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HomeMy WebLinkAbout8-22 Traffic, Pursuit and Emergency Responses'Ineehill COUNTY Section Protective Services Policy Title Traffic, Pursuit and Emergency Responses POLICY Policy No. Page 8-22 1 of 4 Date: Motion No. July 19, 2022 229/22 Purpose: Traffic enforcement is a role of Level 1 Kneehill County Community Peace Officers, within their Provincial Appointment. Our purpose is to provide safe communities by protecting the motoring public, the protection of local infrastructure, and assisting other agencies such as fire and RCMP in the same. Policy Guidelines: This policy will outline procedures Kneehill County Public Safety will follow regarding: P Traffic Enforcement • Emergency Response • Motor Vehicle Pursuit Guidelines • Impaired Drivers • Fire and Emergency Responses with other Agencies 1. TRAFFIC ENFORCEMENT GENERAL a. Community Peace Officers shall always operate the patrol vehicle in a responsible manner. b. Upon stopping a violator, the emergency lights shall be left activated until such time the violator vehicle has re-entered the flow of traffic. c. When stopping a violator vehicle, members shall position the patrol vehicle in a "violator stop position" to provide protection for the member and the violator. d. There are to be no unauthorized persons in the patrol vehicle at any time, unless authorized by the CAO or designate. e. Traffic enforcement may be conducted in order to protect the motoring public, as deemed necessary by the Community Peace Officer. 2. EMERGENCY RESPONSE Kneehill County Protective Services authorizes the use of Emergency Response to calls for service utilizing emergency lights and/or siren. Responding to calls for service in an Emergency Response capacity will only be conducted following the guidelines of this policy. Authorization for Community Peace Officers to respond to calls for service utilizing emergency equipment will be granted once: Training in Emergency Vehicle Operations has been completed as set out by the Alberta Solicitor General's office. The current standard set by the Alberta Solicitor General's office is a forty (40) hour Emergency Vehicle Operations Course based on a police curriculum. The authorization for emergency response has been added to the officer's Community Peace Officer Appointment. Level 1 Community Peace Officers may respond to calls for service utilizing emergency equipment under the following circumstances: a. Injury collisions, if requested. Section Protective Services Policy Title Traffic, Pursuit and Emergency Responses POLICY Policy No. Page 8-22 1 2 of 4 Date: Motion No. July 19, 2022 229/22 b. Providing backup to the RCMP or Community Peace Officers where there is a reasonable belief that the officer is in danger and the Community Peace Officer is or may be the closest assistance available. c. Attending a fire or medical emergency at the specific request of the Fire or RCMP. d. Any emergency if requested by the RCMP to attend in an emergency response capacity. e. Any public safety emergency where there is a likelihood of a continued safety concern pending emergency services attendance such as but not limited to emergent traffic hazards. Emergency response will not be conducted for: a. Non -injury motor vehicle collisions, b. Providing backup to RCMP or Community Peace Officers where there is a RCMP member closer and already responding to the situation, unless requested by the RCMP to attend, c. Any other non -urgent situation. All situations where there is a possibility of an emergency response will be evaluated by theLevel y Community Peace Officer to continually assess the risk between providing services on -scene, and increased risk to the Community Peace Officer and the Public while responding in an emergency capacity. Public safety and the safety of the Community Peace Officer will remain the primary concern in all emergency response situations. A maximum speed of 25km over the posted speed limit will be deemed allowable in emergency responses. All officers are to obey the posted limits in school zones, construction zones, and emergency zones. Any Community Peace Officer choosing to respond to a situation in an emergency capacity shall notify the requesting agency of their response to that situation. This communication will include the following: • Identification of the responding unit • Unit's departing location • Nature of call unit is responding to • Unit's destination • Level of response being utilized Response Codes All Community Peace Officers will use the following guidelines and response codes for emergency response situations: • Code 1 Response — Non -emergency. No lights/siren. Rules of the Road will be followed. • Code 2 Response - Emergency response. Lights activated; no siren activated. Rules of the road may be violated using proper techniques and safety precautions. • Code 3 Response — Emergency response. Lights and siren activated. Rules of the road may be violated using proper techniques and safety precautions. Any collision resulting from an emergency response by a Community Peace Officer will be reported to the Director of Law Enforcement (Alberta) as a sensitive/serious occurrence on the approved form. Section Protective Services Policy Title Traffic, Pursuit and Emergency Responses POLICY Page 3 of 4 Motion No. 229/22 3. MOTOR VEHICLE PURSUIT GUIDELINES All Community Peace Officers employed by Kneehill County will adhere to the current policy set forth by the Alberta Solicitor General's Office as defined in the Community Peace Officer Manual. Policy No. 8-22 Date: July 19, 2022 Community Peace Officers employed by Kneehill County are not permitted to become involved in motor vehicle pursuits. The Community Peace Officer Manual defines a pursuit as: Pursuit definition: A motor vehicle pursuit occurs when a Community Peace Officer follows a vehicle with the intent to stop or identify the vehicle or driver, and the driver, being aware of the Community Peace Officer's actions, fails to stop, and the driver initiates evasive action or ignores directions to stop/avoid apprehension. A pursuit may involve high or low speeds and vehicles other than automobiles. Upon encountering an individual who has chosen not to stop their vehicle when directed to do so, the member will: • Immediately cease all efforts to stop the vehicle • Turn off all emergency equipment, reduce speed, and come to a complete stop ■ Contact, on an urgent basis, the RCMP agency of jurisdiction to advise them of the circumstances, providing a description of the vehicle and direction of travel. In relation to traffic enforcement, if a vehicle cannot be stopped safely within a short distance, the member shall not attempt to stop the vehicle. Closing the Distance Community Peace Officers may engage in "Closing the distance" or "Catch up situations". These are defined in the Community Peace Officer Manual as: In some cases an emergency response vehicle will attempt to close the distance on a suspected violator to further a law enforcement effort. These situations are not considered pursuits unless some overt action by the suspected offender suggests an attempt to avoid apprehension. In these situations an emergency response vehicle is being operated in a manner that is different from normal traffic patterns. The Traffic Safety Act states; "a siren on an emergency vehicle shall be operated only when the vehicle is being used in response to an emergency." Closing the distance is not normally considered an emergency. A4-Community Peace Officer involved in such a situation must continually evaluate all factors that involve public and officer safety. If the risk assessment indicates a risk to public safety, the procedure shall be terminated. Section Protective Services Policy Title Traffic, Pursuit and Emergency Responses POLICY Policy No. Page 8-22 1 4 of 4 Date; 1 Motion No. July 19, 2022 229/22 *Community Peace Officers shall not participate or assist in the deployment of a spike belt or similar device. Community Peace Officers shall not participate or assist in the implementation of a roadblock technique. 4. IMPAIRED DRIVERS Should a suspected impaired driver be encountered while on patrol, the member shall abide by the Alberta Justice and Solicitor General Peace Officer Program, Policy and Procedures Manual. 5. FIRE & EMERGENCY RESPONSES with other AGENCIES Community Peace Officers will assist area fire departments and other agencies within our jurisdiction to help with public safety and responder safety if required by the Incident Commander. Unless approved by the CAO or designate, Community Peace Officers are not to respond to calls outside of scheduled hours. Community Peace Officers are not to respond to RCMP calls, Medical Assist calls, or Fire calls, unless asked by the responding agency, under the parameters and procedures of Kneehill County. While attending fires or emergency calls, Peace Officer duties include, but are not limited to: • Public safety related duties, such as traffic/crowd control are to be a priority. • The control of traffic on, near or adjacent to the emergency scene. • The control of non -authorized personnel within the boundaries of the emergency scene as determined by the Incident Commander. • Coordinate and communicate all actions with Incident Commander. Community Peace Officers are part of the Protective Services department and team. All members of the department may be needed to respond to Emergency Management calls and aid as required. Members may assume a variety of roles in an emergency, as directed by the Director of Emergency Management, Kneehill County CAO or designate. J. �" - - k1L Jerry tstock, Mike Haugen, Reeve CAO Approved: April 11, 2017 Amended: May 22, 2018 Amended: July 19, 2022 229/22 Review Date: July 19, 2026