The first of two new Community Peace Officer vehicles is ready to hit the streets of Lethbridge.
CPOs are sworn officers with limited authorities to enforce parts of the Criminal Code, various provincial statutes, and city bylaws.
Part of the CPO authorities includes enforcement of the Traffic Safety Act so drivers who get pulled over by a CPO have the same legal obligations as if it were a regular police officer.
Currently, the Lethbridge Police Service’s nine CPOs are paired up with a police field training officer with about a month of on-the-job training left.
The first vehicle residents will see out and about this week is a Dodge Ram truck while the second CPO vehicle, a Subaru SUV, is on the way.
Both vehicles have CPO decaling so they look a bit different than regular police cars and trucks but are outfitted with similar equipment including lights and sirens.
