By Cheryl Jahn

Council gets update on new Bylaws “best practices”

Jul 10, 2023 | 8:47 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Come August 1st, the City’s Bylaw Services Officers will be carrying defensive batons, pepper spray and handcuffs.

During a presentation to Council, Bylaw Officers “get a bad rap” because they are not police officers and are often put in precarious positions. It was also noted the role of Bylaw Officers “has evolved dramatically over the past three to five years.”

It was also suggested police officers, locally, are short-staffed and aren’t always able to respond to potentially dangerous situations.

“As a result, decisions have been made across British Columbia to bolster employee safety by training and equipping all Bylaw Officers with defensive baton, OC (pepper) spray and handcuffs.”

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Other communities in question include: Penticton, Victoria, Langley, Vernon, Revelstoke, Maple Ridge, Langford, Delta, Smithers, Kelowna, Duncan and Nanaimo.

Use of Force training will get underway next week.

Also, in 2022, the Naloxone pilot program got underway and, since it’s inception, Bylaw Services Officers have administered the overdose countermeasures 21 times.

Requests have now come from other employees within the department to be trained in the administration of Naloxone.