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Crime notifications coming to a cellphone near you

BARCC-like system will be up and running in Westlock soon
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The Westlock & Area Crime Coalition has terms of reference as of July 14, and will soon meet to establish the parameters of a crime notification system. (Mark Pare/KitchenerToday.com)

WESTLOCK — Late last year, a Westlock alternative to BARCC was, as County of Westlock and Town of Westlock representatives put it, “something we’re working on.”

As of last week, the three area municipalities have jointly agreed to the terms of reference for a Westlock & Area Crime Coalition, which will also include law enforcement representatives—RCMP and the two peace officers—and Citizens on Patrol.

The municipalities have been talking publicly about a Westlock alternative to BARCC—the Barrhead and Area Regional Crime Coalition, also the name of the software that sends timely notifications to its users about ongoing crime—since October 2019.

A similar system, also managed through All-Net Connect, will become available for Westlock residents sometime soon: “another tool in the toolbox,” said town mayor Ralph Leriger.

“And I think it’s a great one.”

“It's a priority for our entire region to do what we can,” said town CAO Simone Wiley.

The annual cost for operating the system: $3,500 each for the town and the county, and $500 for the Village of Clyde. Town CAO Simone Wiley explained the share of the cumulative fee for All-Net was calculated per capita.

Residents can sign up to receive text messages or e-mails about any kind of serious event happening in the area—with BARCC, you can choose what you want it to tell you, from crime to weather alerts and road construction updates.

“It seems to be a very effective way to deliver information,” said town Coun. David Truckey, who’s signed up for BARCC.

“Now, for somebody who doesn't live in the immediate vicinity … it's still relevant. I mean, you find out what's going on 25 miles away and it comes out very quickly, it's very distinct and you know what's happening in your area.”

For now, each municipality has appointed representatives to sit on the coalition: deputy reeve Brian Coleman for Westlock County—with Coun. Jared Stitsen as an alternate; Coun. Murtaza Jamaly for the town—Coun. David Truckey as alternate; and deputy mayor Doug Nyal for the village—Coun. Danielle Dilman is their alternate.

No date has been set for the coalition’s first meeting, but the municipal members will be joined by two CoP members, the peace officers, and someone from the Westlock RCMP Detachment, for a minimum of four meetings per year.

Next is the official release of the software, which will happen after the coalition meets at least once to “establish timelines for setup, communications/marketing and launch of the system,” wrote Wiley in a July 17 e-mail.

Although Wiley didn’t offer a timeline—and there’s no date set for the first coalition meeting—Clyde CAO Ron Cust said they’re hoping the app will be active in September.

"It's a great example of the three municipalities working together jointly. … I think that's awesome,” said county reeve Lou Hall.

Andreea Resmerita, TownandCountryToday.com

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