Alberta sheriffs say extra training, more pay needed to become police

Organizations speaking for sheriffs in Alberta say they see hurdles and have unanswered questions about how 600 in their ranks could become provincial police officers.

Bobby-Joe Borodey, vice-president of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees, which represents more than 700 sheriffs, says they are currently lacking enough workers to protect courthouses and transport inmates.

"We have a shortage of workers in public-sector jobs, and that's just, quite frankly, because the pay doesn't match the level of work that they do," she said.

Retraining hundreds of employees to be police officers will put them in jobs that require more skills and expose them to higher levels of risk, Borodey said. Their pay should reflect those factors, she said.

Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis on Monday tabled a bill that would empower the government to create a Crown policing agency, which could operate a police service as an alternative to the RCMP for community policing.

Some municipalities are frustrated with the rising costs of RCMP services and what they see as a lack of response, or delayed service, due to high staff vacancy rates.

In response, Alberta RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said Tuesday in a statement the organization is "willing to work with our partners on how best to meet the needs of communities we serve and maintain public safety and confidence."

In a news release on Wednesday, the Alberta Sheriffs Branch Officers Association president Don Tornwe says sheriffs would need "extensive training" to become police officers, including lessons in how to conduct criminal investigations, traffic enforcement and navigate high-stress situations.

The association was formed last year, "with the purpose of uniting sheriffs in Alberta," according to its website. It's aiming to become a recognized union.

It's unclear how many workers are in sheriff-type roles for the government. Ellis says at least 1,200 people, and AUPE says it has 738 members classified in sheriff roles, including fish and wildlife officers and highway patrol.

In an interview Wednesday, Tornwe says the province didn't consult sheriffs about the plan to transition some of them into policing. He wants to know how the government will decide which employees are suitable for police work.

The sheriffs who would remain are concerned about losing experienced colleagues, and want to know whether Ellis's ministry will replace those employees.

"Maintaining the Alberta Sheriffs as a cohesive, unified force is the best option for preserving the effectiveness of law enforcement in the province," the sheriffs' association's news release said.

Neither Ellis nor his staff has answered questions about plans for the size of the sheriffs' service.

Opposition wants more funds for policing

The National Police Federation, which represents RCMP officers, issued a statement questioning the costs and the rationale of creating a provincial service.

"We are deeply concerned that the government of Alberta is once again pushing forward with a costly, unproven provincial police model, this time under a new name, without transparency, consultation, or a clear financial plan," president Brian Sauvé said in a Wednesday statement.

Ellis, who has not provided an estimated startup cost for the provincial agency, said it would not be starting from scratch, as some of the personnel, equipment and budget of the sheriffs would be moved into the Crown agency.

The police federation said upgrading employee salaries, training, buying uniforms and weapons, altering or purchasing vehicles, obtaining buildings for detachments, provincially mandated body-worn cameras and other costs would be at least in the tens of millions of dollars.

On Monday, Ellis said the provincial agency could likely provide better police services than the RCMP for a lower cost.

AUPE vice-president Borodey said sheriffs who move to new jobs at a Crown agency would likely have to leave the union.

NDP public safety critic David Shepherd told reporters at the legislature the province should bolster funding to municipalities to help them improve the services they already have.

Shepherd said the government should more meaningfully invest in social supports that can prevent crime, such as supportive housing, mental health and addictions and community support services.

Shepherd said most municipalities are calling for these changes, and not a different police force.

Ellis did not stop to take reporters' questions at the legislature on Wednesday.

In a written statement, Ellis said his department is recruiting a chief for the new agency that would be created, should the proposed bill pass.

The new chief and executive team will determine how the agency is staffed and implement the government's plan, he said.

The sheriffs belong to a union local currently in collective bargaining with the government, he said, which prevents him from commenting further.