1. That the Board authorize York Regional Police to be responsible for the day to day operations of the Road Watch Program.

As a result of discussions held during the Regional Road Watch Committee meeting on April 11, 2007, a letter was sent to York Regional Police requesting that the management of the York Region Road Watch program become the responsibility of York Regional Police. The correspondence was received by the Board and a report from the Chief of Police was requested as to how the program would operate.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS:

The York Regional Police Traffic Bureau will oversee the York Region Road Watch Program. This will be achieved in 2007 using existing resources and therefore, there will be no financial impact on the 2007 Operating Budget.

BACKGROUND:

In 1995, a group of concerned citizens initiated the Road Watch Program in response to the number of fatal collisions in the community of Caledon. Since that time, the Road Watch Program has been adopted by a number of other communities throughout Ontario. Road Watch is a community-based initiative that gives residents and visitors an opportunity to report aggressive and unsafe drivers to the police. The program targets aggressive and unsafe driving through awareness, education and enforcement. Within York Region, the Road Watch Program has been embraced by all nine municipalities and a Regional Road Watch Committee was formed. Responsibility for the program was initially with the Region of York's Transportation and Works Department.

In the York Region program, citizens are encouraged to report acts of aggressive or unsafe driving to the police by completing a Road Watch Citizen Report which is accessed via the York Regional Police website "Road Watch" link. Forms are also available at municipal offices, libraries, community centers and all York Regional Police Districts. The form can be submitted in a variety of formats including e-mail, fax, on-line, regular mail and drop boxes located throughout the nine municipalities. A Road Watch complainant remains anonymous unless the complainant chooses to pursue a detailed police investigation that could potentially result in charges.

The Road Watch Program is initiated when a citizen provides to York Regional Police information about the perceived unsafe operation of a motor vehicle using the Citizen Report form that is used to collect particulars about the vehicle, time, date and location of the incident. Upon receipt of a completed form, York Regional Police will send a letter to the registered owner of the vehicle describing the incident and location where the vehicle was observed operating in an aggressive or unsafe manner. The letter highlights the date the incident occurred and the reported violation. A request is made to the registered owner or any driver of the vehicle to voluntarily co-operate and drive in a responsible manner.

In the event a Citizen Report is received that provides details on a vehicle and registered owner that were dealt with previously in the Road Watch Program, a second letter will be sent from the police to the registered owner. The letter will be followed up by a police officer who will make a telephone call to the registered owner of the vehicle to advise of the complaint and the potential consequences.

Should a third Citizen Report be received about the same vehicle, a third letter will be forwarded to the registered owner of the vehicle, and a police officer will visit the registered owner. Depending on the circumstances, charges will be considered and an officer may make periodic checks to ensure the driver is adhering to the rules of the road.

In 2003, York Regional Police undertook a review of its involvement in the Road Watch Program. The goal of the review was to recommend a structured and co-coordinated response to Road Watch complaints, with a view to:

• creating a consistent response to Road Watch Complaints
• providing superior quality service by providing complaint feedback
• conducting analysis of statistical data and complaints
• producing a statistical quarterly report
• establishing a Road Watch database, while exploring new technology
• ensuring teamwork and collaboration between the Districts involved in the program and the local Road Watch Committees

The following chart highlights the number of Road Watch complaints received and letters sent on a breakdown of Municipalities for 2006 and the first quarter of 2007.

The York Region Road Watch Committee Chair is Councillor Linda Pabst from the Township of King and the Vice Chair is Councillor Cathy Morton from the Town of East Gwillimbury. The Committee is responsible for ensuring that each of the Municipal Road Watch Committees receives consistent information related to education and awareness within the various communities.

On April 11, 2007, the Committee, comprised of representatives from each of the nine municipalities within the Region of York and a member of York Regional Police, met. At the meeting, the Vice Chair, Cathy Morton, made a motion to send correspondence (see attachment) to the Police Services Board requesting that the management of the York Region Road Watch program become the responsibility of York Regional Police. There was support from the Committee to pursue this direction with the confidence that York Regional Police would be able to facilitate standardization of practice and the efficient response to Citizen Reports made under the Road Watch Program.

When York Regional Police takes over the program, the York Region Road Watch Committee will continue to function as an advisory group for the Road Watch Program. The Committee will be lead by a Chair and Vice Chair from the municipal Road Watch partners along with a Co-Chair from York Regional Police. Representation on the Committee will reflect the active participation of all nine municipalities within the Region of York and will be supplemented by other community stakeholders as required and agreed upon by the Committee. Meetings will be held throughout the year that will provide all stakeholders the opportunity to make suggestions for improvement as well as encourage on-going support for the program. Local initiatives will be promoted that increase awareness of Road Watch.

York Regional Police will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the York Region Road Watch Program. The operational aspect of the program and collection of statistical data will continue to be the responsibility of the Staff Sergeant of the Traffic Bureau in Support Services.

The Road Watch Program compliments several of our traffic oriented initiatives like Always Be Careful, Distracted Drivers, Operation Improve and Cycle Smart. By incorporating the Road Watch Program into our collection of well managed road safety initiatives we will enhance the profile of Road Watch and broaden our scope of law enforcement, crime prevention and community engagement.

Attachment