ST. PAUL – The Town of St. Paul is working to establish its own municipal policing committee as per the Police Amendment Act 2022 or formerly called Bill 6.
Director of Protective Services Trevor Kotowich told council during the regular council meeting on Jan. 13 that the legislation requires municipalities served by the RCMP with a population under 15,000 to establish civilian governance bodies for policing.
The committees will not be involved with the operational aspect of local RCMP detachments but are meant to allow residents to have a voice in setting policing priorities and performance goals, according to Kotowich.
"It is administration's recommendation that the Town of St. Paul form their own municipal policing committee, and that notification be made to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services,” he said.
Members at large
The members at large, who could be members of the public or elected officials, would be appointed by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.
Mayor Maureen Miller supported the idea of St. Paul forming its own committee, noting council often talks about engaging the public, so the committee would be a good opportunity to do so.
Miller said municipalities also have unique needs, and the committee, ideally, would be able to point out what those needs are, which could help with providing policing directions.
In the future, the town could also choose to disband the committee if it deems it did not prove useful at all, said Miller.
Coun. Ron Boisvert sought clarification on the committee's primary goal.
Ultimately, according to Kotowich, it would be “for the public to be more engaged in their local policing decisions . . . to have representation,” he said. Certain training would be required for members of the committee.
Policing-related organizations, which could include the Alberta Association of Police Governance or the Canadian Police Knowledge Network, will be involved with providing training.
If the committee is established, it would also be up to the council to decide what the remuneration for the members would be, said Kotowich.
Kotowich also said that while the Town’s CAO and Director of Protective Services would be involved with the committee, they are not going to be “the driving factors behind it.”
“It's meant to be driven by the public,” he said.
Coun. Nathan Taylor asked if the type of public representatives the town should be seeking for the committee are people already involved in the policing aspect of the community; who have prior knowledge in policing; or individuals outside the policing world to provide an outside perspective.
Kotowich responded the ideal committee would be a combination of all types of members – those who have policing knowledge and those without.
Taylor also asked Kotowich if he could inquire if a regional policing committee with the County of St. Paul is possible due to proximity, and because the St. Paul RCMP detachment both serves the Town and the County of St. Paul.
Cost
Asked how much running the committee would cost, Kotowich estimated the annual cost to be between $3,000 and $5,000 for basic operations, though additional training and conferences could push expenses higher.
Coun. Gary Ward made a motion for the Town of St. Paul to notify the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services of its intentions to form its own municipal policing committee.
The motion was carried.
Town council also discussed the draft outlining the structure and responsibilities of the proposed committee during the Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 16.
A revised draft will be reviewed by council again in the future.
During the meeting, St. Paul RCMP Detachment Commander Dennis Silliker also said that while he supports the idea of a municipal policing committee, he clarified that as the RCMP is a federally mandated organization, RCMP reporting measures would still be directed to council, as per his contractual obligations.
