The revolving door is a police strategy, not a court failure

In Nathan’s latest column, he argues that the “revolving door” of the justice system is not a failure of the courts but a strategic misdirection by the Sarnia Police to justify its budget by policing social issues.

On September 29, the Sarnia Police Service (SPS) conducted another "enforcement sweep," arresting 22 people across the city. According to their media release, 17 of those arrests were for "open drug use and possession of a controlled substance." It’s a scene that has become familiar in Sarnia, often followed by a wave of public frustration: these individuals will be back on the street tomorrow, and the cycle will continue. This is the "catch and release" narrative, and the police have a clear, convenient explanation for who is to blame.

The problem, as police frame it, isn't their strategy; it's a lenient court system that undermines their hard work. This narrative, however, is a strategic misdirection. It blames the courts for a cycle that policing itself fuels by responding to social crises with enforcement—a process that consumes vast resources and fails to create genuine community safety.

The blame game: how police frame the problem

At a public town hall on September 18, 2025, Chief Derek Davis laid out the official police position on the revolving door of the justice system. When asked by a resident about the courts releasing offenders, he explained the limits of police power:

"Once a person is charged, they transition completely to the courts, so it's up to the judge or the justice of the peace to decide. We have no say in terms of sentencing… our philosophy is this: we do our part…and then, it's up to the courts."

This narrative successfully frames the police as a diligent and effective force doing its job, only to be frustrated by another part of the system. It positions ongoing social disorder not as a failure of policing strategy, but as a failure of the judiciary. The public is left to conclude that if we are less safe, it's because the courts are too soft, not because the police response is wrong.

The reality of the "catch": policing poverty, not crime

The central flaw in this narrative isn't the "release"—it's the nature of the "catch." An analysis of the police's own data reveals they are overwhelmingly responding to issues of public health, poverty, and mental health, not violent crime.

The latest enforcement sweep is a case in point. The media release states that the sweep targeted "visible offenders and offences on our streets" and that the "open and visible drug use…presents a number of quality of life concerns." The report even notes one individual was not engaged in a crime but was found unconscious and in "medical distress" from an apparent drug overdose, requiring officers to provide first aid until EMS arrived.

This focus on social issues is not an anomaly; it is the bulk of police work. The SPS 2024 Annual Report shows that some of the most frequent calls for service are not for criminal offences, but for social and quality-of-life issues, including 2,161 calls for an "Unwanted Person," 1,472 for a "Domestic Dispute," 919 for a "Family Dispute," and 254 under the Mental Health Act.

These are not hardened criminals being let go. They are often vulnerable people being arrested for the symptoms of addiction, homelessness, and mental health crises. By choosing enforcement as the primary response, police initiate thousands of interactions that almost inevitably lead to release without resolution, because the criminal justice system offers no solution for these social failures.

The high cost of the churn

This cycle of arresting, processing, and releasing people consumes immense police resources. At the September 18 meeting, Chief Davis used his department's high workload to justify its budget. He stated that the Sarnia Police handles 102 events per day and lodges "four to seven people on average every single day" in their six cells.

This constant churn—arresting, processing, holding, and documenting—is what drives police budgets. The workload created by policing social issues is then used as justification for needing more officers, more resources, and more infrastructure. The "problem" of catch and release becomes the very engine of police budget expansion, creating a self-sustaining crisis that only ever has one solution: more policing.

Asking the right question

The public is right to be frustrated with the revolving door. But the narrative pushed by the police directs that frustration at the wrong target. The crucial question isn't, "Why are the courts letting these people go?" It's, "Why are police arresting them in the first place?"

This strategy of using enforcement to manage social crises is not making Sarnia safer; it is making policing more expensive and expansive. It creates a feedback loop that justifies ever-increasing budgets and massive capital projects, like a new headquarters, to better manage a problem that policing is fundamentally unequipped to solve. Real safety will come not from a more efficient revolving door, but from investing in the community supports that prevent people from ending up in that doorway at all.