Moncton creating uniformed 'community officers' to patrol city, enforce bylaws

The City of Moncton, N.B., is creating a uniformed force of what it calls "community officers" to patrol the city and enforce municipal bylaws beginning later this year.

City councillors voted Tuesday evening to approve a contract with the Corps of Commissionaires NB & PEI Division Inc., which will provide eight officers for the force.

The officers will have the power to enforce municipal bylaws, such as noise, tall grass or unsightly property complaints. The officers won't be able to enforce provincial or criminal law.

Moncton Fire Chief Conrad Landry, who also oversees bylaw enforcement, said the city wants to have two officers on duty at a time each day from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. AT.

"We want these officers to be able to write tickets, enforce bylaws, but also potentially in the future enforce some other provincial laws," Landry said in an interview.

The city wants the province to amend the Police Act to allow the force to have the power to enforce provincial law to address things like public intoxication or parking in front of a fire hydrant. Provinces like Saskatchewan have granted such powers to community safety officers.

The eight officers will be in addition to the two municipal employees who are already bylaw officers who work in the daytime on weekdays.

The community officers will walk or patrol in city-owned vehicles, and wear city-designed uniforms.

Uniforms and other equipment like radios and stab-resistant vests will be provided by the Corps of Commissionaires through the city contract.

The creation of the uniformed force comes as there are calls to defund or reallocate spending on police to other services.

The city has experimented with ways to address complaints from residents and businesses about homelessness, drugs and crime, including pairing RCMP officers with city employees to patrol the downtown.

Landry said the new force will free up Codiac Regional RCMP officers.

For example, he said when the city receives a noise complaint after the two existing bylaw officers leave work, the city refers the complaint to the RCMP.

Under the new system, the community officers could respond if the complaint is received before 2 a.m.

The city already had a contract with Corps of Commissionaires NB & PEI Division Inc. for commissionaires who mainly checked on-street parking.

The new contract replaces that contract, though Landry said some of those commissionaires may qualify for the new officer positions.

Training required

The commissionaires will require a "policing background" from attending a policing college, Landry said.

Other requirements will include having non-violent crisis intervention training and undergoing a physical abilities requirement evaluation, which tests a person's ability to perform the physical demands of police work.

Two officers will patrol at a time, with a day and evening shift, Landry said.

"We'd have uniformed officers throughout the city, either in their vehicles or walking the beat," Landry said.

"We really want them to be city ambassadors. So it's not just responding, it's preventing, it's talking, it's trying to find out what the issues are, what people would like to see."

Aim to start patrols in April

Landry said the goal is to fill positions by April 1, with the officers starting patrols by mid-April.

One of the eight will be designated a supervisor.

Landry said issues with the conduct of the officers would be dealt with by that supervisor or the city could ask the Corps of Commissionaires to replace the officer with someone else.

The city has budgeted $200,000 this year for the new officers, on top of the money spent on the previous contract with the Corps of Commissionaires. The dollar value of the previous contract is unclear.

Councillors Bryan Butler, Brian Hicks and Paul Pellerin voted against the motion.

Butler said the role of the officers aren't what he envisioned for community safety officers and believes the city should wait until the Police Act is amended to allow the role to have power to enforce provincial law.

The province is reviewing the Police Act and Landry said the city has advocated for changes to allow greater powers for the officers.