Municipal Bylaw Enforcement / Community Peace Officer Program (Details)

Name of province/ territory:

Alberta

City/ Region:

Medicine Hat

Description of Initiative:

Nine community peace officers (Level One) are embedded within the Medicine Hat Police Service to offer a more effective and consistent enforcement model for the community.

Initiative Key Objectives:

The key objectives of the initiative are to provide cost-effective and efficient policing to the community while providing a wide range of enforcement under one umbrella. Savings can be found in reduced administrative costs, shared records management and shared support services.

Efficencies are found with a one-stop enforcement agency that covers all policing duties including bylaw enforcement. Authorities of the community peace officers include enforcement of the Traffic Safety Act, Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, a portion of the Gaming and Liquor Act, Dangerous Dogs Act, Tobacco Reduction Act, Prevention of Youth Tobacco Use Act, as well as serving summons and subpoenas for court detail and fingerprinting persons charged with criminal offences.

Section Responsible for Implementation:

The Municipal Bylaw Enforcement section specifically deals with this initiative under the Operational Services Division Inspector's supervision.

Key Contact:

Fred Crittenden
Fred.Crittenden@mhps.ca

Groups/ Agencies/ Key Partners Involved:

  • civilian governing authorities
  • police association or union

Level of Involvement (consultative - information sharing) and/or cooperative - direct involvement):

Consultative for the Police Commission.

Amount of Time Initiative has been in Place:

The current model has been in place since the mid-1980s.

Reason for Undertaking the Initiative:

Efficiencies in service delivery and reduction of duplication in administrative overhead.

Resources Required to Implement this Initiative:

Initially, office space was created in the main headquarters, and vehicles and equipment were provided from the previous arrangement, but some new acquisitions were obtained, lines of supervision were arranged and budgeting processes changed so that the program would fall within the Medicine Hat Police Service budget.

Method of Implementation:

The program was phased in with one bylaw officer in mid-1980s, additional staff in mid-1990s and completion in 2009. As community needs grew, the police service responded with increased staff along with added responsibilities.

Key Outcomes of the Initiative:

The initiative has been successful in coordinating improved enforcement of bylaws, increasing customer satisfaction, and reducing overall costs to the municipality.

Availability of a Communication Strategy:

No

Key Messages used to Publicize the Initiative:

Communications related to bylaw enforcement have been included in all police service communications initiatives, including social media and website.

Forms of Evaluation by which the Initiative will be Assessed:

  • Community Survey

Evaluation Completed or Community Feedback Received:

Yes

Summary of the Outcomes:

Survey results.

Summary of the Performance Measure Data Collected:

N/A

Economics of Policing Pillars:

Further Details:

N/A

Additional Comments or Suggestions:

N/A

Record Entry Date:

2013-08-01

Date modified: