Thunder Bay police are giving city residents a look at some of the local department's key community partnerships this week.
Those partnerships are at the core of this year's police week in Ontario, which began Sunday and runs through to May 19, said Thunder Bay police Const. Julie Tilbury.
"This year, the theme is 'celebrating policing and community partnerships,'" Tilbury said. "We're going to trying a couple of different initiatives."
"We really want to highlight some of the key, significant partnerships we have here in Thunder Bay and what we're going to be trying is blending that with a social media presence."
Facebook Live broadcasts
To that end, city police will be hosting daily Facebook Live broadcasts called "Cops, Coffee and Conversation." Each session will feature a Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) member speaking about their role within the service and how partnerships assist them in their duties, officials said.
Each broadcast will start at 11 a.m., and are viewable through the Thunder Bay police Facebook page. The schedule is:
- Monday — Det. Const. Wendy Ratz of the police domestic violence unit and Deb Zweep, executive director of the Faye Peterson Transition House, will discuss the role of the domestic violence unit and the services provided by supporting agencies to assist families affected by domestic violence.
- Tuesday — Acting police chief Sylvie Hauth will speak about how partnerships with outside agencies assist in the day-to-day operations of the city police service.
- Wednesday — Community services Insp. Sharon Komar and Jennifer Hyslop, director of program services with the Canadian Mental Health Association, will discuss the new Joint Crisis Mobile Response Team pilot project.
- Thursday — Const. Ben Grieves and Jeff Upton, an education officer with Lakehead Public Schools, will talk about the Thunder Bay police's school resource program.
- Friday — Community services Staff Sgt. Ryan Gibson will discuss the police zone watch program.
"People think policing is just the immediate response, and laying charges and putting people before the courts," Tilbury said. "But our officers do a lot of work behind the scenes to work with organizations to try to get solutions, and find ways to minimize issues before they happen."
The Facebook Live broadcasts aren't all the TBPS has planned for police week.
Police and Thunder Bay and Area Victim Services will host a pop-up coffee drive-thru from 7-9 a.m. Friday at the former Sears parking lot at the Intercity Shopping Centre.
Police will also participate in an EcoSuperior community clean-up on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. outside the Canada Games Complex.