The Innisfail chapter of Citizens on Patrol (COP) has disbanded after 20 years, with members claiming a frustrating lack of support from the RCMP, town officials, and most members of the business community.
“We had a good core group but we couldn't recruit new people and we couldn't get any support from anybody, said Bob Bartlett, the group's final chairman and a member for the past 10 years. “We lost all our support from the town, the RCMP and most of the businesses in town, financial and moral.”
Bartlett, a past vice-president of Alberta Citizens On Patrol Association, said he put “thousands of dollars” of his own money over the past decade into the program but he's now “fed up” with what he perceives as continued disinterest from the community.
“We don't even know why. We didn't even get an explanation,” he said of the lack of community interest to support the crime prevention program. “All we get is lip service and promises. We are just fed up with it.”
But Innisfail RCMP Staff Sgt. Chris Matechuk said he's willing to try to “re-engage” any local COP members this fall to see if there is any future interest in resurrecting the program.
“It is not our job or mandate to get them up and running but it is our job to facilitate the process,” said Matechuk. “This fall our intention is to re-engage anybody that is left in the program and see if it's possible to get them back and running again.”
Colin Whymark, the town's protective services supervisor and lead peace officer, said he was surprised to hear the local COP chapter had disbanded, noting his office donated a trailer with speed monitoring equipment last year. He added that while the town does not govern the COP program, local peace officers have always tried to assist COP members whenever they were able to.
“I think if there is something down the road where we can re-engage them and see if we can build a better relationship, I will throw my support towards the RCMP in the direction they want to go and I would support them 100 per cent,” said Whymark. “In most communities they do provide some eyes and ears out there on the road.”
The mandated role of citizen members of the COP program is to act as additional “eyes and ears” for their community and the police, with an ultimate goal of reducing crime in the community. COP members are tasked to be on the lookout for any suspicious or criminal activity, record it, and when appropriate, report it to the RCMP. Law enforcement agencies vigorously maintain that COP members are not in any way trained police officers, and strongly urge citizens not to go beyond their “eyes and ears” mandate.
After serving the community for two decades, the local COP chapter officially closed its operations on Aug. 31. Bartlett said the group also handed over all its money, more than $700, and donated it to STARS air ambulance. He said there are still two patrol kits, supplied by the RCMP, that have to be returned.
Bartlett said there was discussion among executive members of disbanding COP earlier but they wanted to give members the opportunity to keep it running.
“We even offered the $700 to pay for their liability insurance for 2015 and any fees for another year. We didn't get any support for that either,” said Bartlett.
Meanwhile, Zul Waljee, the local COP chapter's vice-chair when the group disbanded, said he would be interested in talking to the RCMP this fall to see if there is any possibility a way could be found to resurrect the program. However, he cautioned he is now only agreeable for it to restart on a trial basis.
“I will talk to him (Matechuk). I will give them six months and see what support we are getting, like a trial,” said Waljee, owner of EconoLodge Inn & Suites, who has donated his own money to the program as well as supplying a room for COP meetings “We have tried to talk to (police) and there was no support.”
Bartlett said he is agreeable to providing assistance to any group of citizens interested in reviving COP but he no longer wants to be personally involved.
“Personally, no. Why all of a sudden when it becomes a press issue do they want to talk to us?” said Bartlett. “If they had been willing in the past to talk when we wanted, then yes I would stay. But I put 10 years in this organization and I have had enough.”
