BPS changes ride-along program rules

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This article was published 10/06/2023 (1194 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Changes to the Brandon Police Service’s ride-along program, an update on the service’s Community Cadets program, and cupcakes to mark the police chief’s retirement were among the highlights of Friday’s Police Board meeting.

During the afternoon meeting, the board officially accepted Chief Wayne Balcaen’s retirement notice, which he announced publicly last week, and Balcaen delivered his report of updates to the board.

Among the updates were new rules for BPS’s ride-along program, which will now only allow those with an interest in law enforcement, or those who are working in the criminal justice system, to participate.

Ride-along police programs are generally arrangements for a member of the public to spend a shift as a passenger to observe the work of a police officer.

In an interview with the Sun, Balcaen provided additional context for the decision. The police chief said that the program was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, but once the pandemic restrictions lifted, allowing for the program’s return, Balcaen said the demand was too much for the force to accommodate. Paperwork and background checks are required, he said.

When asked by the Sun if the change impacted transparency by removing an option for the public to observe police work, Balcaen said that the program is about engaging people that are building careers in criminal justice.

“It’s to engage the people that we want to help in the criminal field, so people that are looking at criminal justice as a career opportunity,” he said. “We don’t have the capacity to bring up everybody that applies for this.”

Balcaen said that the public can find information about police work on BPS’s social media channels or by contacting the force’s community policing section.

Acting deputy chief Greg Hebert provided the board with an update on the BPS Community Cadet program, which will see officers on the city’s downtown streets by July 1. Four applicants have accepted offers and will take 40 hours of classroom training and 40 hours of use-of-force training in the final weeks of June.

Other updates from the meeting included:

• BPS’s satellite location in The Town Centre is almost set up — new paint and flooring are in place and the project is currently waiting for the information technology department to complete their set up.

• A Faraday cage, an enclosure used to block the electromagnetic fields of electronics seized by police, will be purchased by BPS using funds received from Criminal Property Forfeiture funds.

• A program that allows BPS to seize vehicles if their owner has numerous unpaid parking tickets has been revived; BPS said it has notified a list of people with outstanding fines.

• The police force projects an $870 surplus for the 2023 budget.

The board wrapped up Friday’s meeting with cupcakes for Balcaen’s last police board meeting.

Police boards are mandated to provide civilian governance and oversight of police forces.

» gmortfield@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @geena_mortfield