Volunteers involved in patrol programs act as observers who report suspicious activity to their police department. In other B.C. communities, such as Abbotsford, citizen patrols have been involved in vehicle and foot patrols, CounterAttack programs in search of intoxicated drivers, traffic control and security at major community events, assisting in search and rescue efforts, and vacation checks on private residences.
Volunteers do not take enforcement action, carry weapons or make arrests.
The mandate of the Whistler Citizen Patrol would be determined when there are enough volunteers to make such a program viable, though one activity that may be included is forest fire prevention.
Staff Sergeant Hilton Haider has also noted that during the 2010 Olympics the police will need hundreds of volunteers, and a group such as a citizens patrol would be ideally suited with the training and experience to assist.
Interested volunteers can contact Constable Nisbet at the RCMP within the next two weeks at 604-932-3044.
For more information on B.C. citizen patrol programs see http://www.bccpa.org/bccpn/indexm.htm
