The City of Calgary’s Public Transit Safety Strategy reached a new milestone this week with the addition of a fourth Transit Public Safety district office at CF Chinook Centre.

The strategy, which is funded by an annual ongoing Council-approved investment of $15 million, provides a three-year roadmap for addressing social disorder, reducing incidents on Calgary’s transit system and helping people who are experiencing vulnerabilities. The move to a district model, which decentralizes the operational deployment of transit peace officers, is a cornerstone of the Public Transit Safety Strategy.

In January, district offices were opened at Westbrook, downtown and Whitehorn. The Chinook office will serve as a base for deploying members of Calgary Transit’s Community Outreach Team (COT). COT is a partnership between transit peace officers and outreach team members from Calgary Alpha House to provide compassionate access to social support. This team provides welfare checks and works with community outreach partners to advocate for services and resources. It also connects individuals with shelter, detox treatment and healthcare.

“Working in a district allows the officers to build a connection with the community they serve,” says Community Outreach Team Inspector Lori Bailey. “It helps to ensure a more equitable distribution of resources across the city and promotes community orientated approaches in partnership with outreach groups to address safety concerns. Additionally, transitioning to four district offices reduces the travel time for peace officers and improves response time on calls for service.”   

The COT members will share the office space at CF Chinook Centre with Calgary Police Service officers who have been situated at the location for several years.

“Adding transit peace officers and Alpha House staff to this location will enhance collaboration to better serve the community,” says Calgary Police Service Inspector Jason Bobrowich. “Having their members stationed here with us will ensure we all can quickly respond to incidents at or near the Chinook LRT station and the surrounding area.”

COT members will not respond to incidents that occur inside the mall. Those will remain the responsibility of Calgary Police Service Chinook Area Patrol officers who work from the same location and mall security.

Cadillac Fairview (CF), which operates CF Chinook Centre, welcomes the new COT members. “The safety and security of our community of guests, clients and employees is our top priority, and we are pleased to have transit peace officers stationed in the centre along with bylaw officers and members from Calgary Alpha House. We are hopeful this will enhance the experience for our guests in the mall and around the LRT station,” says Darren Milne, general manager, CF Chinook Centre.