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New CSO hails from Newfoundland

The City of North Battleford has announced the arrival of a new Community Safety Officer, Heather Lynn Chiasson, to the community.
cso
Heather Lynn Chiasson, the newest member of the City of North Battleford’s team of Community Safety Officers.

The City of North Battleford has announced the arrival of a new Community Safety Officer, Heather Lynn Chiasson, to the community.

“She was recruited to maintain coverage during the training sessions and other staffing absences,” says Albert Headrick, the City’s fire chief and director of protective services.

A Gander, Nfld. native, Chiasson completed the 24-week sheriff and public safety officer program at the Atlantic Police Academy in Summerside, P.E.I. and graduated with the highest marks in her class. She then completed a practicum with the Gander Municipal Police Force. Fluently-bilingual, she has also attended the école de langue française et de culture québécoise of the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi. This is the first time she has ever lived in Saskatchewan and says the residents of North Battleford have been very welcoming.

“I’m very excited to be here,” she says. “This is a great place for me to start my career and everyone is very welcoming. It’s a nice community.”

Although community safety officers are distinct and separate from RCMP members and are not police officers, they do assist the RCMP and are an important part of the City of North Battleford’s Community Safety Program, according to a press release from the City.

Their duties include foot patrols, school zone patrols and community patrols, providing a visible crime deterrence presence in the community. CSOs  issue speeding, overweight and other traffic enforcement tickets within City boundaries and provide help with lower-level, lower-risk tasks to free up RCMP officers for other matters. They act as a liaison between the RCMP and the community help RCMP officers with various tasks such as picking up statements, attending non-injury accidents and participating in parades and events. They see to outside perimeter security as well as untidy properties, parking tickets and enforcing other municipal bylaws.