The RCMP's announcement (Nov. 7) that it is accepting applications for the is welcome news to Mayor Tom Dyas.

He told Black Press Media that the city had applied to be a B.C. pilot community for the program approximately a year ago.

鈥淲e鈥檙e in the top three or so that have this coming to their communities,鈥� the mayor added. 鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful.鈥�

Adding auxiliary officers to support the city鈥檚 RCMP complement, bylaw officers, and community programs such as the Downtown 琉璃神社 Association and Rutland On-Call Team is one of the priorities for the Mayor鈥檚 Task Force on Crime Reduction.

Auxiliary officers will take on non-enforcement community policing and crime prevention responsibilities. These could include traffic and crowd control, disaster planning, emergency preparedness assistance, policing special events, home and business safety checks, and other duties.

鈥淎 number of things are what we were looking for them to do,鈥� Dyas said. 鈥淲ithout them, it places a greater demand on the RCMP.鈥�

Applications for auxiliary officers are being accepted until Dec. 24, with the selection process taking place between January and April 2025. Selected officers will undergo training until September.

鈥淲e did not think it was going to be rolled out until next summer,鈥� Dyas said. 鈥淭o know that by next summer, not only will they be training on our streets, but shortly thereafter it will be in full operation, is just great news.鈥�

The mayor added that auxiliaries will be a tremendous benefit to the city.

鈥淲orking alongside our community safety units and allowing for additional patrols鈥� it just helps put more preventative measures in place within our community.鈥�

The auxiliary program is fully funded by the federal government.