Expanded enforcement authority granted for County peace officers

Jun 22, 2021 | 2:55 PM

Enforcement authority for Community Peace Officers (CPOs) in Red Deer County have been expanded to include selected primary highways.

The approval granted by county council Tuesday means CPOs can now conduct traffic enforcement on one and two digit highways, within their jurisdiction, regardless of the speed limit; and on one, two and three digit highways within their jurisdiction, in active constructions zones on request from the construction crew to address safety issues arising from speeding.

Previously, CPO authority to enforce the Traffic Safety Act was limited to one and two digit primary highways “when that highway is confined within the urban boundaries of a municipality and the speed limit is 90 km/h or less.”

In addition, due to increased speeds being monitored, county officials acknowledge that only CPO Level 1s that have completed a 40-hour Emergency Vehicle Operations Course will be granted this authority. All Red Deer County CPO1s are said to have completed this training.

Lastly, authorized employers such as Red Deer County, are requested to consider, when drafting their appropriate enforcement policy, that the increased speeds detected may increase the speeds of the patrol vehicles required to ‘close the distance” with the offending vehicle. However, a limit on the speed required to “close the distance” by CPO1s is suggested for the safety of both the CPO1s and the public.

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Currently, Red Deer County CPOs cannot respond to requests for enforcement on one and two digit Provincial highways that come from law enforcement partners, such as the RCMP, Sheriffs or Commercial Vehicle Enforcement; though Red Deer County regularly receives such requests from its partners.

County administration will now draft a policy document for submission to the Peace Officer Program that outlines the following:

Traffic Safety Act enforcement on one and two digit highways will only be permitted when a request for assistance or enforcement is received from a partner law enforcement agency; or the CPO encounters, in the course of their regular duties, a clear public safety risk.
Enforcement on one and two digit highways shall not negatively impact the level of service provided by CPOs as their core duty

County officials suggest some additional revenue is anticipated due to encountering violations on thoroughfares with increased traffic flow and higher speeds over the posted limit being detected.

They further add, there are no additional expenses associated with the request and current service levels will not be decreased.

by Sheldon Spackman

Expanded enforcement authority granted for County peace officers

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