City Council in Cold Lake has committed $45,000 towards the work of the Downtown Security Patrol pilot program.
The program, hosted by the Cold Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce and designed with business input, seeks to provide a neighbourhood watch organization that can work as an extra set of eyes, the council says.
This means alerting businesses about doors, windows or gates left open after hours, taking note of suspicious activity and reporting it to police when appropriate.
It was pledged $90,000 in the 2021 budget, but Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Nagoya says this funding was set to run out in October. The boost will continue the program into January.Â
Mayor Craig Copeland says this is how the City has been able to respond to business’ crime concerns, and they are looking at permanent funding solutions for the $15,000 a month program.
So far, the Chamber has been unable to find grants that include a security initiative as an eligible project, so the City is researching funding support mechanisms which will be discussed at a future council meeting.
Written by Dan Soul, 106.1 The Goat