A local member of Ontario's legislature got to see for herself over the weekend what police officers do on a given night. Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky (NDP) rode along with Windsor Police officers Friday night into Saturday morning. She was also given a tour of Windsor police headquarters, the holding cell area and the 9-1-1 call centre. Gretzky said the purpose of her visit was to see how police officers carry out the laws made at Queen's Park, as well as see the challenges first responders face. "We're debating legislation and making laws that directly affect the jobs that they have to do," said Gretzky. "I think it's important to have an understanding of how exactly they implement the laws that we are making." Gretzky said that while she was listening in on 9-1-1 dispatchers taking calls, she was surprised to see that mental health related calls dominated their work flow. "The first responders that have to respond to those calls and then ultimately pass them off to the medical system is just incredible," said Gretzky. "They're overwhelmed with the amount of mental health calls." Gretzky said it was important for Ontario's Liberal government to understand how understaffed agencies can affect the kind of services residents receive. She said she was invited back for a chance to further observe dispatchers in action but that has not been set up yet.
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