Lightcatch crime reporting pilot project in the works for Beaverlodge

“Then every update that comes in from the community is anonymous, but it’s also put on the map. So, you might not get a notice on the first alert, but if the situation moves closer to you, you may get a notice on the subsequent (alert), because it’s now in an area you indicated that is important to you.”

Along with providing the public with information on ongoing and developing incidents, the app also encourages reporting crimes to law enforcement. Every time someone inputs a report, they are prompted through an alert to call the police.

Boyer says the system is also monitored around the clock by an Alberta-based operations team, who sift through the submitted information to ensure the content is legally compliant. In the event that a submission has information that law enforcement would deem actionable, the team can advise the user to contact the police immediately.

He points to an incident where a vehicle was reported stolen in Calgary and posted to the app. Later that day another user spotted what they believed was the vehicle in Athabasca, and another user confirmed the sighting. That led to the police being called, who then recovered the vehicle and arrested two suspects.

Lightcatch has been in use in several Alberta communities since the spring of 2020, and Boyer says in the eight “focus communities” that are being used to gather baseline data, they have had 77 per cent success rates for theft alerts. Those communities include six counties and two cities.

Boyer says Beaverlodge and the County of Grande Prairie is a good fit for this app, as it’s a similar population density and profile as the other six counties where it’s being used: Northern Sunrise, Lac Ste. Anne, Ponoka, Stetter, Clearwater, and Mountain View.

Reeve for the County of Grande Prairie, Leanne Beaupre, says the app could be beneficial in helping law enforcement, but adds that it shouldn’t give people a false sense of security.

“If they see something they should call 911, (But) it’s meant to supplement any of the potential 911 calls or actions from the RCMP to look at potential crimes, but it is a tool of early warning that gives people an idea of (a crime),” says Beaupre.

Beaupre adds that both the Grande Prairie and District and Beaverlodge Rural Crime Watch organizations are very active in the region, but Beaverlodge was the most interested in running the pilot project, which will determine how many people use the app and whether or not it plays a role in reporting and reducing crimes in the region.

Boyer says the app is also designed to protect people’s privacy. All submissions are anonymous, and in the event of uploading any pictures as part of a report, the faces of individuals will be blurred out, unless an operations member un-blurs the face manually.

The cases of having a face un-blurred only involve situations where the team has a lot of information and confidence that a crime has been committed. This helps prevent people from posting what Boyer calls “a random accusation” or from trying to use the app outside of it’s purpose for a personal reason. In those scenarios, the content will be removed and the user may be banned from the app.

The County, Lightcatch and the Beaverlodge Rural Crime Watch Association still need to finalize the details of the partnership and how the pilot project will be launched. It’s expected to be operational in the area in the coming months.

by Liam Verster

Lightcatch crime reporting pilot project in the works for Beaverlodge

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