INNISFAIL -- The town is inching closer to creating a formal policing advisory committee that would assist and engage the RCMP, community and council on safety needs and priorities for the community.
"It is really a holistic approach to engaging the community to a committee for public safety," said Todd Becker, the town's chief administrative officer, who will be introducing a plan and new bylaw to council on June 24 to create an Innisfail Policing Committee, an initiative which council could approve, reject or order additional changes. "It will include policing oversight but also holistic safety priorities in the community."
The roots of the initiative were established in council's 2018-2021 Strategic Plan, with a more detailed plan brought forward to council through an administration report last February. The intent of the report was to begin discussion on whether there was any interest in developing a safe community or policing committee, and if there was, to then direct administration to initiate the process to establish a committee, mandate and structure.
Last month, a presentation on provincial policing committees was made to council by Terry Coleman, retired chief of police and current chair of Alberta Association of Police Governance, as well as member of the High River Policing Committee. There are currently seven municipalities in the province that now have either police or safe communities committees, all of them structured through municipal bylaws, which are in turn guided and developed through the Alberta Police Act.
Under guidelines set by Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, each policing committee that involves the RCMP must oversee the administration of the Police Service Agreement, assist in selecting the officer in charge for the police service, communicate the council's interest to the officer in charge, develop a yearly plan outlining policing priorities and strategies, consult with the officer in charge of its implementation, communicate the public's interests and concerns to the officer in charge, help the officer in charge resolve public complaints and appoint a public complaint director to receive complaints against police.
RCMP policing committees do not oversee the daily operations of police services. That is done by the RCMP detachment commander.
Mayor Jim Romane said the creation of a local policing committee, which is expected to meet once a month and be comprised of two or three town councillors, two or three citizens at large and an RCMP representative, is a positive step forward for the town and its citizens. He added having a structured public committee will bring more awareness of the issues facing the local RCMP, as well as being a legal forum for the public to address priorities.
"It is so easy to sit back and say, 'we don't see our police. They are not visible. What are they doing? They are not doing anything.' Every once in a while you have to have a wake-up session with them and get the information from the horse's mouth on what they are actually doing," said Romane, adding it's also an important and vital way for the police to be accountable to the town and citizens they serve.
"It is, very much so," said the mayor. "They (RCMP) have to realize people want to see results in what they are doing and feel safe in the community. It is pretty easy sometimes just to say, 'we never find a cop when we need one.
"But we have very community-minded individuals in Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk and Sgt. Lori Eiler, and of course the work Const. Craig Nelson does as school resource officer. We have a good team with the RCMP in town with leadership," added Romane, emphasizing the town spends $1.3 million annually for 10 RCMP municipal police officers. "We are encouraging them (RCMP) to get more visible, to get their faces known to people in the community during special events, and to get involved and be visible."
Eiler said her local detachment also fully supports the initiative as she believes it's a "great opportunity" to get community input, as well as assistance from the policing committee to ensure the RCMP is providing the best service possible.
"We fully support any kind of community initiative that works with law enforcement to ensure we are providing that best service," she said, emphasizing public safety is a "community issue" that is a responsibility of the entire community. "The RCMP just plays a small part in that role. This is everybody's community. I think everybody needs to participate in the safety of our communities."
She agreed a policing committee format is also an important means to ensure her local police detachment is accountable to the community it serves.
"We do have a lot of measures in place that holds us accountable in any regard but I think being accountable to the community that we serve is really important," said Eiler.
