TABER POLICE SERVICE 2016 Annual Report POLICE COMMISSION Chairperson Ken Holst
As a legislated body within the Province of Alberta, the Taber Police Commission takes its role very seriously. Under the direction of the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General, the Commission is responsible to oversee policing in our community. We as a commission understand the need, role, and duties as outlined in the Police Act for all commissions in Alberta. The economics of policing is currently a common topic in Canada, and always has strong considerations with the commission as it fills its responsibilities which include, budgeting, policies, and staff levels. We feel that the Taber Police Service is providing an excellent product to the Town of Taber and its Citizens and that this has great economical worth. As shown in this report, the Taber Police Service is very active in many areas of policing in addition to enforcement and prevention. As a commission we affirm that all involvement is within or exceeds the oversight standards.
Taber Police Commission Members; 2016 Chair Ken Holst, Wanda Osburne-Campbell, Randy Sparks, Andrew Prokop, David B. Mclean, Chris Bernhardt, Wanda Renner CHIEF OF POLICE Dr. Graham Abela It has been just over one year since I have had the privilege of becoming the Chief of Police for the Taber Police Service, and what a year it has been. Much work has gone into the business of policing in our community this past year, such as a implementing a five year strategic plan and newly created policies, hiring new positions to take on the Community Standards work, developing software initiatives and organizational shifts to account for the ever increasing pressures on policing. All of this occurring during times of downturns in the economy, increasing crime rates in Alberta and, furthermore, experiencing a substantial budget decrease to our own police service. If there is one thing I know, the only certainty in policing is the certainty of change. Yet, we have had a very successful year with accomplishments of which the community and our staff should be proud. Every day the women and men of the Taber Police work hard to achieve a safe community and do so in keeping with the values of our organization. I couldn’t be more proud of their efforts and dedication to this community. This report card provides you with a sense of what we are doing to continue to make Taber a safe place to raise families. I look forward to continuing to achieve our goals within our strategic plan, keeping Taber one of the safest communities in Alberta. MISSION STATEMENT
WE ARE THE TABER POLICE SERVICE ESTABLISHED IN 1904.
WE STRIVE TO INFORM, INVOLVE AND PROTECT THE COMMUNITY OF TABER.
WE, THE MEMBERS OF THE TABER POLICE SERVICE, BELIEVE THAT: o police work is not performed in a social vacuum; o there needs to be a partnership between the police and the community; o we exist to serve and are, therefore, accountable to the community; o the citizens of Taber are the ultimate consumers of police services and should be provided the opportunity for input into our priorities; we must determine community concerns and be proactive in the community to address those concerns; o every effort must be made to inform the community of what we are doing and the results of our efforts. CORE VALUES
THESE ARE THE CORE VALUES OF THE TABER POLICE SERVICE IN WHICH WE BELIEVE WE SHOULD, AS AN ORGANIZATION AND AS INDIVIDUALS, CONSISTENTLY TRY TO APPLY IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IN POLICING: Honesty We believe in an honest work environment that encourages trust and respect of fellow employees, as well as that of the community. Integrity We believe that our actions should be based on an internally consistent framework of principles and, furthermore, that everything we do as a police service or as individuals is based on our defined set of core values. Compassion We believe that we should treat each other as employees, as well as those in the community for which we serve, with kindness and empathy. Accountability We believe that our actions as a police service and individuals should be transparent and that we are responsible for our decisions and policies. We understand that we are accountable and answerable to the community of Taber and our governing body. Professionalism We believe that we should adhere to the highest standards of professionalism and that we should maintain our standards through reflection, review and audits.
5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN (2016-2021)
In 2016 the Taber Police Service conducted a 5 year strategic plan to review our priorities and establish our goals the next 5 years. The strategic plan was created following a community survey, focus groups, and input from the Taber Municipal Police Commission and the Taber Police membership. Core Services and Key Strategic Priorities were identified within the strategic plan. This 5 year plan is laid out into 4 phases that each contain several goals that are to be achieved within a certain time frame. The strategic plan is reviewed quarterly with the Taber Municipal Police Commission. A report card is provided at that time to monitor our progress in achieving these goals. CORE KEY STRATEGIC SERVICES PRIORITIES • Community Safety • Policing Services Priorities • Public Safety • Community Dispatch and Collaboration Priorities • Community Awareness Support Priorities • Community • People and Technical Support Professionalism Priorities 5 YEAR STRATEGIC PLAN KEY STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
Community Awareness People and Technical Priorities Priorities 25% 25% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 15% 13% 10% 15% 10% 5% 10% 5% 5% 0% 0% 0% Dispatch OHS Safety Yearly Dispatch 911 Profile of Police Website Report Citizen Services to in the Performance Client Standard in Community Contacts Community Workplace Assessments Feedback Compliant
Community Safety Priorities 29% Community Collaboration Priorities 28% 40% 28% 35% 35% 27% 30% 26% 25% 25% 20% 20% 25% 20% 24% 15% 24% 10% 10% 23% 5% 22% 0% Public Safety Safety of Property Safety of Police Auxiliary Citizens on Wise Owls SRO Program Program Patrol
ORGANIZATIONAL CHART Current
POLICE COMMISSION
CHIEF OF POLICE
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNITY COMMUNICATIONS ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONS EXECUTIVE OFFICER MANAGER SERGEANT SERGEANT (1) (1) (1) (1)
SCHOOL RESOURCE ADMIN ASSISTANT PATROL SECTION OFFICER (1) (9 OFFICERS) (1)
COMMUNITCAITON OPERATORS AUXILIARY POLICE OFFICERS COMMUNITY (4 FULL TIME) STANDARDS UNIT (1) (5) (3 CASUAL)
GUARDS SUMMER BYLAW STAFF (3 CASUAL) (2) BUDGET EXPENSES Salaries and Benefits 2,436,276 Contracted and general services 210,360 Amortization 203,059 FUNDING Material, goods and supplies 148,037 Tax Supported 2,049,920 Purchases from other governments 96,000 Government Grants 527,162 Internal Charges 69,600 Fine Revenue 491,205 Total 3,163,332 Sales and user fees 95,000
Total 3,163,332 Purchases from Material, Goods other governments and Supplies Internal charges 3% Sales and 5% 2% User Fees Amortization Fine Revenue 3% 6% 15% Contracted and EXPENDITURES FUNDING General Services 7%
Salaries and Government Benefits Grants 77% 17% Tax Supported 65%
Salaries and Benefits Contracted and General Services Tax Supported Government Grants Amortization Material, Goods and Supplies Fine Revenue Sales and User Fees Purchases from other governments Internal charges HUMAN RESOURCES 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2012, 35, 22% Police Operational Strength 2016, 46, 28% 15 (Authorized) 15 (Actual)
Demographics Gender 2 Female 2013, 28, 17% 13 Male 2015, 22, 14% Background of Officers 12 Caucasian 2014, 31, 19% 2 Asian 1 FNMI As can be seen in the pie chart above, the majority of the Taber Police Service officers have between 10 and 19 years of service. These numbers are considerably higher than other police agencies in the province. In fact, we are considered a senior police service. With seniority comes less supervisory requirements, however, pay is usually higher than when you have a more junior service.
HUMAN RESOURCES
Community Standards Unit Support 2 Part Time Students
Public Safety Communications Manager 1
Communication Operators 4 Fulltime 2 Casual
Administrative Assistant 1
Guards 3 Casual
Total = 13
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Policing
The Taber Police Service provides 24/7/365 policing to the Town of Taber. We have provided several pages of operational reports and statistics for your consideration. The first chart lays out the number of occurrences investigated, the number of people who were taken into custody at the Taber Police Service, and the average number of occurrences each officer dealt with over the year.
2014 2015 2016 Number of Police Occurrences 4536 4992 4816 Number of Persons Held in Police Custody 263 298 327 Police Occurrences Dealt With Per Officer 324 356 344 OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Clearance Rates
Clearance rates are often used as an indicator of how efficient a police service is at solving reports of crime. There are many limitations to only using clearance rates as an indicator, but for our purposes the following chart provides the community with a report as to how the Taber Police Service is doing compared to other small communities as a comparator and the M.D. of Taber.
Weighted Clearance Rate, By Police Service, in Alberta. CANSIM Table 252-0088 (Selected) Statistics Canada
2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 Camrose Police, Municipal 52.19 58.88 60.46 61.75 56.06 Lacombe Police, Municipal 45.48 48.58 48.13 40.45 40.38 Brooks RCMP, Municipal 36.29 41.13 53.82 52.43 58.05 Taber RCMP, Rural 44.13 47.42 51.02 53.35 55.45 Taber Police, Municipal 58.30 60.52 61.64 61.23 62.20
The weighted clearance rate is based on the same principles as the Police Reported Crime Severity Index (PRCSI), whereby more serious offences are assigned a higher "weight" than less serious offences. For example, the clearing of homicides, robberies or break and enters would represent a greater contribution to the overall weighted clearance rate value than the clearing of minor theft, mischief, or disturbing the peace. The weighted clearance rate is not available for police services or detachments with populations less than 1,000.Data for police services or detachments with populations less than 5,000 should be used with caution. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Policing
The following section of the report provides the reader with a series of charts and graphs that provide some insights into our operations and crime context in Taber. For a more detailed look at Taber’s crime rates etc, please see the Taber Police Service 2016 Crime Analysis Report.
TOTAL ASSAULTS The perceptions of how safe someone feels has to do with how likely they are to be victimized by way of an assault 46 being committed against them.
35 Measuring crimes against persons is an accurate manner in
31 which to gauge community safety. The following chart 2012 28 2013 indicates that total number of assaults that were reported 2014 over the last 5 years. It is important to note that with 117 22 2015 reports of assaults being reported in 2016 this year has seen 2016 the first rise in assaults within the last 5 years.
To put these stats into perspective, in 2016 a citizen of Taber had a 1.5% risk of being a victimized by way of an assault, compared to the general population of Taber.
OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Policing
In March of 2016 for the first time in the history of the Taber Police Service we conducted a community survey that was released over an online web link. This survey was well received and the following is a summary of that summary:
Highest number of respondents (397) of any community survey to date. Over 80% of the respondents were satisfied with the Taber Police Service. 82% of the respondents believe that the Taber Police Service officers are competent. 82% of respondents feel that Taber is a safe place to live. According to our 2016 Crime Analysis, The Town of Taber saw a 0.4% increase in the chance that a citizen would be victimized by a crime. This increase rose from a 1.1% chance to a 1.5% chance. The community continues to express support and confidence in the Taber Police Service and its ability to provide a safe community. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS
Our reports of break and enters have increased from 22 reports in 2015 to 46 reports in 2016. This is the first year since prior to 2012 where an increase has been observed. Reports of theft over $5000 have also increased by 2 reports to reflect a total of 5.
Property Offences 2012 - 2016 Possession of stolen property often corresponds with thefts under $5000 which Break and Enters Theft of Motor Vehicles Thefts Over $5000 Possession of Stolen Property has also increased in 2016. We have seen a Frauds drop in the reports of frauds which is at the lowest level in the last 3 years. This drop in 59 reports of frauds may be a result of proactive 56 49 steps taken by TPS to inform the public of the 46 recent types of frauds. The Taber Police 39 35 Service has used social media to inform the 31 28 24 25 public of recent fraud scams that are 22 22 22 21 20 occurring in our area. 17 16 15 14 12 8 9 5 5 3
2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Traffic Safety
Traffic safety education and traffic enforcement remain priorities for the Taber Police Service. The Taber Police Service remains engaged in the Alberta Transportation Selected Traffic Enforcement Program which is a targeted enforcement and educational traffic safety initiative which priority changes from month to month. Taber Police Service officers continue to be diligent in enforcing the Traffic Safety Act and other traffic related statutes, and investigate collisions. According to the 2016 Taber Police Service crime stats, reports of collisions have decreased slightly since 2015, which could be a result of officer promoting safe driving habits. The Taber Police Service continues to utilize Automated Vehicle Enforcement, otherwise known as photo radar. The following chart provides you with the results of our traffic safety program.
2014 2015 2016 Police Officer Initiated Tickets 1950 1961 1635 Photo Radar 5104 5444 4429 Photo Radar Average Speed of Offender Over Speed 18 18 18 Limit (kph) Number of Collisions 147 134 126
COMMUNITY STANDARDS UNIT The end of 2016 into the beginning of 2017 saw changes to the Community Peace Officer (CPO) within the Taber Police Service. The decision was made to remove the CPO position and implement a new Community Standards Unit. A police officer with the Taber Police is employed and assigned to the Community Standards Unit. Their roles and responsibilities include the enforcement of community standards issues. Due to their appointment, a CSO has full authority under the Criminal Code of Canada and applicable Federal Statutes, but their duties are focused on Community Standards issues. In the summertime the CSU is supplemented with two summer students to assist in their duties. These summer students are attending college, usually criminal justice studies, and are employed through the STEP program. Although the following numbers do not indicate everything the Community Standards Officer is responsible for, they are descriptive for the majority of their work.
2016 Community Standards Unit (CSU) Numbers Animal Calls 53 Municipal Bylaw Complaints 377 Parking 47 OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Communications
Communication Operators are essential in emergency services. We have a dedicated group of Nationally Certified Emergency Police and Fire Dispatchers that provide communications and dispatch services to the Taber Police Service and many fire departments that area located with the MD of Taber. In December 2015 the Taber Police Service began utilizing the INET dispatch system. INET is a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system that provides a seamless link from the information obtained from the caller to the responding police officers or the fire department members on the street. Our Communications Operators do much more than simply dispatch, they are the first contact the Taber Police has for people making complaints, asking questions, or wanting help 24/7/365. Communication Operators are also responsible for handling complaints from the public, answering Town of Taber emergencies calls, all aspects of data entry and maintenance of police records systems, assisting the police in the laying of charges and creating court packages, etc. Our Communications Operators are supervised by the Public Safety Communications Manager who reports to the Chief of Police. OPERATIONAL HIGHLIGHTS Communications
911 Communications Center Total 911 calls 2763 Total dispatched Calls Taber Fire 219 These statistics are from data captured from the Taber Police Vauxhall Fire 47 Service records management system, computer-aided dispatch Hays Fire 12 system and manual accounts for 2016. Enchant Fire 14 Grassy Lake 7 Fire
Total Calls Answered Answered within 15 Seconds Answered Within 40 Seconds Answered After 40 Seconds Total Calls Abandoned Calls % Calls % Calls % TPS 1 2654 2612 98.4 2624 99 30 1.1 664 TPS 2 76 76 100 76 100 0 0
NFPA Standards require that Ninety-five percent of alarms received on emergency lines shall be answered within 15 seconds, and Ninety-nine percent of alarms shall be answered within 40 seconds.
PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS
In 2016, the Taber Police Service received a total of 5 professional standards files. Citizen contacts, which are informal concerns raised by a member of the public, are resolved through discussion and mediation. In 2016, there were 4 citizen contacts that were resolved by the Professional Standards Unit or the Public Complaints Director. Police complaints may be received from the public or initiated internally and can be criminal/statutory in nature and/or identified as an officer misconduct or complaint against police under the Alberta Police Act. Allegations that are serious or sensitive in nature are sent to the Solicitor General’s Alberta Serious Incident Response Team or the originating agency. We have had no complaints that have been investigated by this team.
POLICE COMPLAINTS • 4 Citizen Contacts • 1 formal police service complaint
DISPOSITIONS • 4 citizen contacts were resolved informally • 1 Police Act complaint was laid against the service originated in 2016. This matter is still currently under investigation.
CRIMINAL/STATUTORY COMPLAINTS • There were no criminal or statutory or criminal complaints in 2016
DISPOSITIONS • Not applicable COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
The staff of the Taber Police Service pride themselves in being part of the community of Taber. Being part of the community means being involved, both on and off duty. This commitment to Taber is the backbone of community policing philosophy. We believe that without having this relationship with our community we would not be as effective in solving crime and maintaining Taber as being one of the safest communities in Alberta to call home. The list of examples of what members of the Taber Police Service are involved with is lengthy and ever growing.
GROUPS WE ARE INVOLVED WITH
• Relay for Life • Taber/Vauxhall Victims Services • Legion Ceremonies • Taber Community Against Drugs • Taber Minor Football • Taber Community Action and Prevention Society • Taber Rebels Football • Safe Haven: Board Member • Scouts Canada • COP Cards • Taber Police Association’s Annual Policeman’s Ball • Crime Stoppers • The Veterans Dinner • Taber and District Soccer Association • Clearview Lodge Dinner • Apex Youth Awards • Apex Youth Awards • W.R. Myers Rebels Basketball • Little Cops Camping • Air Cadets • Notagawa Society • Speech Judging Contests • Alzheimer’s Association • Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) • Wise Owls COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS
Partnerships are essential in providing adequate and effective policing in a community. At the Taber Police Service, we work collaboratively with governmental and community organizations to tackle various community concerns and investigations. One of the community groups that fosters community involvement and partnerships is the Taber Police Service Auxiliary Officer Program. The auxiliary program consists of one Taber Police member who supervises 5 sworn volunteer police officers. These auxiliary officers wear the uniform of the Taber Police Service and respond to complaints with regular patrol members. These auxiliary officers volunteer a minimum of 1 ten hour shift per month. This program is an opportunity for the Taber Police Service to complement our establishment member strength. It also allows for positive contact with members of the community. Auxiliary officers participate in police training along side of regular patrol members. The current complement of auxiliary officers are citizens of the Town of Taber who are employed as teachers at local Taber schools, trades persons who work within our community, managers of financial institutions and college students. SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO) The Taber School Resource Officer Program has been established in partnership with the Taber Police Service, Horizon School Division, and Holy Spirit School Division. The program provides the various schools within the community of Taber with a School Resource Officer (SRO) whose sole responsibility is to provide the schools with a variety of problem solving resources, provide law enforcement information and advice to students, parents and staff, and provide a positive police presence within each school. The program focuses on building positive relationships between police and members of the school community. The Taber School Resource Officer Program was developed to assist the Taber Police Service with its commitment to community-based policing. The daily duties of the SRO include to provide a visible presence within the schools, focus on building positive interpersonal relationships between the police and individuals within the schools, maintain lines of communication with the school staff, students, parents, the community, and the police Identifying and resolving problems between students, the school staff, and the community.
The regular duties of the SRO include but are not limited to providing presentations relating to social, legal, police-related subjects, D.A.R.E., drug trends and prevention, alcohol abuse, impaired driving, social media safety, bullying, and several other topics. The SRO will act as a mentor to many students as well as interact with students in a manner that will foster a positive relationship. The SRO will partner with teachers, counselors, parents and other community social groups when required to conduct risk assessments and threat assessments.
For information regarding this report, please contact the Chief of Police at (403)223-8991 or at [email protected]