Moose Jaw police will soon start recording the Board of Police Commissioners’ meetings and posting the videos online, allowing residents to watch the proceedings without needing to attend the early gatherings.
In the past, the police board generally held its meetings in the afternoon at the Moose Jaw Cultural Centre, with the public portion starting at 2 p.m. and the closed portion happening afterward and running until roughly 5 p.m.
However, meeting times began to fluctuate in December, with the gatherings starting at 10 a.m. and then at 9 a.m.
During the board’s May meeting — held in the new Moose Jaw Police Service ground-floor classroom — chairwoman Crystal Froese explained that the gathering began at 8 a.m. because it’s a better fit for some commissioners’ schedules since some work full-time. This start time will likely remain for the foreseeable future.
“But we will be recording our public meetings, so they will be available on our website — and that’s beginning in June as well because we know 8 a.m. is a little bit early for people,” she said.
The police service is looking at possibly live streaming the meeting online, but if it can’t, it will upload the video right after to a page on its website dedicated to the police board.
Holding the police board meetings at 8 a.m. might benefit some residents because they can attend the public portion before work begins, said Froese. This wasn’t always possible in the past when the board held its meetings in the afternoon on a workday.
“I think the more important part is it will be accessible, so people will be able to watch it and see the entirety of the meeting,” she continued, “(because) media can’t capture every single detail, obviously, so there might be information that might be valuable to the public that they can actually view at their leisure.”
Meanwhile, the meetings will continue to occur on the second Thursday of the month, she added. The main reason the board met on May 2 is because the chief is attending a provincial conference on the regular meeting day this month.
Awards ceremony
The Moose Jaw Police Service is holding its annual awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 29 at 1:30 p.m. at the public library’s Performing Arts Centre. This event recognizes civilians and officers who have contributed to safety in the community during the past year.
The next police board meeting is Thursday, June 13.
