Community Peace Officer Access to RCMP Radio Channels

The Government of Alberta has developed the Alberta First Responder Radio Communications System (AFRRCS), a two-way radio network for first responders in municipal, provincial and First Nations agencies across the province. The key reason for AFRRCS was to improve safety and enhance communications between first responder agencies. However, in some cases the opposite is happening as some agencies protect information to the exclusion of vital partners in serving our communities; two primary examples are Alberta Health Services excluding fire departments, and RCMP excluding community peace officers (CPOs).

With the uptake of AFRRCS underway, problems started to emerge when the RCMP decided to encrypt their radio channels, thereby removing the ability of supporting law-enforcement agencies to communicate with them through AFRRCS. This decision has made radio communication between CPOs and RCMP worse than before AFRRCS, because encryption of radio channels has completely separated agencies from functioning as teams to respond.

This problem affects the delivery of service and safety of CPOs in all rural municipalities throughout Alberta, particularly when rural crime continues to be a major issue. CPOs are often the “eyes and ears” of rural Alberta. If CPOs are not aware of RCMP actions, they will not be aware of potentially dangerous situations or know to be on the lookout for suspects and vehicles as they drive around, and be unable to pass along key information to the RCMP.

AFRRCS provides quality communication; however, encryption has blocked easy access to the daily, operational communications between the RCMP and CPOs, and compromised the situational awareness that results from the sharing of important information. CPOs can communicate with RCMP and other agencies in large-scale events via Common Event Talkgroup channels. However, the loss of day-to-day operational communications puts CPOs at increased risk.

If a CPO needs assistance, they now have to contact their dispatch, which in turn calls RCMP dispatch, which then forwards information to the RCMP member on duty. This approach is not practical or safe in an emergency situation due to the time it takes. The only other alternative for the CPO is to call 911.

CPOs may get involved in extremely high-risk situations, which they would otherwise have avoided if they were able to hear RCMP communications. Examples from 2019 include:

• RCMP and other agencies, including CPOs, responded to a school bus collision. Because of the information sharing gaps since transition to AFRRCS, the CPOs were unaware that the individual involved in this collision was armed and had car-jacked a passer-by who had stopped to lend assistance.
• RCMP attempted to stop a vehicle that was associated with a complaint of shots fired. The vehicle evaded the RCMP and was later found on a nearby highway. During this incident with RCMP, a CPO was conducting speed enforcement in the same area, placing him directly in the middle of a very dangerous situation without even knowing it.
• RCMP were dispatched to a male suffering from gunshot wounds. At the same time, a CPO was requested by a Public Works employee to attend a location for an injured person. Very little information was provided by the employee, and the CPO soon found himself in the middle of a criminal complaint that the RCMP were responding to, and that he was totally unaware of.
• A CPO narrowly escaped being rammed after responding to a simple “litter” complaint. The suspects were armed and dangerous prolific offenders that were stripping copper wire. They had run from the RCMP earlier, but CPOs were unaware because of the AFRRCS disconnect. It took over 20 minutes for the CPO to contact and report the information to RCMP via telephone. The following day, the offenders were apprehended at gunpoint in a high-risk stop.
• Unknowingly, a CPO became involved in a domestic dispute (RCMP file), when he pulled over a speeding vehicle.