Eight months after its relaunch, Nelson’s Community Safety Officer program has been deemed an effective and valuable asset to the Nelson Police Department and community, but its potential expansion is still uncertain.
The CSO program was initially launched in 2023 to help the police department address community concerns about crime and safety while filling staffing gaps.
The initial pilot, which included two CSO positions, was cancelled in March 2024 due to a lack of funding but was later relaunched with just one officer, funded by the city.
During the January 6 Nelson City Council meeting, CSO Silk Edwards and Nelson Police Chief Donovan Fisher provided councillors with an update on the program and outlined Edwards’ responsibilities.
Edwards was sworn in as a CSO on April 30, 2024. Since then, she has attended 10 school events, 56 community events, collected 67 fingerprints, and reviewed 161 video evidence files. She has also completed 156 reports for the city’s Property Representative Database for businesses.
In addition to her administrative duties, Edwards patrols the downtown core and acts as a liaison between community members and the Nelson Police Department.
“I’m like the eyes on the ground and a presence in the community. It’s a chance for the public to talk to a member of the patrol that’s not as ‘police’. Citizens will identify areas of interest, or we see more criminal activity, and we focus our patrols on that. I spend a lot of time doing that, just going through these hotspot areas, talking to people, and seeing what’s going on,” explained Edwards.
Edwards has no enforcement powers and instead focuses on conflict de-escalation, calling police for assistance when faced with noncompliance. However, she says she has found the community to be cooperative and comfortable with her so far.
“If there was a serious situation, I feel confident that someone would help me. And I haven’t had a situation come up where I felt unsafe or threatened on the job. I think people understand that my role is not enforcement. I’m here for every member of the community, and most people are comfortable talking to me and receptive to what I have to say.”
Fisher, who also attended the January 6 council meeting, says Edwards has been an asset to the department, relieving officers of hours of lower-priority but essential administrative tasks.
“All those little things [she does] add up to hundreds of hours of saved time that officers are not tied up with, all while still being out and walking to all these places, being visible in the community, and having lots of conversations with people to and from all these places.”
There was no discussion on the future of the program during January’s meeting. However, Fisher had requested an expansion of the program during his budget presentation in December. Whether his request will be granted is to be determined.
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