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7KH 0RRVH -DZ 3ROLFH 6HUYLFH LV LQWHUHVWHG LQ DGRSWLQJ D Saskatoon-based community safety program but is still in the early stages and needs dedicated funding to pursue it.

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These special constables deliver public safety programs and community engagement during times when DUPHG RI¿FHUV DUH QRW UHTXLUHG

While speaking with media afterward, Police Chief 5LFN %RXUDVVD VDLG KH DSSUHFLDWHG WKH RQOLQH SUHVHQWDWLRQ and thought the information was positive. He pointed out WKDW 6DVNDWRRQ LV IDLUO\ VDWLV¿HG ZLWK KRZ WKH SURJUDP KDV turned out.

“We continually stay abreast of things that are happening in different jurisdictions that other police services have found to be successful. And we share that with each other,” he remarked.

7KH 0-36 LV H[SORULQJ WKH SRVVLELOLW\ RI DGRSWLQJ the ARO program but needs additional budgetary money from the police board before it can do anything, he continued. Yet, the organization believes this is worth considerLQJ DQG KRZ LW ZRXOG ¿W KHUH

The police service has not asked for additional fundLQJ LQ LWV EXGJHW IRU WKH SURJUDP DOWKRXJK LW KDV referenced it in budget documents.

“We may be in a position (where) we can have some funding available for something like that to start next year, EXW ZH¶OO MXVW KDYH WR ZDLW DQG VHH ´ VDLG %RXUDVVD

“There’s a lot of work to be done to see how it would work here. Every place has its local nuances that have to be incorporated into it. We’re interested in learning more.”

7KH 0-36 ZDQWV WR SXUVXH WKH $OWHUQDWLYH 5HVSRQVH 2I¿FHUV SURJUDP EHFDXVH RQH RI LWV PDLQ VWUDWHJLHV LV KDQdling safety in public spaces, he explained.

The community has a vibrant downtown and parks, EXW UHJXODU RI¿FHUV LQ FDUV DUHQ¶W DOZD\V DEOH WR DFFHVV WKRVH SODFHV RU EH YLVLEOH 0RUHRYHU WKH DJHQF\ NQRZV EXVLQHVVHV DQG UHVLGHQWV ZDQW PRUH YLVLEOH RI¿FHUV ZKR DUH DFFHVVLEOH DQG SUHVHQW 6R WKH 0-36 KDV ZRUNHG RQ that issue this year using existing resources.

“The problem that can happen with that is they can get pulled off to other things and then you lose that. … if we can have a more visible and consistent presence, we think that would go a long way to enhancing community VDIHW\ ´ %RXUDVVD VDLG ³ $QG QRW RQO\ WKH VDIHW\ EXW WKH feeling of safety people have.”

The police service and city hall are collaborating on a pilot project that sees two extra commissionaires paWUROOLQJ WKH GRZQWRZQ DQG &UHVFHQW 3DUN ² SODFHV PRVW SHRSOH FRPSODLQ DERXW ² IURP S P WR D P 7KH SURMHFW VWDUWHG ² DQG LV H[SHFWHG WR FRQFOXGH² LQ 1RYHPEHU

This project is a precursor to the ARO program and could lead to implementing “a more robust process,” %RXUDVVD DFNQRZOHGJHG +RZHYHU KH UHJUHWWHG WKDW WKH initiative didn’t start sooner when the weather was nicer, PDNLQJ DFTXLULQJ XVHIXO GDWD GLI¿FXOW

“We have these different seasons and people are outVLGH GLIIHUHQWO\ LQ WKH VXPPHU WKDQ LQ WKH ZLQWHU %XW we’ll learn a little bit from it,” he said. “And we may be doing something like that again in the spring to take another test run.”

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“… if we’re going to go down that (AROs) road, we want to make sure that it’s the right road to go down before we get ourselves into a long process,” he added. “So, we’ll learn what we can.”