Citizens on Patrol Program fosters peace of mind in Brandon

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This article was published 20/11/2021 (1757 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Adam Masters shines a flashlight out the window of a van and sees a hole cut in the chainlink fence of a business compound, he knows to jump out and report it.

He takes out his phone and takes a photo of the gaping hole, which looks like it has been loosely repaired at some point by covering it with a piece of metal. On the other side is an industrial business, a frequent target of people looking to steal something valuable and sell it.

“It looks like it was done in the past,” he said while shining his flashlight at the hole in the fence, which would have been big enough for a person to squeeze through.

“Sometimes, someone might have actually attempted to get in and the property owner took the time to practically rewire it all back up … enough to do a quick fix.”

Masters is one of the newest members of Brandon’s Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP), having joined just a month ago. The group aims to be the “eyes and ears” for the community and help Brandon police by reporting suspicious activity when they see it.

The Sun accompanied Masters, COPP Brandon president Ken Wojnarski and vice-president of public relations Bernice McMullan for a ride-along Thursday evening.

Brandonites can volunteer with COPP a few hours each month to patrol with the group, which usually covers city parks, churches, schools, businesses, residential areas and back lanes across the city. Patrollers always go out in pairs.

When members see something suspicious, they report it to police, never making physical contact with people. The aim is only to observe and watch for potential crimes. Members can also take notes of the location and time of incidents or descriptions of people.

At 5 p.m., the group met at Brandon police headquarters on Victoria Avenue before setting off. Wojnarski put Citizens on Patrol signs in the windows of his van and the members wore bright, yellow vests bearing the group’s logo.

The patrol started in downtown Brandon with a stop behind Samaritan House Ministries, a place Wojnarski said he frequently sees people. He said he once saw someone actively spraying graffiti on the back of a building and he called police to report it.

“If we see something, we record it on our phone,” Wojnarski said, adding the program is all about helping the community.

“Sometimes … just having us as a presence, being known around the area is enough to deter everybody,” Masters said.

“As we drive around, people just kind of relax a little, people realize it’s not a way to be messing around.”

Patrollers keep an eye out for people who may have forgotten to close their garage door or shed door at night and remind them, Masters said. The hope is to extinguish opportunities for crime.

The group also regularly volunteers at the Brandon Police Service’s Monster Mash and other community events — when health restrictions allow. Wojnarski said the group also had several patrols out on Halloween night to watch for vandalism and ensure trick-or-treaters were safe.

Wojnarski called Masters, who has taken over posting on Facebook and social media, “a breath of fresh air.”

“I got sick and tired of the crime that kept going on around in my area,” Masters said. He saw an issue with people checking cars to see if they had been left unlocked. Once, he caught someone on camera stealing items from a parked car.

Wojnarski, on the other hand, has been patrolling for approximately seven years.

“I just wanted to volunteer and help better the city,” he said.

“I’ve seen a lot of crime and stuff go on in the city, and I really don’t like it. I just wanted to be helpful to the city.”

Meanwhile, McMullan previously patrolled with the Citizens on Patrol Program in Steinbach for eight years before moving to Brandon approximately three years ago.

“It’s one way to give back to your community,” she said.

The Thursday evening patrol wound through dark and snowy back lanes in Brandon’s east end. All the while, the patrollers were looking out for vandalism or open garage doors.

Wojnarski drove through the south end as well, down Richmond Avenue to Victoria Avenue. All appeared quiet in the early evening.

The Citizens on Patrol Program replaced previous iterations of neighbourhood watch programs, Brandon police public information officer Sgt. Kirby Sararas said. She is the group’s liaison with the police service and said they help “greatly” with community safety and peace of mind.

“They are all over Brandon, there is no area of Brandon they haven’t covered and they really put in an effort to make sure all neighbourhoods are represented,” she said.

“Whether it’s downtown, the north end, the north hill, around the industrial area … and they do have a sense of what’s going on.”

Citizens on Patrol wound down for much of the pandemic as health and safety was a concern, Wojnarski said. There were approximately 15 members pre-COVID, but the numbers have since dropped to nine or 10 members.

“It would be nice to have more younger people because it’s important to their community too. If there’s going to be damage and stuff to houses and sheds, that costs people money and we don’t need that kind of thing,” Wojnarski said.

Now, the group is ramping back up and looking for new volunteers. Members have to be at least 18, in good health and must complete a criminal record check.

The best part of volunteering with the organization is the satisfaction of contributing to the community, McMullan said.

For more information, email brandon.mb.copp@gmail.com.

» dmay@brandonsun.com

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