Head librarian Gwen Fisher is thankful for the relationship her organization has with the Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) since police have helped improve safety and provided valuable training for staff.
The Moose Jaw Public Library approached the MJPS in 2017 because it was concerned about increasing situations and wanted to address patrons’ security, Fisher explained during the Board of Police Commissioners’ Feb. 15 meeting.
The agency referred the library to its community services department, where an officer visited and helped staff adjust the space — and target certain spots — to better protect people, she continued.
The officer also helped staff learn de-escalation techniques and develop a behaviour-based rules of conduct policy that enabled employees to ban unruly patrons. This included knowing how and when to employ this tactic and having the confidence to use it.
Developing this relationship became beneficial because staff knew an officer they could call for questions or assistance, said Fisher. Moreover, it changed her opinion of what the police could do since she discovered they could help decrease problems before they arose.
“And that was kind of a different way of thinking about how to reach the police, so that was a really good thing to learn,” she stated.
Then the pandemic struck and forced the library’s closure, so it took time before the organization could return to full service and re-connect with the police.
The officer returned and helped reduce the stigma of calling the police, telling staff to call always when a situation arose, said Fisher. She believes staff are now more assertive with conduct rules in place and more tools to handle situations.
Fisher noted that the de-escalation training has been invaluable since staff can use it not only at work — where patrons can be angry for various reasons — but also in their own lives.
“It’s not like (we’re) bringing down heightened situations that are super dangerous all the time. It’s actually just creating a space that’s calm, and everybody’s filled with dignity and respect,” she said.
Other training staff have taken has focused on reconciliation and trauma-informed care while they have been working with social agencies such as the John Howard Society, the food bank and the Salvation Army. This has enabled the organization to understand the community and the marginalized people walking through their doors.
Safety is not just the responsibility of police but also the community, while everyone must work together, said Fisher. From these partnerships, she has been amazed to learn how strong Moose Jaw is and how much people care about their neighbours.
Commissioner Patricia Martynook pointed out the MJPS plans to implement a pilot project to address trespassing. She wondered if the library deals with that often, particularly homeless or less fortunate people seeking warmth.
Anyone can use the library, but it’s when people — regardless of their background — violate the rules that a problem occurs, said Fisher. People must follow the rules since they are in place to protect patrons.
Staff will talk to people if they’re drunk, blocking doors or fire exits, or engaging in harassment or fighting since those behaviours create unsafe situations for everyone, she added.
Commissioner Doug Blanc said he’s received calls from residents concerned about transients sleeping in the library, specifically, using chairs to rest and blocking aisles. He wondered how the library addressed that issue since some patrons felt intimidated to handle the issue themselves.
Fisher admitted this was something she hadn’t heard before but said library staff walk around every hour — commissionaires every 30 minutes — to talk with people. They will eject patrons if they must ask more than once for compliance.
“We encourage patrons to talk to us. Sometimes we catch things, but not everything,” she said.
The library has security cameras but not enough resources to catch people in the act, while there are so many challenges that staff do their best daily, Fisher added. They also attempt to enforce the rules so they’re fair and equal for all.
The next police board meeting is Wednesday, March 13.
