INNISFAIL - The town's law enforcement folks are engaging the public over a cup of coffee.
On Sept. 13 police and peace officers held their first Coffee with a Cop session with citizens at the Arena during the weekly farmers market. They will continue to do so once a month at a different location.
It's all part of a plan for the community to get to know law enforcement officers, particularly the town's new peace officers -- Derek Radatzke and newly hired Shawn Cuff. Both arrived this year from the Town of Beaumont.
"We wanted to improve positive public relations with the public. Obviously a lot of times when people see us it's at their worst moment, and so there is a lot of negative connotation....with recent events in Innisfail within the media and previous officers," said Radatzke, who is the town's senior peace officer. "We felt it was appropriate to get out into the community in a positive light in a one-on-one informal setting where you can speak to the public, ask questions, put that face to the name, (and) to be able to understand that we are people too and that we live lives."
With 14 years under his belt as a community peace officer, Radatzke also believes the initiative could be educational for the public as there is a significant public misunderstanding of what his role is when serving the community.
"It is still a very common question as to what is a peace officer versus a police officer. Obviously when the Alberta Sheriffs program came out they got a lot of advertising and a lot of publicity, so a lot of people understand what an Alberta Sheriff is, whereas there is not quite the understanding of what a community police officer does," said Radatzke.
He noted a peace officer has a myriad of responsibilities that include enforcing provincial statues for traffic safety, equipment regulations, vehicle education, speeding and stop sign enforcement, and gaming and liquor laws, which now include the new cannabis regulations coming into law next month.
"A lot of things we do though is municipal bylaws, a lot of municipal enforcement, parking, noise and animal control," said Radatzke, adding peace officers also work closely with local RCMP members who have exclusive authority on all Criminal Code matters. "We are right there and integrated with them with many (other) calls, traffic collisions, and the same with the fire department. We work very closely with them."
And that close relationship with the Mounties is appreciated by senior RCMP officers at the local detachment.
"We have an awesome relationship with the community peace officers in town. They assist us when required within the scope of their duties and us for them. We are always sharing information back and forth and supporting each other as a team in Innisfail," said Innisfail RCMP Sgt. Lori Eiler, who's delighted with the new Coffee with a Cop initiative. "It's an excellent opportunity for the community to share their concerns and get information from us in regards to what is going on in the community and crime reduction efforts that are ever-present in the minds of the RCMP."
For future Coffee with a Cop public engagement dates check the town's website at innisfail.ca/coffeewithacop
