Superintendent Stuart Rempel, photo courtesy County of Grande Prairie

By Erika Rolling

County Policing

Regional Enforcement Services releases Q2 report

Oct 18, 2022 | 1:30 PM

The latest three-month report by Regional Enforcement Services in the County of Grande Prairie had lower tickets issued and occurrences than in the same period in 2021.

Compared to Q2 in 2021, Q2 in 2022 had:

• 983 tickets issued vs. 1,596 in 2021
• 792 occurrences vs. 1,453 in 2021
• $248,000 in fines from tickets written vs. $505,000 in 2021
• $142,000 in tickets paid vs. $122,000 in 2021

Superintendent and Manager of Enforcement Services Stuart Rempel say unnecessary physical interaction was not being done unless it was a threat to public safety due to pandemic protocols.

“We started the year slow, and with courthouse closures, and throughout March we slowing began to ease off and returned to normal. But when we returned to normal we said to our officers, its been a tough year, a lot of people are struggling. The pandemic has been hard on people, both on their minds and pocketbooks… so let’s make sure we use extraordinary discretion and keep it moving forward.”

“We did a slow build back to where we used to be,” he notes.

Some of the notable enforcement offenses include:

• Speeding 193 in 80 km/h zone
• Guilty plea to the overweight commercial vehicle $5500
• Guilty plea to speeding 202 in a 110km/h zone resulted in $1200 fine and 75~day driving suspension
• Guilty plea to speeding 179 in 110km/h zone and uninsured MV resulted in $4000 fine and 30-day driving suspension
• 0 Guilty plea to speeding 161 in 100km/h zone resulted in $31000 fine and 14~day driving suspension
• Attempted traffic stop for 128/80km/h zone resulted in vehicle failing to stop for P0 and accelerating to 179 km/h (RCMP Notified)
• Investigate and issued charges for Dog Bite Human
• Speeding 130 in 80km/h zone, Failed to stop for stop sign which resulted in arrest for 7 provincial warrants

Rempel says they are happy to be back in the community and interacting with the public, schools, and partner agencies.

“We got two and a half years of make-up to do. We are back in a Safety City, our officers are presenting to the students there and helping them out, we are getting into the schools a little bit more, we are working with public works.”

He notes they were in full presence at GP Stompede and Teepee Creek Stampede this summer as well.

Rempel says multiple Peace Officers did an orientation with the new STARS Air Ambulance helicopter in May for when they are on the scene and it is there.

“We will switch our radio channels over and close a highway, dawn our gear and set up what’s called a landing zone.”

He says fire departments are usually the ones setting up the landing zone, but often Peace Officers will do the same and need to be trained to do so.

“When they (STARS paramedics) are doing something in an emergency situation, we (Peace Officers) may be the joe boys that are lifting and carrying or pushing the stretcher while they are working,” he notes it’s a must to know what to do when STARS is involved.