Langdon’s new municipal policing committee now has a full complement of members following the appointment of two additional community representatives.
Rocky View County Council voted July 21 to appoint Dwayne Austin and Tanya Creamer to the Langdon Municipal Policing Committee. Their terms will continue until the County’s 2028 organizational meeting.
The two appointees join Langdon-area Coun. Ken Ball and community members Jennifer Carson and Jim Friesen, who were appointed by council in May. Together, the five members will form a new link between Langdon residents, Rocky View County and the RCMP officers serving the hamlet.
Council created the committee earlier this year in response to changes to Alberta’s police-governance system. Langdon receives RCMP service through a Municipal Police Service Agreement, requiring the County to provide a municipal policing committee for the community.
Rocky View County approved the committee’s terms of reference in February and added it as a standing committee of council. The structure provides for the councillor representing Langdon and as many as four members from the community.
Although the committee will not direct day-to-day police operations or individual investigations, it will have a role in identifying broader community needs.
Its responsibilities include representing the interests and concerns of residents and council to the RCMP officer in charge, helping develop annual policing priorities and strategies, and participating in the preparation of a community safety plan.
The committee may also assist in selecting the officer in charge and report to Alberta’s public safety minister on how local policing priorities are being addressed. Recommendations from the committee must be forwarded to Rocky View County Council for a decision.
That distinction is important. The committee will provide civilian input and oversight connected to Langdon’s policing agreement, but it will not replace the authority of the RCMP or council.
The committee’s creation followed provincial amendments intended to give communities served by the RCMP a more formal voice in policing. Other parts of Rocky View County are represented through Alberta’s provincial policing governance structure because they are covered by a Provincial Police Service Agreement. Langdon’s separate municipal agreement places it under a different governance requirement.
Rocky View County initially appointed Ball, Carson and Friesen on May 12. At that time, council directed administration to advertise again for the remaining two community positions. Council completed the membership by selecting Austin and Creamer from the second group of applicants.
Before beginning their duties, appointed members must satisfy the provincial and municipal eligibility requirements, take the required oath and complete an enhanced security review.
Community representatives must be Langdon residents and at least 18 years old. The committee’s rules also restrict recent employees of Rocky View County, police services, peace officer agencies and provincial departments responsible for policing from serving. These restrictions are intended to protect the committee’s independence and reduce potential conflicts of interest.
Once the administrative requirements have been completed, the County can coordinate the committee’s first meeting. Under its terms of reference, the committee must meet at least twice each year, although additional or special meetings may be called when required.
Regular meetings will be open to the public. Portions may be closed only when permitted under municipal meeting, access-to-information and privacy legislation.
For Langdon residents, the committee offers a direct local forum for raising concerns about community safety, discussing policing priorities and monitoring how those priorities are reflected in RCMP service.
Information about the committee, including its terms of reference and future meeting details, is available through Rocky View County.