Tip Tuesday - March 2026 - 104.7 Heart FM

Tuesday, 31 March 2026 11:18

Constable Randi Crawford called the Heart FM studio for the March edition of Tip Tuesday.

OXFORD - The latest Tip Tuesday with the Oxford OPP provided some insight on what it's like to be a police officer.

Community Safety and Media Relations Officer Randi Crawford joined us on the phone this morning, and answered some questions about the life of a police officer. She also talked about about steering wheel knobs and wearing headphones while driving.

You can find the complete breakdown of the questions answered below:

1) What is one thing you wish everybody knew about policing? Something that you deal with every day?

Constable Crawford says police officers often wish they could be everywhere at once, but they simply can't. The Oxford OPP will often receive traffic complaints about different areas, but it's simply impossible to address all of those issues all at once.

She adds police officers also have a big responsibility as first responders.

"Sometimes people think police didn't do anything, but we did because we showed up and got the process started. Sometimes the person may need other resources from our community partners, to go to the hospital, or go through the court system. We're the first responders, so we get there when the call comes in but sometimes it's out of our hands after that."

2) How do first responders deal with stress from a bad call?

Constable Crawford says everyone deals with stress in their own way, and that's no different for police officers. She says the OPP does have some resources in place like a healthy workplace, peer support and debriefing after a difficult call, but sometimes officers get called out to another case before these things can happen.

She says each officer is responsible for their own self care, and she talked about some of the things she does to ground herself after a stressful day.

"I find spending time with family and friends is a big one, doing things that are fun and brings me joy. Getting out into the community and focusing on all of the positives that we have in our life really helps to overpower the not so good things that are going on in our life."

3) What are some common safety issues that you see everyday? What are some things people can do to keep themselves safe on a daily basis?

Constable Crawford says a lot of the safety issues she sees are because people are in hurry to get where they need to go.

"We have people who are passing school buses when they shouldn't be because they're in a rush and we have people who are speeding because they are in a rush. So I think if people can just try to slow down and be present, that alone is going to help them be aware of their surroundings and keep themselves and the people who are around them safe."

She says being distracted is another common denominator, whether it's a pedestrian or a driver not paying attention to their surroundings.

4) Are steering wheel knobs legal for personal vehicles?

Constable Crawford says they're not illegal as far as she knows, but they doesn't necessarily mean you should have one if you don't need one.

If it's something you require for accessibility reasons, you'll have to go through certain programs to obtain it. If you just want it for personal reasons, Constable Crawford says you should talk to your insurance company first.

"If you were to get into a collision and you have one of those knobs on your steering wheel, is that going to come into play if they think you turned and it wasn't safe because you had this modification? Did you maybe get it impaled into your stomach during the collision because it was there and it shouldn't be? Those are the types of things you should be thinking of. It's not always if it's legal, but is it safe?"

5) Can you wear headphones while behind the wheel?

Constable Crawford says you can't be charged for wearing headphones while driving, but it could lead to other charges if you're not careful.

"If you were to not hear sirens coming behind you and fail to move over for first responders, you could be charged with failing to move over. If a collision was to occur because you didn't hear someone honking, you could be held at fault and be charged with something like careless driving."

If you want to wear your headphones behind the wheel, Constable Crawford recommends having only one earbud in so you can still hear your surroundings.

The next Tip Tuesday is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28th and you can submit a question online here.

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