Cold Lake City Council has voted unanimously to extend funding by $90,000 to cover the cost of patrols for the Commercial Security Program. This will let enhanced security patrols in commercial districts continue until the end of the year.
This pilot project started in May last year to be an extra set of eyes for the business community, particularly during the night. Council has already provided funding two times to keep the program operating.
Mayor Craig Copeland said council knows that these increased security patrols are having an impact, especially in the downtown area.
“Council felt that it was important to extend the funding for this pilot until the end of the year, so we can make some decisions about the future of the program, how it will be funded in the long term, and whether or not the patrols should be expanded even more.”
The $90,000 will cover the cost of the patrols until December 31. The patrols will be conducted at random times throughout the day and night.
Security officers monitor commercial areas for suspicious people and vehicles, vandalism, and security risks such as open windows or unlocked gates.
Copeland says the public made their support for the program loud and clear.
“We held two open houses to discuss this program in April and we heard loud and clear from our business community that they strongly support the continuation of this program and many are in favour of ramping up patrols even more, if a funding agreement can be reached.”
“Currently the patrols are focused primarily on the downtown and commercial areas in Cold Lake South, but we’ve also heard from business owners in the north that they would like to see the initiative expanded there as well. These are all things that will be discussed now that we have another six months to continue testing the program and determine how it can best be operated and paid for.”
The April 14 Commercial Security Pilot Project open house presentation is available for viewing here.