Lac La Biche County is looking to beef up public safety with more police officers and public surveillance cameras and some upgrades for Peace Officers.
The County has heard concerns from residents and business owners regarding the safety and appearance of the downtown area. With this in mind, they voted to increase Enforcement Services’ budget by $16,400 so that two current Level Two Peace Officers can be advanced to Level One status. Level One officers have greater authority,
including powers of arrest. Council will review the Community Peace Officer Policy to ensurthe program continues to function in accordance with their priorities.
Council also directed Administration to apply for two enhanced RCMP officer positions. If approved, this would mean two more RCMP officers would be brought to the community, with the County covering their salaries.
Councillors have also allocated up to $30,000 for a pilot project to install surveillance cameras on Main Street in downtown Lac La Biche. The camera program will be revisited and assessed once it has been implemented, to determine if more cameras are needed.