The Mountain View County policies and priorities committee has passed a motion regarding the need for community peace officers (CPOs) to have updated access to Canada Police Information Centre (CPIC) data.
The move came during the committee’s July 4 meeting in council chambers.
Al Kemmere is a county councillor and the president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA).
On behalf of the RMA he recently wrote a letter to Alberta Minister of Justice and Solicitor General Kathleen Ganley regarding CPIC, a nationwide law enforcement computer system that allows officers to get up-to-date information on such things as outstanding warrants.
“Like other law enforcement personnel in Alberta, CPOs interact with the public in a law enforcement role,” said Kemmere. “As part of this role, CPOs regularly encounter individuals who may be in an agitated or defensive state.
“While CPOs typically seek to avoid solo intervention into dangerous situations, there are times when a seemingly low-risk situation can escalate unexpectedly. For this reason, having access to CPIC would provide significant safety benefits for CPOs.”
Although CPOs can currently access some information on CPIC through RCMP detachments and other law enforcement services, the access is limited and sometimes comes with time delays, members heard.
“For many CPOs, the challenge with the current limited access to CPIC is that information on persons encountered in the line of duty is not immediately available, and CPOs therefore often enter such interactions ‘blindly,'" he said.
The committee passed a motion instructing administration to prepare a draft resolution to come before the RMA’s fall convention.
“I think it’s very much worthy of support,” said Coun. Greg Harris.
The committee is made of county councillors.
