It’s time for a new approach to foot patrols in the downtown core.
That was the message from St. Thomas Police Chief Chris Herridge to city council last Monday.
To accomplish this a new, four-person Community Resource Officer Unit is being established to interact with individuals impacted by mental health, substance use disorder and homelessness.
St. Thomas Police have hired four individuals with social service and lived experience backgrounds who will form the nucleus of this new unit.
They will ultimately operate out of a downtown substation in a yet-to-be-determined location for an enhanced presence in the core area.
Herridge told city council a large percentage of policing today deals with social issues and is not criminal in nature.
“We need to find alternative service delivery options and collaborate with agencies to better support people facing social vulnerabilities.”
These special constables will serve primarily in the downtown core beginning in August, initially between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., Monday through Friday and weekends as needed.
They will engage with individuals, interact with merchants, assist vulnerable people and respond to calls for service.
Herridge says it boils down to ensuring the downtown core is a safe and inviting location to visit and shop.
In his report to council Herridge noted, “The overall goal is to create efficiencies, free up resources for sworn members to focus on the core functions of policing, broaden our service delivery capabilities and ensure staff are not overwhelmed by non-police related incidents.”
These special constables will earn a starting salary of $50,539 increasing to $74,364 after 10 years, based on the current salary grid.
Herridge stressed in his report, “Businesses and visitors in the core need a sense of security and a substation will enable us to effectively make our presence felt in the downtown area.”
He added, “We believe a Community Resource Officer Unit is an enhanced option potentially evolving even further to traffic enforcement-related duties.
