The Estevan Police Service hopes to see a healthy turnout from the public when they host their inaugural Coffee with the Cops on June 29 at the Estevan Leisure Centre’s multipurpose room, starting at 7 p.m.
Police Chief Paul Ladouceur, speaking at Tuesday’s meeting of the Estevan Board of Police Commissioners, said this event is not only part of their efforts to engage the community, but it will play a key role in their strategic planning.
“It does no good to start internally,” Ladouceur said. “When we go down that (strategic planning) road, we want to hear from the public.”
It’s expected the event will start with a brief speech from Ladouceur on what the local police have done in the past, and what they’re doing now in the community. Then there will be an opportunity for members of the public to meet one-on-one with the officers.
“We want to keep it somewhat informal, so that people are comfortable,” said Ladouceur.
Ladouceur hopes the public will talk to officers about the things the police are doing well and the areas that need to be improved. At the same time, Ladouceur stressed the police won’t make a change just because someone isn’t happy.
“The plan is to do this meeting, engage the public and see what input is coming back,” said Ladouceur.
The police chief said several officers from different units, including the traffic unit and the criminal investigations division, will likely be present that night. Officers will be identified with their respective units so people know who to talk to.
Mayor Roy Ludwig, who is also the chair of the police board, hopes that police board members will also be in attendance, and he is hopeful there will be discussions of the new technologies and equipment that the police have at their disposal.
