CSO in Calgary

Originally published in Beltline Buzz

By: Drew Anderson

City Council unanimously approved a motion to have 25
more bylaw officers and 10 more police officers patrol
downtown and the Beltline. The resolution marks the
resurgence of a successful pilot project that was cancelled
two years ago.
The pilot project was centered on bylaw officers, known as
community support officers (CSO), walking a beat through
the core and the Beltline. They deal with complaints and
make their presence known.
“It was an extremely successful program. In fact, even now,
people are approaching me asking when are they going
to bring back this project?” said Marilyn Arber, executive
director of the Community Life Improvement Council (CLIC),
an organization that helped initiate the idea. “CSO gives
people a much greater perception of safety.”
CSO is based on the broken window theory, the idea that
when you maintain an area and reduce the perception of
crime and degradation, major crime also subsides.
Preventing things like graffiti, vandalism and public drinking
helps give a sense of safety to an otherwise threatening area.
It also allows police officers to focus on more serious issues.
“We found that when the bylaw guys got things under
control, it helped free up some police time. It also helped
restore the faith of the citizens in that the perception of crime
stopped,” said Bill Bruce, director of bylaw services for the
city.
If the new officers are approved through city council, Bruce
said, they will be on patrol by January of 2008 and will
function much as before, though with some lessons under
their belts.
“We learned a few things, so we’ll be sitting down between
October and November, working this out.” he said.
Inspector Bob Ritchie from District 1, which includes the
Beltline, echoes support of the pilot and the potential of the
program.
“I think that bylaw working in consultation with our officers
will only enhance our ability to effectively patrol the area,”
he said.
“We enjoyed that collaboration, and we look forward to it in
the future.”
Terminating the CSO project after the pilot was contentious.
CSO was universally accepted as successful.
According to Bruce it was a funding issue.
“The program was a joint project between the Province
of Alberta, the solicitor general, and the City of Calgary
and Calgary Police Service. So basically the funding from
the province was limited and there was no more money
forthcoming. So we were kind of stuck,” he said.
“There was an interest in continuing it, but then the province
changed solicitor generals after Harvey Cenaiko was set to
go with a two year extension.”
Arber also said that there was talk of extending the
program to better evaluate its success before the change in
government.
“Mr. Cenaiko had indicated that sustainable funding was
going to be provided and then, of course, with the change
in government and in cabinet positions, it just fell by the
wayside,” she said.
This fact is denied by the office of the Solicitor General.
“I’m going to have to disagree with that statement,” said
Andy Wiler, a spokesperson for the solicitor’s general’s
office. “What we did, is we funded the initial pilot projects
both in Edmonton and in Calgary, and really the pilot
projects were set up to allow the cities to determine the
effectiveness of the program.”
Wiler said that specific programs are under the purview of
the cities and that those decisions are not a provincial matter.
“While we support enforcement efforts in Calgary through
municipal policing assistance grants and by returning fine
revenue, enforcement options within the cities is a city
responsibility. They have to decide whether it’s a program
they feel is worthwhile.”
He said that a similar program in Edmonton was maintained
after the end of the pilot phase.
“CSO worked very well in our community,” said Beltline
president Rob Taylor. “We really need it back.”
The new program is not dependent on dedicated provincial
funding.