Editorial: Arming RDFFG bylaw officers sets an alarming precedent

By Spencer Hall

As reported in this issue of The Rocky Mountain Goat, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George board received a report informing them that Regional District staff were sending RDFFG bylaw officers to use-of-force training and equipping them with pepper spray, collapsible batons and handcuffs, among other pieces equipment aimed at improving their safety.

While I believe that everyone has a right to feel safe at work, I am alarmed by the lack of evidence relevant to our area that supports the need for these tools in the report. I also believe residents have the right to feel safe while interacting with bylaw officers, both on their own property and off.

A backgrounder for the RDFFG report lists 21 incidents that occurred in several provinces, most out of RDFFG jurisdiction, supporting the decision to arm bylaw officers. Of these incidents, 15 included either bylaw, parking enforcement, or transit safety officers. The other six included RCMP officers or peace officers. One incident that occurred in Burnaby in October 2022 involved both a RCMP officer and a bylaw officer.

Of the fifteen incidents listed that include non-RCMP enforcement officers, six occurred out of province in either Ontario or Alberta.

Between July 2011 and July 2025, eleven incidents involving bylaw officers occurred. Of these eleven, just three occurred outside of larger cities such as Vancouver, Victoria, or Kelowna.

While the City of Prince George provided their officers with defensive tools back in 2023, a recent report by the City shows they’ve been used just once in the two years they’ve been carried.

Some of the new tools provided by the RDFFG make sense. Body cams, Garmin InReach devices, safety footwear, protective vests are all great pieces of PPE. Even providing officers with pepper spray for unexpected situations is an improvement. But giving RDFFG bylaw officers — who mainly deal with unsightly properties, land use and zoning issues — batons and handcuffs crosses a line. In the report there is one anecdotal instance of an RDFFG bylaw officer being charged by a dog who had escaped a building but was then stopped by the owner about a foot and a half away from the bylaw officer. 

Bylaw officers have a higher power than RCMP when it comes to power of entry, meaning they can enter and inspect one’s property without a warrant. They do also have the power to detain individuals. However, there is little evidence that there is a need for such equipment for RDFFG bylaw officers. It is also worth noting that RDFFG bylaw officers can request an RCMP officer accompany them while they perform their duties at a property where they feel intimidated.

In fact, in a study released in May 2024 by the Local Government Compliance and Enforcement Association of BC found that the overwhelming majority of bylaw officers that responded to the survey prioritized live communication capabilities, such as working radio systems that are monitored.

The study was authored by Joel Johnston, a renowned use of force consultant who has worked with “numerous government agencies, law enforcement and quasi-law enforcement, security agencies, and First Nations organizations since 1992,” according to the report.

In his report, Johnston pointed out the difference between PPE and restraint devices, stating that devices such as handcuffs can significantly shift the dynamic of an encounter, changing it from assess and disengage or defend and disengage to one of defend, control, restrain and detain.

“This shift carries significant legal implications, along with mandate, training and policy implications. Defending oneself from aggression (including with legally-carried intermediate weapons) in the workplace is one thing. Making the decision to control, restrain, and arrest or detain an individual is entirely another thing,” Johnston said in the report, adding that a significant amount of training would need to be provided to bylaw officers in jurisdictions that are considering bringing in restraint devices.

The RDFFG report says bylaw officers may experience hostile and unpredictable individuals while completing their duties, however that could be said about many professions: nurses, delivery drivers, journalists, government officials, etc. Is the answer that we should all carry batons and handcuffs? 

Bylaw officers deserve to feel safe while doing their jobs, but to make sure everyone remains safe we need to turn to evidence-based solutions. I fear that by providing batons and handcuffs, we are inviting more risk to bylaw officers due to potential escalation of a situation, as well as members of the public and to the RDFFG itself.