Taber Municipal Police Commission briefs

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The following are selected briefs of the March 22 meeting of the Taber Municipal Police Commission.

Chief of Police Report to Commission 

Barnwell: Chief Graham Abela noted the TPS will be moving forward with a request to provide bylaw services to the Village of Barnwell, which has been approved, and Abela is working with CAO Derrin Thibault to finalize the details.

Mandatory Body-Worn Cameras: Abela noted there needs to be a standard developed by the province, and there will be a procurement and implementation stage. So far there has been no information regarding funding for the initiative. The cost for TPS will be roughly $100,000 – $120,000 for equipment and licensing. The initiative will likely not be implemented until after 2023. 

Training: Cst. Motz undertook an armorer’s course for our firearms in Lethbridge; the RCMP and Cst. Weersink took approved screening device training hosted by the TPS and taught by Sr. Cst. Evanson this past month; Coalhurst CPO Herasemluk attended Taber for two days and did some training with Cst. Weersink; The Crown did a ride a long with TPS members.

Personnel: Kayla Baugh, Vera Peples, and Pam Walker have accepted jobs and have begun training as communication operators. 

AAPG 2026 Conference 

Chair John MacDonald shared that the Alberta Association of Police Governance (AAPG) conference selection committee had requested that the Taber Municipal Police Commission consider hosting the 2026 AAPG Conference. 

The commission agreed that they would like to move forward with this opportunity, and unanimously passed a motion accepting the offer to host the 2026 AAPG Conference.

Red Light Cameras

Chair MacDonald shared his continued concern regarding red light incidents and the possible need for red light cameras in particular areas. 

Chief Abela noted that the deployment of red-light cameras needs to be statistically driven, and suggested TPS will increase patrols in the areas of concern and bring statistics for review to an upcoming meeting.

AAPG 2023 Conference – Rocky Mountain House

The commission voted unanimously to send up to four commission members to the upcoming AAPG Conference.

Volunteer Recognition Donation

The commission agreed to direct their Volunteer Recognition Donation to the Star on 54th.

February Statistics

The numbers in brackets represent the year-to-date figures for February 2022 for comparative purposes.

Traffic: impaired operation 3 (3); dangerous operation of a motor vehicle 1 (0); traffic collisions 18 (14); provincial traffic offences 292 (213). Liquor Act: 8 (3). Other Criminal Code: 24 (18); offensive weapons 1 (1); corruption/public mischief 1 (0). Drug Enforcement: trafficking 3 (4); possession 1 (1); other 1 (0). Crimes Against a Person: sexual offences 3 (1); robbery/extortion/harassment/threats 8 (11); assaults 7 (12). Crimes Against Property: theft under $5,000 18 (7); theft over $5,000 2 (6); fraud 5 (9); break and enter 3 (6); mischief 11 (13). Bylaw: traffic 3 (1); non-traffic calls 72 (32). 

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