Funding Patrol Moved To 2024 Budget Talks
By Robert Thomas
A pilot program to see if a City financed extra set of eyes and ears for the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) is headed off to 2024 operating budget discussions.
This after Council received a report about the impact of the pilot program for an Enhanced Patrol.
The Enhanced Patrol pilot project was approved by Council and their Executive Committee - after consultation with Moose Jaw Police Service Chief Rick Bourassa - in response to some “unsettling incidents” which had occurred in the Downtown.
The nature of the “unsettling incidents” which precipitated the pilot project has never been made public.
Under the four pilot program - which operated October 27, 2022 to November 24, 2022 - rwo Commissionaires would patrol the Downtown as well as other City owned facilities in a well marked vehicle between the hours of 8 pm to 4 am.
It was hoped by being highly visible the Enhaced Patrol would be a deterrent to people committing crimes.
The patrol was also envisioned to collect accurate data about the homeless on the streets of Moose Jaw and help direct them to appropriate services.
By The Numbers
During its operation their were 29 incidents the patrol was utilized.
There were six incidents reported to the MJPS.
Four of those incidents were of people squatting at various businesses and park spaces.
One incident was a vehicle/dangerous driving incident.
The final incident was a report of a potential break-in at a private business. The potential break-in turned out to be a door accidentally left unlocked.
City staff also made use of the patrols.
The on call facilities and building supervisor requested assistance on two ocassions for after hours assistance after intrusion alarms went off.
City staff also had the patrol escort them 21 times to their vehicles when they were working after hours.
During the operation of the patrol there was no reported break-ins or vandalism at City facilities.
City facilities are usually targets for vandalism or breakins once a month - more during the summer.
The patrol was on average utilized once per eight hour shift.
There was 224 hours of patrols at a cost of $2,700 per week with a total cost of $10,800.
Administration Explains Results
Parks and Recreation director Derek Blais told Council the patrol was focused on City owned facilities and parks “where we had some key issues over the past year.”
City staff requesting the patrol escort them from their workplace to their vehicles were typically the late night caretakers and cleaners of City owned facilities.
Blais told Council “as of right now there is no more funding to continue the program. We won’t have any enhanced patrols during the summer months but we will review some options with the Moose Jaw Police Service.”
What The ?????
Councillor Doug Blanc raised a concern about the facilities and buildings supervisor would have to enter buildings alone without the patrol whenever an intrusion alarm went off.
“Is that the policy in the City if an alarm goes off a City employee goes in?” Councillor Blanc asked.
Blais said the current process was if an intrusion alarm goes off the facilities and parks supervisor would first check the facility using the security cameras. After that - once not seeing anyone on the security cameras - the supervisor would then if they could not identify what was going on enter the building alone.
It was not an answer to Councillor Blanc's liking.
“I know the Moose Jaw Police are busy but at the same time I really have problems with an employee going into a facility, even after they have reviewed the cameras... I have a real concern for their safety,” he said.
The City is at the present time reviewing its working alone policy, not just for entering potential facilities broken into after hours, but all areas in the City's operation, Blais said.
Mayor Clive Tolley said given the concerns raised by Councillor Blanc and City staff using the enhanced patrol after hours showed merit in the patrol.
“I think there is enough reason to think about instituting this on a full time basis,” Mayor Tolley said.
The Mayor asked Blais, as director of parks and recreation, put funding the program as a year round in the 2024 Operating Budget discussions.
“The examples that have been given they have been useful,” he said, adding the budget would be about $140,000 a year and “a least expensive way to get more eyes and ears on our facilities, our parks and our businesses.”
After it was pointed out to the Mayor a motion would be required for the enhanced patrol to be added to the 2024 Operating Budget the Mayor then did so.
Councillor Blanc said he would like to see the enhanced patrol start sooner than in 2024 but added he understood “the financial constraints.”
The motion was carried unanimously with a 7 - 0 vote.
Note - Due to unforseen circumstances beyond the media's control there were no Q and A presser after the Council meeting so no further questions could be asked of Mayor Tolley as to his reasons for supporting the potential funding of future patrols.