murder investigation), but pointed out a number of examples where the local police have returned the favour.

“We do our job and move forward without making a lot of hoopla,” he said.

Chief Tomei indicated that deploying a larger police force to patrol Orangeville could compromise the intimacy between a local police officer and the town he or she serves.

He said that, during his time with the Toronto police, calls were prioritized in order of importance and that some calls were never responded to.

“I’m proud to say, that in this town, we answer every call.”