Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

OFFICERS ON DUTY – The Kwanlin Dün First Nation (KDFN) government launched its community safety officer and land steward program on Friday. Left to right: land steward Tyler O’Brien, community safety officer Jesse Ryder, Gina Nagano, the acting KDFN justice director, Jeanie Dendys, the former justice director and a current Liberal cabinet minister, Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee, Chief Doris Bill, KDFN executive director Roxanne Vallevand, Yukon MP Larry Bagnell and Elias Park, the community safety officer team leader.

‘We’re here to hopefully make things better’

Kwanlin Dün citizens don’t necessarily call the RCMP in times of need

By Sidney Cohen on June 26, 2017

Kwanlin Dün citizens don’t necessarily call the RCMP in times of need – “Some get triggered by just seeing an RCMP officer” – Doris Bill, the First Nation’s chief, said Friday.

Bill hopes citizens will feel differently about three new community safety officers hired by Kwanlin Dün and trained by the First Nation in conjunction with the Justice Institute of British Columbia.

The First Nation officially launched its new community safety officer and land steward program at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on Friday.

With $1.4 million from the Yukon government, the program will see two uniformed officers and one land steward patrol in the Kwanlin Dün lands, either on foot or in a marked vehicle.

The officers are meant to be a point of contact for citizens with information about suspected crimes, bylaw infractions, or general concerns about safety in the community.

They are middle men, of sorts, between members of the community and RCMP, bylaw enforcement officers and conservation officers.

“These three young men... will be the eyes and ears of our community,” said Bill.

“They will work closely with citizens and enforcement agencies to improve the safety and security of Kwanlin Dün citizens, and monitor and educate visitors and citizens on the appropriate and respectful use of our traditional lands.”

Outfitted in black flack jackets, black cargo pants, sturdy black boots and black Kwanlin Dün caps, Elias Park, the team leader and community safety officer, safety officer Jesse Ryder, and land steward Tyler O’Brien were presented to the public last week.

The three young officers have been tasked with earning the trust of the community and building relationships with law enforcement, said Bill.

Park is Shuswap and Ryder and O’Brien are Kwanlin Dün citizens who also live in the McIntyre subdivision.

The officers underwent five weeks of training in conflict resolution, restorative justice, suicide prevention, intergenerational trauma, bylaw interpretation, first aid, report-writing and more at Kwanlin Dün’s Potlatch House.

Though they don’t have arrest powers, in certain situations, the officers do have some leeway to defuse a situation before deferring to police.

“It’s using good judgment,” said Gina Nagano, the acting justice director at Kwanlin Dün, and herself a retired RCMP sergeant.

For example, if they come across a heated argument, they can try to resolve it or mediate, she said. But in a domestic situation, “policy is to call 911.”

The RCMP currently have an outpost at the Kwanlin Dün government building in McIntyre, and two officers assigned to that community will continue to patrol as usual.

The officers don’t carry firearms, but they are equipped with bear spray and dog attack spray. They have been directed not to use the sprays against humans.

Community safety officers also carry Naloxone, an injectable drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

Nagano acknowledged that conflicts could arise from Kwanlin Dün citizens monitoring their own people.

“From time to time, (the officers) may engage in some difficulty, (such as) dealing directly with family members, but they know through the training how to deal with that,” she said.

“If one partner is in conflict, they discuss it among themselves how to deal with it appropriately.”

Bill said studies have shown that justice is administered more effectively when done “by our people, for our people.”

Funding for the community safety officers will carry the program through to the end of next summer. The First Nation government hopes the program can continue beyond 2018-19.

Concerns over safety in McIntyre were thrust back into the spotlight during the spring after the double-homicide of Sarah MacIntosh, 53, and Wendy Carlick, 51.

Those murders, which devastated the community, remain unsolved.

“Recent tragedies in our community only reinforce the importance of realizing your vision to have better community safety and wellness,” said Justice Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee.

Bill said the community asked the First Nation government to ramp up security measures.

“We hear from our citizens all the time, they’re now requesting patrols, requesting people to be out there in the community,” she said.

“I hope this gives them that added sense of security they’re seeking when critical incidents happen.”

The killings of MacIntosh and Carlick came amid other, ongoing safety concerns in McIntyre.

Nagano noted a few in a February interview: “Vehicles speeding through the community, a number of party sites, people that are transient coming through the community, and issues that involve drug trafficking.”

To be sure, these issues persist throughout Whitehorse.

The community safety officer program is one piece of the First Nation government’s long-term plan to bring down crime and make Kwanlin Dün lands safer.

In addition, street lights have been fixed, trails have been cleared and garbage has been hauled away.

A tip line was set up so residents could anonymously report suspicious activities. Last year, some McIntyre streets had the speed limit reduced to 30 km/h.

These efforts seem to be having an effect.

From 2014 through to December 2016, calls to RCMP about suspected illegal activity in the neighbourhood went down about 40 per cent, according to Kwanlin Dün’s January 2017 newsletter.

There were 1,097 calls to police in 2014, 826 in 2015, and 668 in 2016.

Park, the team leader, said he hopes he and his fellow officers can help return a sense of pride to the Kwanlin Dün community.

He said communities like Kwanlin Dün face stigma from outsiders about “what goes on.”

“Living outside of the community, I definitely heard rumours,” he said.

“We’re here to hopefully make things better.”

Comments (10)

Up 0 Down 0

Groucho d'North on Jul 2, 2017 at 12:12 pm

I fully support this initiative and wish the people involved every success in making their community a better place to live. It's refreshing to see some action rather than more blathering by another special committee studying the issue. Thanks to all the new officers who will be patrolling, and please stay safe.

Up 7 Down 12

Canon2000 on Jun 29, 2017 at 10:59 am

This was done by the Yukon party and KDFN. Good job. You guys rock.

Up 14 Down 7

ICO on Jun 29, 2017 at 8:55 am

Why is everyone so damn negative? The KDFN is trying to create a safe community. Why not after all the violence and deaths? Why is this not supported by the overall community?

Up 11 Down 6

Josey Wales on Jun 27, 2017 at 5:58 pm

Hey Nile...those 2 murders you reference? That month in our wee town there were 3, two ladies in McIntyre and a man in yes...Riverdale.
I understand we have heaps of crime and one can lose track of them...the ones we know of anyway. Please feel free to google the crime stats of this place we call home. You may be surprised.

Up 12 Down 10

Wundering on Jun 27, 2017 at 12:04 pm

Another level of "security", that will probably help no one.
But look at the shiny new cars/lights/flack jackets/boots and uniforms - makes the security equipment suppliers happy.

Up 19 Down 13

Josey Wales on Jun 27, 2017 at 7:58 am

Good job KDFN, far better allocation of your resources than putting rainbows on your roads. For a myriad of reasons many are reluctant to call the RCMP, not just in McIntyre. Personally I feel we all play a role in having a healthy community. Just as many places of employment, some work harder at their roles than others.
I also have the viewpoint that our wee town is composted to a level requiring better efforts from everyone (myself included) and not just in topics of criminality.
From topics of crime...to our civic, territorial and federal overlords.
Ever ask yourself... why do we tolerate, as citizens the 🐂💩?

Might I add KDFN...those Canadian flags proudly up front?
Very classy and I mean that, speaks volumes to those listening.

Up 15 Down 17

Doug on Jun 27, 2017 at 1:58 am

No females eh? Huh.
Will be interesting. Hope it goes well.

Up 20 Down 10

jc on Jun 26, 2017 at 9:22 pm

Regarding the latest murders, since the FN won't talk to the police, maybe they will talk to these FN officers and finally get these crimes solved.

Up 34 Down 13

Rod on Jun 26, 2017 at 6:25 pm

Why does the Yukon Government have to fund this? Why can't Kwanlin Dun?

Up 26 Down 15

Nile on Jun 26, 2017 at 4:44 pm

So $1.4 million dollars that should be paid for by the FN is being donated by the Liberals for some sweet jobs that won't really result in any changes. As for the 2 unsolved murders I seem to recall that one was in Riverdale not sure where the other was. The Liberals really like throwing money away don't they.

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