Beefed-up police presence on Calgary LRT would cost $10.5M

Calgary police patrols of the LRT would require an additional 100 officers, costing at least $10.5 million a year.

Due to the cost, city council on Monday put off asking the police commission to consider replacing transit security on the LRT with police officers.

But even though Ald. John Mar’s motion was delayed until next month, there was division about whether using police officers makes the most sense.

"It’s a matter of deploying the appropriate resources for the appropriate response," Mayor Dave Bronconnier said. "We need more police officers in this city. Period. We need them on the streets, to deal with violent crime, to deal with domestic violence, to deal with the gang and drug activity.

"In addition to that, you need peace officers working on the transit system . . . involved in different levels of protective services."

Even those who want to see police take over security on the C-Train agree there will still be a need for peace officers, since, for example, police wouldn’t be asked to hand out tickets for failing to pay fares.

Ald. Druh Farrell said she has no problem beefing up the police presence around LRT stations, or on the trains, "but turning over control doesn’t make any sense."

Acting Deputy Chief Trevor Daroux said a previous study that looked at putting officers in charge of the LRT found it would require 90 to 110 bodies.

"It’s quite a bit of resources to police it in a manner in which we would want to," he said.

The salary and benefits for each officer costs the city about $105,000 a year, and that doesn’t include equipment. How much of that additional cost would be offset by reducing the number of peace officers who now patrol the trains is unknown.

Mar said if council agrees to ask the police commission to explore the issue, budget implications would come back in November.

It’s a matter of balancing cost and safety, Mar said, pointing to high-profile deaths that have occurred around the transit system in the past few years, including a woman killed near an LRT station and a teen pushed into a train during an argument over drugs.

A transit safety audit outlined a number of recommendations, including additional peace officers. Last fall council refused to boost the number of transit security officers by another 12, balking at the annual cost of $1.2 million.

Transit has also moved to improve technology, add bike patrols to park-and-ride lots, and hired police Insp. Brian Whitelaw to head public safety and enforcement.

The number of incidents decreased in 2008 from 2007, and halfway through 2009, auto crime and the number of stolen vehicles was down 30 per cent from the same period the previous year.

Daroux said the police service already works closely with transit security and Whitelaw has estimated 90 per cent of the incidents they deal with are best handled by peace officers.

kguttormson@theherald.canwest.com