Cambridge and Waterloo Regional Police Service sign two deals to boost teamwork, speed up responses, and keep the community safer
CAMBRIDGE, Ont. – The City of Cambridge is teaming up with the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) on a couple of new public safety agreements. These are set to help city services and police work better together, get quicker to incidents, and help prevent crime around town.
The plans include setting up a joint by-law dispatch system and putting in Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in certain public spots, as announced by both the city and WRPS.
Officials said these moves aim to make things run smoother while respecting privacy rules and keeping everything transparent for the public.
“These agreements reflect our commitment to keeping Cambridge a safe community for residents and visitors to enjoy, while working collaboratively with our partners at WRPS,” said Mayor Jan Liggett. “They are part of our ongoing efforts to improve how we work together to respond to issues in the community while ensuring privacy, accountability and public trust remain a priority. This partnership was able to be utilized recently when a robbery occurred overnight at LA Franks. Through the use of our cameras the possibility of who the persons were became clearer, as well as how the robbery was carried out. Being able to have sound evidence to take to court and remove criminals from our community is something that we all want.”
New shared dispatch aims for smoother teamwork
With one deal, WRPS will take over handling calls about by-law enforcement-taking them in, sorting them out, and sending officers as needed-for the city. Officials say this should make communication between police and by-law officers quicker and easier when more support is needed during events.
The city says having one central place for dispatch will help everyone respond better when people raise concerns-and it’ll also keep officers safer when they’re out doing their jobs.
“From an operational perspective, this work shows what is possible when City staff and Waterloo Regional Police Service staff are aligned and working together,” said Rob Axiak, City Manager for the City of Cambridge. “When our teams partner closely on day-to-day operational matters, including public safety, we improve coordination, response times, and outcomes for the community. Working together in this way is what the community expects and will continue to be our path forward.”
City leaders also mentioned that this dispatch partnership fits into bigger plans for modernizing services overall-and making agencies work closer together as needs around public safety keep changing.
CCTV system planned to aid investigations & stop crime
Cameras’ spots will be chosen with WRPS’s input
The second agreement lets WRPS use CCTV cameras in some public places across Cambridge. They say these cams will back up investigations if something happens; they can also discourage bad behavior by being there.
The city & police will pick where exactly cameras go based on what makes sense operationally.
The city stressed that these cameras won’t be used just for watching people all day long or tracking drivers live on screen. Only authorized police can see recorded footage-and only if it’s really needed for law enforcement reasons.
“Public safety is a collective responsibility. This partnership with the City of Cambridge will allow WRPS to leverage CCTV technology to provide best evidence and support investigations, while ensuring our Service remains transparent and accountable to the residents we serve,” said Mark Crowell, Chief of Police, Waterloo Regional Police Service
The officials added they built privacy safeguards right into both agreements because they know folks worry about data collection or surveillance stuff going too far. Both deals follow Ontario’s rules under Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), according to their statement.
More info coming as projects roll out
The City of Cambridge along with WRPS promised they’ll share further details about these two deals once things get underway.
If you want more background on how CCTV use works here or future updates about it all – head over to the official WRPS website listed above.
This move shows growing cooperation between local governments & police forces across Ontario trying hard not just keep us safe but do so openly without stepping on people’s rights or privacy too much.
