City and WRPS advance community safety with two new agreements
For immediate release
City and WRPS advance community safety with two new agreements
Cambridge, Ontario. The City of Cambridge and the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS) are finalizing two new agreements focused on improving quality of life for residents by enhancing service levels, strengthening community safety, and ensuring faster, more coordinated responses to incidents across the city.
The first agreement includes establishing a new shared by-law dispatch service, allowing WRPS to take calls and dispatch support for municipal by-law officers. This will improve response coordination and enhance safety for officers and residents. The second agreement supports the use of Closed Communication Television (CCTV) in select public spaces to improve safety, help prevent crime and support investigations.
“These agreements reflect our commitment to keeping Cambridge a safe community for residents and visitors to enjoy, while working collaboratively with our partners at WRPS,” said Mayor Jan Liggett. “They are part of our ongoing efforts to improve how we work together to respond to issues in the community while ensuring privacy, accountability and public trust remain a priority. This partnership was able to be utilized recently when a robbery occurred overnight at LA Franks. Through the use of our cameras the possibility of who the persons were became clearer, as well as how the robbery was carried out. Being able to have sound evidence to take to court and remove criminals from our community is something that we all want.”
The City will benefit from this shared service as WRPS will manage all call intake, triage, and dispatch. This model will help improve operational coordination and efficiency when responding to community concerns, while also supporting officer safety and timely access to additional assistance when required. “From an operational perspective, this work shows what is possible when City staff and Waterloo Regional Police Service staff are aligned and working together,” said Rob Axiak, City Manager for the City of Cambridge. “When our teams partner closely on day‑to‑day operational matters, including public safety, we improve coordination, response times, and outcomes for the community. Working together in this way is what the community expects and will continue to be our path forward.”
The City recognizes that privacy is an important consideration for residents. The CCTV systems will not be used for general surveillance, and do not track individuals or drivers in real time. Information collected through CCTV will be accessed only by authorized WRPS personnel and used solely for legitimate law enforcement purposes, in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and established policies.
"Public safety is a collective responsibility. This partnership with the City of Cambridge will allow WRPS to leverage CCTV technology to provide best evidence and support investigations, while ensuring our Service remains transparent and accountable to the residents we serve,” said Mark Crowell, Chief of Police, Waterloo Regional Police Service
These agreements will both comply with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).
Installation of the CCTV cameras will occur in coordination with the City, and locations will be determined by WRPS.
The City and WRPS will continue to share more information about these agreements as they are implemented.
For more details on the CCTV program, visit wrps.ca/cctv
