Town of Ponoka welcomes new Community Peace Officer

After receiving his official appointment as a Community Peace Officer (CPO) from the Province of Alberta, Wes Allison was formally sworn in as Ponoka’s new CPO by Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson this past Tuesday.

Since joining the Town of Ponoka full time in June, Allison has been spending most of his time doing enforcement and education of Town Bylaws. With his official appointment as a CPO, he is now dually-appointed as both a CPO and Bylaw Officer, and can broaden his responsibilities to include duties such as:

Traffic safety enforcement on Town roads (and provincial highways when invited to assist the RCMP or Sheriffs)
Commercial vehicle inspections
Continuing to educate citizens on the requirements of Town bylaws and provincial legislation, and providing enforcement when needed
Continuing to listen and respond to bylaw concerns, requests and questions from citizens.

“Education will continue to be a major part of my role,” said CPO Allison. “I will also continue reaching out to connect with citizens and listen to their feedback as I continue working on developing a CPO program to best serve the needs of our community,” he added. CPO Allison also plans to go door-to-door to introduce himself to local businesses to provide assistance and support on crime prevention in the Town of Ponoka.

The CPO role was approved by Ponoka Town Council this past February, as the position aligns with Council’s strategic priorities of service excellence, improving the quality of life for Ponoka residents, and supporting public safety.

“As Ponoka grows, the need for a CPO grows, which includes increased bylaw and traffic safety enforcement and education, as well as community engagement. We’re pleased to have Wes serving the community full time as both a CPO and Bylaw Officer,” said Town of Ponoka Chief Administrative Officer Sandra Lund.

CPO Allison has been a resident of Ponoka for 16 years. He worked as a Sheriff for the Province of Alberta in Red Deer before serving as a Community Peace Officer for Camrose County for the past 10 years.