Alternative response officers making 'positive connections' in Saskatoon
One of Saskatoon’s new special constables says the team is being viewed in a good light by citizens.
“We’re making positive connections with the people that we meet so far, and the uniform hasn’t been a barrier at all so far in the work that we’ve done. It’s actually been really good because they see our uniform and thank us for our presence downtown,” Micaiah Wines told CTV News.
Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) recently swore in five Alternative Response Officers as a new tier of public safety service. The crew will be finished training later this month and will officially start their role June 21 with two teams hitting the streets.
The officers are meant to facilitate outreach and referral services and help regular patrol officers and members of the traffic division, police say.
They are unarmed and look different than regular officers, with grey shirts, special constable patches and a distinctly marked vehicle.
Insp. Darren Pringle says the program was made possible through $350,000 in funding from the Board of Police Commissioners. There are similar programs in Vancouver and Winnipeg.
The new constables are specially trained in de-escalation and are specifically trying to make connections with people in the downtown area.
Pringle says the officers can write tickets include jaywalking, carrying open liquor and cycling on the sidewalks.
“They’re not there just to serve the business interest, we’re not there just to serve the interest of people who live downtown. The alternative response officers are downtown so that everybody can have some representation and everybody can be living and working and playing in the same space,” Pringle told CTV News.
Matt Brenner, another special constable, said their goal is to be approachable.
“We just want to be a presence in the community that people can be comfortable being around.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.