Edition 5: Keeping our Streets Safe and Welcoming for Everyone

Note: September crime stats dropped significantly from 2022 and 20203 but also from August 2024. 

Setting Realistic Expectations

Many of you are aware the BIA successfully secured funding from Kingston Police Services and various community members at the beginning of the year for a 1-year pilot foot patrol project. The initiative, which began in May, has has already demonstrated its effectiveness in just 6 months, as the above stats show and as reported by Police Chief Scott Fraser, who highlighted the positive impact of the foot patrol in addressing criminal activities and improving response times. The Downtown Kingston Foot Patrol has shown promising results in ensuring a safer and more secure environment for the community.

The Downtown Kingston BIA has an agreement with Kingston Police that outlines the officer's work schedule, exclusive dedication to the role, and contingency plans for maintaining uninterrupted coverage in various scenarios, such as resignation, termination, or scheduled time off. This collaboration helps manage the expectations of downtown business owners and employees while ensuring a sustainable schedule for the officers involved. In an effort to remain transparent, and to help set expectations, I have listed a few of the pertinent details of the agreement below.

Some of the details of the agreement include:

• Forty hour work week
• Flexible schedule according to the needs of the community
• The dedicated officer will remain assigned to the Downtown Core and will not be reassigned for any reason, except in urgent or catastrophic situations requiring a significant police response - for instance, the recent events at ICH and the encampment. This clause is intended to ensure that the officer remains focused on their primary duties, even during events like Queen's Homecoming Celebration and St. Patrick's Day, which demand a considerable amount of the Kingston Police's resources.
• In the event of the dedicated officer's unavoidable absence due to reasons such as sickness, holidays, mandatory training, Kingston Police will provide a qualified replacement officer. 
• Prior to the pilot program the Kingston Police provided regular general patrol, foot patrol, and call response to the downtown area. This stays in place. The dedicated officer is over and above this service.

It is the goal of the project for the dedicated officer to spend as much of their 40 hour work week as possible present in the downtown core, although there are many aspects of the job that pull them away from foot patrol. For instance, traveling to and from the station where they start and end their shift. Processing arrests and people that have been arrested at the station or they could be in the midst of an arrest or following up on prior situations. Here is an example of a recent significant arrest that was made by our officers: Downtown Area Arrests Result in Drug and Weapons Seizures. The processing of an arrest of this nature takes time.

Although a dedicated foot patrol officer is assigned to the downtown core, it's possible that you may not see them every day. The officer's daily responsibilities may take them beyond the sidewalks, and a single officer can only cover so much ground during their scheduled hours. Enforcement availability and methods may also vary outside of the dedicated officers hours. Factors such as priority calls in other parts of the city and staffing constraints can result in longer wait times for service, as well as working with officers that are not as familiar with the downtown community as our regular officer.

In conclusion, it's important to remember that this is a one-year pilot program with a single dedicated officer. The program has undeniably demonstrated two things: 1) a significant reduction in crime and misconduct within downtown Kingston. 2) we need more days and more hours covered by dedicated presence.

To ensure the continued success and growth of initiatives like dedicated foot patrol and the Welcoming Streets program, it is crucial that we secure additional resources and support during the upcoming budget allocations for various city agencies. Investing in these initiatives will play a vital role in shaping a brighter future for our downtown community.

Marijo 🐝