Starting next week, City of Prince George bylaw officers will be trained in how to use batons, pepper spray and handcuffs to protect themselves – and how to de-escalate situations so they don’t have to, the city manager of bylaw services told city council on Monday.
The city’s 21 bylaw officers and animal control officers will receive use-of-force training from a consultant firm with active police experience, bylaw manager Charlotte Peters said. Officers already have de-escalation training, but that will be revisited during their use-of-force training, as well as the potential legal consequences of misuse of force, she said.
“You never want to have to use them. It’s a matter of preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best,” Peters said. “De-escalation training is part of the (use-of-force) training. That’s always your first option.”
While people generally have a respect for police officers when they show up, because of the law-enforcement powers they have, Peters said, bylaw officers don’t get the same respect.
City bylaw officers have been “chased down the street with a pipe” and had bricks thrown through the window of their truck in the line of duty, she said. Tracking those incidents, and the “near misses” was what prompted city administration to bring the plan forward, Peters added.
Animal control officers deal with aggressive animals, and aggressive pet owners, on a regular basis, she said. Batons can be used as “bite sticks” when dealing with an aggressive dog, Peters said.
“I have an animal control officer who has been bitten twice in the last six months,” Peters said. “She said she doesn’t want to do animal control anymore… she said she just can’t.”
In addition to the “defensive tools” all bylaw officers will be training to use naloxone kits to prevent overdoses. Some officers were training during a pilot project, and those officers have treated 21 overdoses since November 2022.
In looking at 13 other B.C. municipalities ranging from Smithers to Surrey, bylaw officers carry batons in nine of them, pepper spray in all of them and handcuffs in 12.
“I don’t know of a case where there has been a use-of-force, or excessive force, investigation in other municipalities, and that is our goal here,” Peters said.
Coun. Cori Ramsay put forward a motion, which was passed, requesting that a report come back to city council after the policy has been in place for a year. She said knowing that there will potentially be an investigation if there is an incident where the officers have to use the batons or pepper spray gave her some comfort about the policy going forward.
