Fire Chief Albert Headrick reported a busy month of June for the City's Community Safety Officers at Monday’s meeting of North Battleford council members.
He also informed councillors the department will be getting two automatic licence plate readers in the near future.
June's CSO activity report indicated a total of 1,343 actions in response to incidents, activities or events.
Headrick highlighted some of the statistics in the report, including 144 community patrols, 16 downtown foot patrols, 74 unregistered vehicle violations, 30 school zone violations and 16 violations under the new category of passengers non-protective safety devices, such as baby seats.
He said two officers have attended training and been certified in this category.
"We are going to be working collectively with the Boys and Girls Club and WPD Ambulance that does this kind of community inspection free of charge," he said. "We're looking at what we are going to be doing this fall."
He also said there were six distracted driving violations and 43 unsightly property inspections.
"Last week," he added, "there were 172 more issues of orders that went to the general public and 13 follow ups, so in essence we've done over 600 property standards so far this year, and as you drive around the community you see a great difference in regards to property cleanups."
The public intoxication and investigation category numbered 40, and Councillor Ray Fox asked for more information.
Headrick said CSOs respond to public intoxication calls downtown and lately at the Frontier Mall as well.
"We get the calls, we go, we can obtain the liquor, we can pour it out, we can charge them, however under the alcohol gaming act regulations … we do not have the right to arrest," said Headrick. "Until that legislation is changed to reflect on our abilities to arrest, we just respond, have the RCMP as well come, if they are really intoxicated they go to the cells."
He added, "When I talk about 40 of them, that's two of our officers and two RCMP, so you can see how the issue will magnify."
He said it was his understanding that between the community safety co-ordinator, Herb Sutton, the mayor, the city manager and the RCMP, alternative measures were being considered for the near future.
He added, "I know the Ministry of Justice is looking at the statistics and what they can do to resolve some of the these issues. We are not the only community, as you know, that has to deal with these problems."
Fox said he has been accosted in the lineup at Tim Hortons and asked what people should do in such a case.
Headrick said they ask that people call 306-445-1775 for the CSOs to respond.
"You can call the police … but depending on what their priorities are they might not be there right away," said Headrick. "Our forces have a little bit more latitude to get there sooner and either have [the intoxicated subjects] move on or wait until the RCMP come to assist."
In other highlights from the report, Headrick said two officers, Jerry Koliniak and Michael Garbowicz, attended a three-day commercial vehicle inspection workshop in Saskatoon facilitated by SGI, so they will now be able to do inspections.
That goes hand in hand with the fact that the newest CSO, introduced to council Monday, is also a commercial vehicle inspector.
The new officer is William Harold "Jamie" Gabriel, recently retired from the RCMP after 28 years service. While in the RCMP, said Headrick, Gabriel participated in numerous training initiatives such as commercial vehicle inspector, radar instructor, dangerous goods inspector, self defence instructor, divisional liaison team, detachment commander’s course and quality control analysis.
Gabriel, who served six and a half years in the Battlefords prior to relocating to Buffalo Narrows, said his wife picked North Battleford as her favourite of all the places they'd been to, and decided she wanted to retire here.
It was great that this job opened up after he retired, he said. He and his wife Ida have two children, one of whom is in Grade 8.
Headrick explained Gabriel started his duties July 14, filling a vacancy left by a CSO who has returned to Newfoundland to spend more time with his family.
Headrick also presented an update to council on adding automatic licence plate readers to CSO vehicles.
Since the CSOs have assumed traffic safety duties from the RCMP, one of the areas identified through enforcement programming is the high incidence of unregistered vehicles being driven in and around the city, he said. More than 552 unregistered violations have been issued since the CSOs took over.
Headrick expects those numbers to increase using the new readers.
An automatic licence plate reader is able to rapidly and accurately read licence plates on approach and retiring, he reported. The information is matched to available motor vehicle records and offenders are identified. CSOs will no longer be required to enter the numbers manually.
"These vehicles and their operators commit offences and place the general driving population and pedestrians at risk," Headrick reported.
BATC Community Development Corporation has approved an application for funding in the amount of $30,000, under the community grant (justice) category, Headrick reported. The total cost of the device is $25,000 and about $5,000 is needed for installation.
Because the sponsor grant has been approved, he said, SGI will be supplying an additional unit.
