The St. Albert RCMP presented an extensive wish list to city council this week.
The force wants to add a total of eight people, including four front-line officers and one supervisor that would cost $419,000 in the first year and about $570,000 in subsequent years.
Insp. Warren Dosko said a review of 2008 staffing levels showed the detachment actually needs eight front-line officers and four supervisors, but he wants to spread the funding request over two years.
The detachment hasn't increased the number of front-line officers since 1991, Dosko said. Meanwhile, the nature of police work grows more complex every year, so more officers are required just to maintain service levels.
"We're saying it's time to try to get caught back up," Dosko said.
File reviewers and fleet manager
Rather than request two RCMP supervisors this year, the police want to hire two municipal employees as file reviewers. Police practice is for a supervisor to review every case to ensure the front-line officer did a proper and thorough investigation.
"We're bringing supervisors in on overtime to try to keep up," Dosko said. "Arguably we're not doing a very good job of it right now."
Using non-police employees is a practice used in other detachments to get the work done more cheaply, Dosko said.
Retired police officers would be the ideal candidates as the position requires extensive experience in police investigations, Dosko said.
The detachment would also like to hire a civilian to oversee two aspects of the operation that are now being handled by general duty officers: the management of evidence that's stored on site for use in upcoming legal proceedings and looking after the fleet of vehicles, ensuring they're serviced properly, etc.
Hiring a municipal employee would free up an officer and save the city around $60,000 a year, he said.
The RCMP is also requesting $150,000 to lease overflow space to alleviate overcrowding at the detachment, which is 25 per cent over capacity, said Chris Jardine, general manager of community and protective services.
The current building has a capacity of about 70 people but has 100 working in it, Dosko said.
The detachment could use about 6,000 sq. ft. to establish a "backroom operation" for about 30 members, such as the drug and traffic units, Jardine said.
The police are also seeking $220,000 in capital funding to expand the parking lot at the detachment by developing a land parcel to the west of the fire hall next door.
Council reaction
Coun. Wes Brodhead senses that council generally views the detachment's requests in favourable light.
"My perception is that [hiring new] officers will receive a good hearing. I suspect they'll come on board," he said.
"Some of infrastructure to support how they do business I think will carry a little more scrutiny."
Coun. Cathy Heron said the force has been innovative in defining the new job positions it seeks.
"We can't ask them to continually respond to every call without giving them the resources to do it," she said. "They're doing everything in their power so I think four officers is a good ask and I'm going to support it."
The detachment is starting a review of its long-term policing plan so the timing isn't great for some of its budget requests, said Mayor Nolan Crouse.
He'll argue in favour of postponing the space rental and the hiring of file reviewers for one year.
"Until we talk a little bit further about our policing model I'm not sure that we want to put that amount of money into additional resources or starting to rent space," Crouse said.
Crouse feels the city's Hemingway building, which is the old RCMP headquarters, could provide the detachment's extra space. The building will be available after the 55-plus games are over next year, he said.
"I was a little bit concerned that we were a year ahead of ourselves," he said.
The detachment's review is in the early stages and will take at least a year to complete, Dosko said.
"Because we're engaged in a process to determine what we're going to do in the future, doesn't mean we stop what we're doing today," he said.
If the policing model changes and the city doesn't need as many officers in the future, the city's contract policing arrangement with the RCMP allows the levels to be easily downscaled, he said.
Jardine said he considered the Hemingway building as potential space for the RCMP but the aging facility would require a major modernization of about $1.5 million to make it a serviceable office, partly because it would need extensive work to meet the RCMP's current security standards.
Remote photo radar
Community and protective services is also looking to add a remote photo radar unit to its repertoire next year.
This portable box can be placed in locations that are too cramped for a vehicle-mounted photo radar unit. It's projected to provide a net revenue of $25,000 in the first year and $50,000 in subsequent years.
Crouse is all over the idea.
"Anything we can do to slow people down and to raise revenue parallel to that, I'm all for it," he said. "I realize there's criticism of me for saying that and doing that. So be it. I stand by it."
