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Lethbridge Police present four-year Operating Budget and new initiatives to Finance Committee

Nov 6, 2018 | 2:12 PM

LETHBRIDGE – If the Lethbridge Police Service is approved for all the items requested as new initiatives in the 2019-2022 Operating Budget, it would amount to about one dollar per month per rate payer for four years – or an additional $48 per property owner over the course of four years, according to City Treasurer Hailey Pinksen.

But that’s not counting new initiatives from other city departments and organizations that could potentially be approved by Lethbridge City Council during Operating Budget deliberations in two weeks.

Police Chief Rob Davis and Police Commission Chair Peter Deys presented the force’s four-year Operating Budget and new initiatives at Monday’s (Nov. 5) Finance Committee meeting.

City Council directed all departments to come up with budgets that provide for the maintenance of current levels of service, to absorb inflation pressures and identify options for enhanced investment or service potential. The total Operating Budget that will is $380 million.

According to documents presented, the 2018 LPS Operating Budget at nearly $33.5 million, could go up just over $2 million over four years to account for wage and benefit increases ($1.11 million), cannabis training ($224,000)**, interdepartmental charges ($223,398), external pressures like increases in insurance premiums ($376,972) and mobile data terminals ($71,250).

Those numbers do not include 10 new initiatives the police force is hoping the city also approves, which would amount to an additional $2.8 million in 2019, $2.5 million in 2020, $2.8 million in 2021 and $3.046 million in 2022, for a total of around $11 million over four years.

Initiatives include hiring and training 15 new Community Peace Officers at a cost of $1.6 million, who would have specific responsibilities and powers and who could free up regular officers for redeployment to frontline policing positions.

A second initiative would include an “Ambassador Watch Program” at a cost of about $500,000 per year. Twelve civilian volunteers would be recruited and trained; receiving special uniforms to wear while on duty in downtown Lethbridge. One manager would also be hired to oversee the program. Twelve additional volunteers would be hired in 2020, bringing the total to 24. There would be several paid term employees working from April 1, to Oct. 31 each year. Davis says the two programs together would also work as a “bridge” to hiring new recruits interested in becoming police officers in the future.

“[It] ceates the career trajectory. What we’re finding is, it’s difficult for some people to get into the police service with the current standards to get in as a police officer. Where this offers citizens from the diverse communities to come and be part of the police service, get their foot in the door – we’ll work with them to become officers one day.”

A Police and Crisis Team (PACT) at a potential cost of $124,000 in the first year is the third most sought-after item on the new initiative ‘wish list.’ The PACT concept involves pairing police officers with mental health professionals to work in the community; mainly in the city’s downtown but not limited to the area.

Other new program initiatives include adding a Community Development and Engagement Inspector, another Property and Exhibit Unit Technician, an Evidence Based Policing Supervisor, Professional Standards Staff, a Data-base Administrator and directing more resources towards Cyber Crimes.

Davis says the various presentations by the Downtown BRZ, a community stakeholder and public opinion survey undertaken last February , and feedback from the community drug crisis meetings helped them narrow down the priorities they believe citizens want to see from the LPS.

“Police agencies are typically criticized for marking their own score cards, coming and asking for money on anecdotal evidence. We’ve engaged a couple of consultants to really do an analysis of our data, determine when we need police officers working, what the scope of that looks like and so we’ve really crunched the numbers…it’s just a continuation of that. It’s using the numbers to really justify and explain why we deploy the way we do.”

But Mayor Chris Spearman also asked what guarantees council would have, should the LPS be given the go ahead for all the items on its list of initiatives.

“The Chief did outline his priorities. And according to the regulations our understanding – we give you an envelope of cash and the (Police) Commission decides how the money will be allocated. Does the Commission support the priorities of the Chief? What assurance does council and the people of Lethbridge have that the priorities would be addressed?”

Chair Peter Deys told Spearman said the LPS budget and subsequent new initiatives was approved by the entire Commission at its last meeting.

“So certainly, that is part of the commission’s job is oversight is to assure that those fundings go where priorities are, that are being shared with you today.”

Davis echoed those comments and stated that he would be open to reporting to city council.

“So, we could build into our commission reporting. I am open to us reporting out to council whether that be quarterly or every six months. I’d have to nuance that with the commission cause they’re the conduit to the council. But I’m open to that. The City deserves that. They want to see what the results are. The other part of that is we’d be able to measure that in our community surveys to see if the perceptions of safety in the downtown change once we roll these out.”

Budget deliberations begin Nov. 19 and go until Nov. 24.

And if all the requests are approved?

“I’ll hug the Mayor and all of the councillors ’cause I would be very grateful,” laughed Davis. “But I have to thank the community groups like BRZ and the people that have come forward and presented in lobbying and support of this. So now, time will tell.”

 

**The provincial government is setting aside $11.2 million for cannabis training and enforcement for all Alberta cities with populations over 5,000 and with their own police forces over two years. It’s not clear yet what Lethbridge’s share will be.