Sometimes, I wish that I was the type of person who could just walk away from something that does not directly impact me. It seems that no good deed goes unpunished. Actually, that is not really true, the satisfaction of contributing to positive outcomes in the community, or a policy and for an individual is normally quite personally rewarding.Today, I stumbled into a bit of a quandary while enjoying a bite to eat at local pub/restaurant. Many pubs have a display of memorabilia from clients. Normally you will find lost of business cards scattered about under a piece of glass. It makes for a good conversation piece as you look for people you know or cards from far away.
In this display there were a few photo IDs. One in particular caught my attention. It was a current Canadian Military ID with an expiry date of December 2017. For all I know the individual lost it or has quit the service.
On reflection, I have to wonder how easy it would be for some unscrupulous person to use that ID in a malicious manner? Has it been reported stolen? If not, could some terrorist get access to military instillations or another sensitive area? Could it be used to attain other identifications and build a new identity? The potential for misuse is pretty clear.
If the individual has reported the card lost or stolen, NDHQ would have “red flagged” to prevent my concerns. However, it is just as possible that the owner may not have reported it missing in the hopes they would find it and not get into trouble for missing it.
I really do not wish to cause anyone grief but the loss of a members ID card is a significant thing in this era of terrorism. Could this guy have set up the potential for some terrorist to have access onto the base in Pleasentville? All some bastard has to do is visit the army surplus store to get his hands on a fake uniform and beret. Than it is open season. It is probably not that easy, but I really do not know.
This is why the responsible thing to do is report things like that to protect themselves, the people they work with and the society they are sworn to protect.
The rules and procedures for a lost kit report are clear:
a. The loss, theft or damage shall be reported by the member within 24 hours of the occurrence, to the base or unit security officer;
b. Annex A shall be completed in triplicate and distributed as indicated in the Annex;
c. The loss, theft or damage shall be investigated by the military police if the unit security officer deems such action is warranted;
d. If entitlement exists, a replacement I Card shall be issued; and
e. if the findings of the investigation indicate that the loss or damage was caused or contributed to by wilfulness or negligence-
(1) in the case of members of the CF, the CO shall consider whether the loss or damage was the result of a willful or negligent act on the part of the cardholder. If this is deemed to be the case, the CO may authorize an administrative deduction of $25.00 pursuant to QR&O, hapter 38 to offset the cost of a replacement I Card. This does not preclude disciplinary action by the CO, and
(2) in the case of Allied Forces personnel and their dependants, no disciplinary or administrative action will be taken.
I suppose that if this individual has not notified his chain of command he deserves what he gets. What he did might end up attributed to a major security violation. The best case scenario is he reported it, paid a $25 and it now National Defense will get the old one back.
I hate to make anyone endure the hat-less dance but this could be a serious thing. I hope this guy followed the rules because I really have no choice but to return this card to National Defense. I hope that some security officer will not hold onto it until guy fesses up that the lost it.Frankly, I can not take the attitude “it could never happen here”. I guess I have no choice but to head back for a happy hour libation. I hope the owner sees it my way.
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