April 2000
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SHARBOT LAKE OPP JOINS LANARKBy David BrisonOn February 27, 00, the Sharbot Lake OPP was transferred from the Frontenac detachment, located in Kingston, to the Lanark County detachment in Perth. Before the move, Sharbot Lake was known as the Frontenac detachment, now, they again answer the phone as the Sharbot Lake detachment.
The Lanark County detachment Commander,
Staff Sergeant Gerry Salisbury,
interprets the transfer as, "A step back into the future". He thinks
that the traditional identity of the Sharbot Lake detachment, which was
somewhat blurred when they were in the Frontenac branch, can be
regained. The move could result in better communication and more ready
access to policing resources, since Sharbot Lake and Perth have a
shared interest in small communities in a predominately rural area and
of course, they are much closer. Salisbury, 37,
has risen rapidly through the OPP ranks. A native of Kingston, his
first assignment was in Downsview. He then returned to Kingston for 11
years where he was promoted to Staff Sergeant/Team Leader. His next
post was in Kirkland Lake before returning to Eastern Ontario in 1998
as Detachment Commander in Lanark County. While in Kingston, he
specialized in collision reconstruction, and in that capacity
investigated many accidents along the highway 7 corridor.
One of Salisbury's first moves has been to create an administrative
team in Sharbot Lake. He brought in a full time secretary, Barb Gable,
appointed Constable Dave Willis as Community Sergeant/administrative
assistant, and assigned media responsibilities to Neil Fennell who has
acted as the media liaison officer in Perth for a number of years. The
remaining member of the team is the custodian, Art Barker. Salisbury's goal is to improve
service to the community, in part through better communication. He
plans to assign an officer to each of the area schools and to make
information readily available to the media. He himself will spend two
days a week at the Sharbot Lake office.
Dave Willis, a veteran Sergeant in the area, said, "I'm pleased that we
are again The Sharbot Lake Detachment. We were known as Sharbot Lake
for over 50 years. However, I'd like to stress that we serve not just
Sharbot Lake but all of North and Central Frontenac (with the exception
of the former Barrie Township which is served by the Kaladar
detachment). Highway 7 is a major part of our responsibilities, but we
serve all of the rural areas."
