Your recent headline about Saanich Police failing to take reports of sexual assault seriously and mishandling cases brought to mind a bad memory for me.

I was a young mother in the late B次元官网网址�80s B次元官网网址� yes, it seems like a long time ago but not in memory. I was pushing a stroller on Carey Road, over the train tracks down below, before it was the Galloping Goose, and saw a man fully standing, exposing himself, masturbating, trying to get anyoneB次元官网网址檚 attention he could. He was wandering around, not trying to hide in broad daylight.

I was pretty shocked to see this because it had a menacing quality to it so I walked rightover to the Saanich police detachment because this was right in their front yard. When I told the officer at the desk what I saw, he got down on his elbows behind the desk leaned forward and sarcastically said, B次元官网网址淚s that so,B次元官网网址� like it was a big joke to him and not worth reporting and I was just going to have to put up with it. Maybe he didnB次元官网网址檛 believe me? I never figured it out.

It was like a scene in a bad movie. I will never forget it. I felt completely slimed and unsupported. He had no intention of sending someone out to deal with this. To him, I was the problem.

ItB次元官网网址檚 no wonder people today arenB次元官网网址檛 getting the help they need when reporting incidents of sexual assault. This person was their mentor.

Overall, I think the police do a really good job in many difficult situations but the culture around sexualized violence B次元官网网址� they were in way over their heads without any training.

Martha Kaltenbach

Saanich