Kenneth Stewart “Stew” Jones – Hamilton Police Museum

Kenneth Stewart “Stew” Jones
Served 1974-2003

Stew Jones was born in 1951 in Birmingham, England, immigrating with his parents to Hamilton in 1957.

His ‘public service’ began in 1969 when he joined the Canadian Armed Forces, 1st Independent Signal Squadron, a Reserve Army unit. He became a Regular Canadian Forces member in 1972 and was assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR). He served with them on a United Nations Peace Keeping mission in the Republic of Cyprus from October 1973 until April 1974.

Cyprus suffered a civil war between Turkish and Greek fighters. Eventually they divided the island and with the help of the United Nations, were able to stabilize their positions, with the “Red Line” dividing the Island.

Stew remembers one incident during his assignment there at an authourized “crossing point”. Stew and another soldier stood in the middle of the road with their weapons unloaded, while maintaining the ‘peace’. There were two large encampments of armed soldiers watching from both sides, when a young woman walked along the road and went into the Turkish side. As she approached, someone from the Greek side whistled at her, apparently in appreciation of her appearance.

This enraged the Turkish soldiers. One of them ran out into the road facing Stew and his friend, loaded his weapon and pointed it at the United Nations Soldiers. Stew and his partner of course, immediately loaded their weapons also and so they stood there, facing each other in a standoff. Everyone was yelling but they did not have an interpreter so all they could do was yell and point their weapons. At the same moment, all soldiers on both sides of the line audibly loaded their guns. Stew recognized that if any shots were fired, then they would die, because there was no cover at their post. Somehow, common sense prevailed, and the enraged soldier went back into his fort. A very close call.

After Stew returned to Canada, he resigned from the Army and joined the Hamilton Police Department in 1974. He began work on Foot Patrol of course and later was assigned to a cruiser.

During his career he worked in many different areas of the Police Service, including T.E.A.M., Bomb Squad, Crime Prevention, Detectives, Vice and Drugs and Crowd Management Unit. His career was obviously varied and storied.

One amusing incident occurred in 1977, when policewomen were first starting to work on the street. Chief Torrance decided that a policewoman, named Jean Robertson (nee Siminkowski) would be assigned and trained on Stew’s shift. Torrance sent a memo to all of the officers on the shift asking if they would train her and if their wife would approve (in writing). Only Stew’s wife agreed in writing and Stew became her training officer.

In 1976 he volunteered to become a member of the original Tactical Emergency Action Men “T.E.A.M.”, later known as the Emergency Response Unit “E.R.U.” During his five years in that Unit, he was involved in 45 calls for emergency service.

In September 1977 Stew responded with the entire T.E.A.M. to a sniper incident involving James Kellett on East Avenue near Main Street East. This was only one year after the unit was formed. Kellett was a member of the Satan’s Choice Motorcycle Club. He was alone in his apartment and for some unknown reason began shooting at pedestrians on the street with a shotgun.

When the first uniformed officers arrived, three of them were wounded and then trapped behind their vehicles, on the street, unable to return fire or escape for medical treatment.

Stew and the entire TEAM provided covering fire during a rescue operation, when an armoured truck was driven into the scene, to recover the injured officers. Kellett fired on the truck and the TEAM returned fire. It was later determined that he was probably fatally shot during that exchange.

Tear gas was fired into the apartment subsequently and that set fire to Kellett’s home. A forced entry was made by other members of the TEAM, to the apartment and once he was found dead, the fire was doused.

In January 1978 Stew was involved in the shooting incident at 62 Alanson with Constables Charlie Steeves A couple lived there with their adult son who was having a ‘psychotic break’ of some sort. There was a language barrier, and the officers did not immediately realize the son was armed with a rifle. Suddenly all three officers heard a weapon being loaded. Acting on a word of warning from Stew, they all stepped away, with Frank moving into a bedroom and Stew and Charlie into the kitchen.

The first round hit the kitchen door frame, lodging there, just at the height of Charlie’s head, followed by a second that came through the kitchen wall just slightly above mid-waist height. That round hit Charlie’s belt on his right side, gouging the leather and continued on through his jacket.

Immediately, Charlie and Stew moved further into the kitchen taking prone positions on the floor facing the doorway, pointing their firearms at that direction, when a third round came through the wall, passing above their heads. Stew called the dispatcher asking for assistance.

After a period of time, the culprit came to the kitchen door sobbing and muttering while Constable Bogdan kept talking to him, which was when the officers actually saw a rifle in his hands. He pointed it at Constable Bogdan, and said, “I am going to count to ten and start shooting.”

As he moved around, he pointed the muzzle towards the ceiling for a split second. Charlie suddenly jumped up and grabbed the rifle, keeping it pointed up and allowing all three officers to overpower him.

The professionalism of the officers, who were in mortal danger from a gunman they could not see, managed to prevent a tragedy from occurring.

Left to Right

Squad One: Tom Farraway, Bill Paynter, Mac Heddle, Gary Elliott, ? , Chief Gord Torrance

Squad Two: Bruce Graham, Tom Standen, Pete Allard, Tom Marlor, Stew Jones, Bob Pope

Squad Three: Mike Keith, Joe Auer, Ken OBreza, Paul Knapp, Hans Schmeideberg

In 1978 Stew volunteered for the newly formed Bomb Disposal Unit. He received training at Canadian Forces Base Borden and was involved in 75 calls for service over the next 4 years. During that period Hamilton was getting a call for a bomb or a fake bomb about once a month. These acts were being carried out by various criminal groups.

In May 1978 at the rear of a home on Erie Avenue a bomb was found in a ‘hard-shell’ suitcase. Stew responded and tried to disrupt the device with a water cannon but that did not work. Then he used a ‘shaped C-4 charge’, using a metal vee, to blow the suitcase and device apart.

You will notice in this picture that Stew and Tom Marlor did not have a protective “Bomb Suit” while dismantling this device. Only after this incident were they able to convince the Police Service that although they were an expensive item, they did need better equipment.

In 1980 the criminals who owned all the dynamite being used in these bombs apparently realized that it was getting old and starting to “sweat” nitroglycerine, making it extraordinarily dangerous. They buried 400 pounds of dynamite at a home on DeWitt Road in Stoney Creek and then called the police to tell them the location.

The whole bomb unit was deployed to the scene, and it took them hours to dig it up and drive it all to a quarry in smaller amounts. Once they got it there, spread out across the ground, they were able to set fire to all of it without any explosion.

After spending some time working in the Investigative Services, Stew was promoted to the rank of Sergeant and in 1994 he returned to the ERU and EDU as their Sergeant.

In the meantime, Stew rejoined the Canadian Army Reserves in 1980, with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry initially. He continued in those reserves until he retired from the Hamilton Police Service in 2003, when he again switched over to become a Regular Army Officer.