The Winkler Police Service reaffirmed its commitment to community-driven safety efforts this week, presenting a cheque to the local Citizens on Patrol Program (COPP). The annual funding supports their members, who have quietly served as an extra set of eyes and ears in the community for nearly three decades.
Winkler Police Chief Ryan Hunt said, “The city provides a cheque to the Winkler Chamber of Commerce to cover some of the administrative costs of running the Citizens on Patrol Program, and it runs through the Winkler Police Service budget. So yeah, every year we get together and then hand the check over to Dustin.”
COPP Coordinator Dustin Brown explained where the $4,500 cheque would be going this time around—admin costs, equipment, and meeting expenses. “Right now, we're working on updating some of our patrol equipment,” he added, “Just like flashlights, vests, a few things like that.”
Longtime partnership still going strong
Brown, who’s been with COPP for many years, emphasized how valuable the partnership has been. “It's been a long, good relationship between Citizens on Patrol, the Winkler Police, and the Winkler Chamber. It's worked really well, and we appreciate the partnerships.”
As for how long COPP has been active in Winkler, Brown estimated the count to be at roughly 28 years.
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Chief Hunt didn’t hesitate to praise the program’s value. “It's been fantastic,” he said. “I always say it's nice to have that extra set of eyes out there. You know, when the bad guys are driving around, they have to realize that they not only have to watch out for a police car, but… that car that they just saw around the corner might be somebody that's reporting to the police—that's a citizen on patrol.”
Hunt also had praise for the program’s coordinator, saying, “Dustin's [been] kind of running it now for quite a few years, and we appreciate working with him as well.”
For those interested in joining, Brown said the process is straightforward. “They could reach out to the Chamber of Commerce. They have our applications, and it's also on the Winkler Police website. We are currently looking for a few more members, so if anyone's interested, as long as they're 18 and pass a criminal record check, then we'd like to hear from them.”
If interested, visit the Winkler Police website for applications by clicking here.