Latest news with #AtlanticPoliceAcademy
CBC
16-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Charlottetown offers free tuition for police cadets who'll agree to serve at least 5 years on force
A new program offered by Charlottetown Police Services will cover the tuition costs for the Atlantic Police Academy in exchange for cadets' commitment to serve on the local force for five years after graduation. A similar program offered by Summerside is showing early signs of success. CBC's Gwyneth Egan reports.
CBC
16-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
Charlottetown police offering free tuition to some cadets, but there's a 5-year catch
Four police cadets will have their tuition covered by a new sponsorship program being offered through Charlottetown Police Services, the city's interim police chief says. The sponsorship will cover the cost of tuition at the Atlantic Police Academy, amounting to about $32,900 per year, said Jennifer McCarron. "Our numbers are low and we can fit it in our budget to actually send them to the academy this year," McCarron said. The police service will pays the tuition cost upfront, and the province will reimburse the cost when the cadets graduate from the 32-week program, she said. Those cadets won't have to pay back any of the money as long as they graduate from the program and commit to serving with the Charlottetown police force for five years, McCarron said. The police service will begin screening its applications in early October, with the cadets set to begin at the academy in January 2026. An information session with more details is scheduled for August 6 at the Murchison Centre on St. Pius X Avenue off St. Peters Road. An advantage for local police The City of Summerside already has a sponsorship program in place to send cadets to the Atlantic Police Academy. McCarron said this kind of sponsorship program is the new normal for police academy admissions in Atlantic Canada. According to the Atlantic Police Academy's website, the recommended pathway to admissions is by applying through a police agency in one of the Atlantic provinces. Charlottetown police use the same standards and application process as the academy, McCarron said, noting that the main difference for the local police service is that it takes a more active role in recruiting and doing background checks. She said getting to see and meet the applicants before they start to go through the program is an advantage for the city's police force. "It used to be [that] we wouldn't meet them until they were here for on-the-job training. This way, we get to meet them, get to know them a bit through this whole process, and we kind of know what we're getting when they graduate," she said. Nationwide shortages Charlottetown's police service has faced challenges keeping its numbers up, McCarron said, noting that it's part of a larger trend. "Every police department across Canada has a shortage. Policing is not as attractive as it used to be, so now we have to attract," she said. While retirement is typically the main reason officers leave the Charlottetown police, McCarron said the local force also lost eight people to the RCMP in the past year. She said Charlottetown tries to rotate its current officers between divisions within the force to give them a chance to try different things throughout their careers. While the new sponsorship program is mainly focused on recruitment, there are also retention benefits, she said. "It also helps older officers as well, when younger officers start, because they have different points of view," McCarron said. "We have officers that have been here for 25, 30 years.… When you put them with a cadet, they learn just as much as a cadet does."
CBC
14-02-2025
- Climate
- CBC
School delays Friday with messy weather
Social Sharing Schools across Prince Edward Island are opening one hour late Friday morning after messy weather yesterday. English and French school boards will provide a further update by 8 a.m. Island Montessori Academy will also delay opening until 9 a.m. with further announcement by 8 a.m. The opening of Holland College's western P.E.I. campuses, including the Summerside Waterfront Campus, the Atlantic Police Academy and the West Prince Campus, are delayed. An update will be provided at 9 a.m. Collège de l'Île's Wellington campus will delay opening until 10 a.m., with a further update at 9 a.m. A blowing snow advisory issued by Environment Canada remains in effect for Prince County and will continue into Saturday. "In the wake of the recent heavy snowfall, strong west to northwesterly winds will develop this morning and persist into Saturday. These winds combined with the fresh snowfall will likely give extensive blowing and drifting snow," the agency said. A wind warning has also been issued for Kings County, with gusts of up to 90 km/h expected from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning. There is no alert in effect for Queens County. Wind conditions have restricted traffic on the Confederation Bridge to certain types of vehicles. The bridge is closed to automobiles towing trailers, high-sided vehicles including trucks, tractor trailers, recreational vehicles and buses. The restrictions were put in place at 6:22 a.m., and given the forecast, bridge officials believe those restrictions could last until 2 a.m. Saturday. Provincial civil service offices in Kings County will open at 9:30 a.m. The plow dispatcher in Prince County said roads in the area are partly snow-covered with some blowing snow and slushy conditions, and visibility is poor in most areas.
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Yahoo
Excessively fortified buildings may be deemed public safety risks under proposed P.E.I. legislation
The P.E.I. government is asking Islanders for feedback on proposed legislation that would regulate buildings with excessive security features, which officials say can pose risks to public safety. The new law aims to address structures that have extreme security measures such as heavy-duty metal doors, reinforced windows and bulletproof glass. Brody Connolly, the province's director of public safety at the Department of Justice and Public Safety, said these features can create serious risks by obstructing or delaying entry for emergency responders. "When buildings are excessively fortified, it not only complicates police work, but it also endangers the public," Connolly said. "What this legislation does is it adds another tool for us in improving public safety on P.E.I. — for police and for first responders moving forward." Long-awaited law This legislation is something that Andy Cook has long hoped to see implemented. He's currently an instructor at the Atlantic Police Academy, with a background in drug investigations, uniform policing, outlaw motorcycle gang investigations, intelligence, prevention and education. The entrance to an apartment building in Maple Ridge, B.C. is fortified with barbed wire, metal gates, and a metal door with a deadbolt, as seen in this 2019 file photo. The P.E.I. government is asking Islanders for feedback on proposed legislation that would regulate buildings with excessive security measures like these. (Maggie MacPherson/CBC) Between 2016 and 2020, when Cook was the province's outlaw motorcycle gang coordinator with RCMP, he discussed the need for an act regulating fortified buildings with the government, he said. Seeing similar laws in other provinces, Cook said, he welcomes P.E.I.'s decision to move forward with its own version. "Certainly, this was something that could have been useful to us at the time, and I'm glad to see that it's made its way through and is going to be brought in," he told CBC News. Fortified buildings 'tend to attract criminal activity' The draft legislation considers several factors when determining whether a fortified building poses a threat to public safety. Aside from emergency personnel's ability to access the building, officials will also assess whether the fortifications could prevent people inside from escaping in an emergency. Andy Cook, an instructor at the Atlantic Police Academy, says he welcomes the proposed legislation, as it was something he had discussed with the government during his time as an the province's outlaw motorcycle gang coordinator from 2016 to 2020. (CBC) The law would also take into account the building's location, including its proximity to schools, playgrounds, and other areas where children may be present, as well as the intended use of the building, and any history of criminal activity at the location. "But also, those types of buildings tend to attract criminal activity," Cook said. He recalled back in 2017 when police executed a search warrant on a Hells Angels hangaround club in Charlottetown, where he noted some rudimentary fortifications inside the building. The clubhouse's entry door was reinforced, and there was no egress window in the basement, Cook said. Under the proposed legislation, if authorities determine a building's security measures are excessive, they could order the property owner to remove certain features. Failure to comply could result in the building being shut down. Cook believes the new law would complement existing regulations, such as the Unsightly Property Act and municipal Dangerous, Hazardous and Unsightly Premises Bylaw. "There are a lot of things you can put together to get a good result to deal with problem properties," he said. Islanders can provide feedback on the proposal by mailing or emailing it to the department by February 15th.
CBC
30-01-2025
- CBC
Excessively fortified buildings may be deemed public safety risks under proposed P.E.I. legislation
The P.E.I. government is asking Islanders for feedback on proposed legislation that would regulate buildings with excessive security features, which officials say can pose risks to public safety. The new law aims to address structures that have extreme security measures such as heavy-duty metal doors, reinforced windows and bulletproof glass. Brody Connolly, the province's director of public safety at the Department of Justice and Public Safety, said these features can create serious risks by obstructing or delaying entry for emergency responders. "When buildings are excessively fortified, it not only complicates police work, but it also endangers the public," Connolly said. "What this legislation does is it adds another tool for us in improving public safety on P.E.I. — for police and for first responders moving forward." Long-awaited law This legislation is something that Andy Cook has long hoped to see implemented. He's currently an instructor at the Atlantic Police Academy, with a background in drug investigations, uniform policing, outlaw motorcycle gang investigations, intelligence, prevention and education. Between 2016 and 2020, when Cook was the province's outlaw motorcycle gang coordinator with RCMP, he discussed the need for an act regulating fortified buildings with the government, he said. Seeing similar laws in other provinces, Cook said, he welcomes P.E.I.'s decision to move forward with its own version. "Certainly, this was something that could have been useful to us at the time, and I'm glad to see that it's made its way through and is going to be brought in," he told CBC News. Fortified buildings 'tend to attract criminal activity' The draft legislation considers several factors when determining whether a fortified building poses a threat to public safety. Aside from emergency personnel's ability to access the building, officials will also assess whether the fortifications could prevent people inside from escaping in an emergency. The law would also take into account the building's location, including its proximity to schools, playgrounds, and other areas where children may be present, as well as the intended use of the building, and any history of criminal activity at the location. "But also, those types of buildings tend to attract criminal activity," Cook said. He recalled back in 2017 when police executed a search warrant on a Hells Angels hangaround club in Charlottetown, where he noted some rudimentary fortifications inside the building. The clubhouse's entry door was reinforced, and there was no egress window in the basement, Cook said. Under the proposed legislation, if authorities determine a building's security measures are excessive, they could order the property owner to remove certain features. Failure to comply could result in the building being shut down. Cook believes the new law would complement existing regulations, such as the Unsightly Property Act and municipal Dangerous, Hazardous and Unsightly Premises Bylaw. "There are a lot of things you can put together to get a good result to deal with problem properties," he said.
