By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Officer Safety is Top of Mind in New Dispatch Services Agreement

Sep 7, 2016 | 1:36 PM

LETHBRIDGE – The City of Lethbridge will soon help rural bylaw and motor vehicle enforcement officers create a safer work environment.
 
Ridge Regional Public Safety Services (RRPSS) spans an area of roughly 4,000-square kilometers, providing municipal investigations and traffic enforcement to Raymond, Magrath, Milk River, Stirling and the County of Warner.
 
Sergeant Community Peace Officer for RRPSS, Rodney Tilson, explained that the current system uses a wifi or cell phone signal to contact the control centre in Edmonton. However, the areas that officers typically respond to don’t have the coverage required.
 
It reached out to the City of Lethbridge for help, and Lethbridge City Council agreed on Monday to provide dispatch services from its Public Safety Communication Centre (PSCC) to:
 
– monitor radio traffic;
– provide assistance when requested;
– perform checks on the Alberta Motor Vehicle Registry System;
– provide criminal record checks;
– note licence plates and locations in vehicle stops;
– perform status checks within five minutes;
– perform status checks for officers in high risk situations
 
The PSCC will provide all officers with local radio communications.

“We’re dealing with people on bylaw matters, and we get down to a more personal level with them when we’re dealing with their properties, and also during vehicle stops,” says Sgt. Tilson. “Everybody knows that vehicle stops in themselves can be rather dangerous because you don’t know who you’re dealing with.”
 
Chris Kearns, Manager of the PSCC, noted that similar services are already in place for Lethbridge Fire and Police, Alberta Health Services and various rural fire agencies. Due to its current capacity, adding RRPSS will come at no extra cost.
 
Kearns explained that it will actually generate an estimated $40,000 per year for the City of Lethbridge to use on a number of other programs, while building relationships with other peace officer agencies well into the future.
 
The new service for RRPSS comes into effect on September 19.