Citizens on Patrol: An essential tool in Alberta’s law enforcement arsenal

By Quinn Fisher

Acting as an extra set of eyes and ears for law enforcement in Alberta, the Citizens on Patrol (COP) program was introduced in Whitecourt in the spring of 2016.  The Alberta Citizens on Patrol Association’s (ACOPA) mission statement reads, “The mission of ACOPA is to build safer communities by mobilizing citizens throughout Alberta to participate in a community-based crime prevention initiative in co-operation with their local law enforcement agencies.”

Constable Ryan Cuncannon, Whitecourt RCMP, said in a written e-mail, “COP is a voluntary program that allows local citizens to help local law enforcement with crime reduction, reporting, and education. Volunteers act as an extra set of eyes and ears for on-duty RCMP members by patrolling in the community and relay any suspicious findings to the local RCMP detachment who will then determine if police involvement is required and if a file needs to be created. Crime reporting can also allocate particular police resources based on crime treads especially with property crimes.” COP members are not identifiable as such; they do not get out of their vehicles to deal or engage situations they may come across and do not have any official law enforcement capacity.

Volunteers must be a minimum age of 18 and must reside in or own a business in the Town of Whitecourt. Potential volunteers first visit the RCMP detachment to fill out an application and get a criminal record check done. After this initial first step, applications are assigned to an RCMP member to be reviewed and then signed off by the detachment commander. The applicant is then contacted by the COP president to set up a meeting and orientation. After these steps are taken, volunteers will be able to head out on patrol with other volunteers. There is also the possibility of further education by attending Annual General Meetings (AGM) and hone new skills via classes or orientation.

Whitecourt’s Citizen on Patrol program has had a few great successes thus far. For example, during the summer of 2019, COP volunteers and Whitecourt RCMP conducted a “Speed Zone Initiative.” In conjunction with the Whitecourt Integrated Traffic Unit, Whitecourt RCMP and COP volunteers set up on the side of roads within town limits reminding drivers of the 50 km/h speed limit using a LED speed radar sign that shows the speeds of vehicles. Volunteers and police on the side of the road wave to the drivers. This was done in an education capacity rather than enforcement and was well received by the citizens of Whitecourt.

More recently, during Christmas 2019, Whitecourt RCMP and COPs conducted a ‘Lock it or Lose It’ campaign. Police and volunteers patrolled parking lots of busy shopping centres looking for valuables left in vehicles. If something was found in plain view, COPs and a uniformed member would educate the driver of the vehicle reminding them not to leave valuables in vehicles. Theft from motor vehicles is a widespread occurrence in Whitecourt and is 100 per cent preventable. Members also distributed “All valuables removed” placards to drivers so they could display this in the vehicle when parked. These are available at the detachment.

Recruiting is one of the biggest obstacles Whitecourt’s COP program faces. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Cuncannon said, “The program will continue to operate as normal once the Covid-19 crisis is over. Crime never stops, and the volunteers who help local RCMP detachments are invaluable.”