The City of Cambridge has assembled its new mobile security team to combat vandalism and unwanted activity in city parks and facilities.
"The idea is that this team is going to help us be more proactive and reduce costs," said bylaw manager John Mattocks. "If there is a large event that requires a lot of people, we can pay for police, but the idea is that it will reduce the cost that we spend on that."
Council approved the $151,000 measure in February to aid bylaw officers who were getting overwhelmed with nuisance and other complaints that didn't allow them to focus on their regular tasks.
The five additional security officers added to the team brings the total number of city security staff to nine officers.
It's a move that was met with criticism from housing advocates who believed the move would further jeopardize marginalized people living in encampments around the city.
"Policing people experiencing homelessness and/or addiction? Absolutely clueless and heartless," wrote Lisa Marie Mariano-Amaral in a Facebook post. "Disappointed there's no budget for 24hr warming centres or street outreach to expand or barrier-free shelter spaces."
Ward 7 councillor Scott Hamilton agreed some of the language in the motion seemed to target certain individuals but it wasn't an accurate representation of what the city was trying to achieve.
"Absolutely not" was the answer he got when he asked the clerk's office if the team would target or go after unhoused individuals.
"The team's main goal is to target those who are vandalizing and act as a deterrent," he explained.
"This means they would be going after anyone who is breaking the law. This could be fireworks, active vandalism in parks and anyone who is breaking city bylaws."
Hamilton added that if he hears marginalized people are disproportionately targeted, he will be the first to call for the security team's disbandment.
"If that did happen I would never support that and I don't think council would either," he said. "But we do need to do something about the vandalism, because our washrooms are being destroyed and they cost hundreds of thousands to repair."
Mattocks noted that last year, the city spent nearly $1 million in handling incidents of vandalism, theft, break-ins and people engaging in prohibited or unwanted activity at city facilities.
Those incidents have been a drain on police resources as well.
In 2023, Waterloo Regional Police Services spent 17,887 hours responding to calls for service in the immediate area around shelter and encampment locations across the region.
Although the encampment at 150 Main Street closed in August 2023, police still responded to 9,113 calls in the surrounding area last year.
The city's new security team will be patrolling parks, arenas or any property owned by the city to act as a deterrence and offer a layer of security to those using city facilities.
They will also be working with the city's Ambassador Program, which has workers cleaning up graffiti, picking up needles and cleaning the downtown cores.
"Ambassadors undertake regular patrols in the core areas to monitor areas with high maintenance needs; carry out maintenance programs for street receptacles, hanging baskets, and horticulture beds; and engage in ambassador work on a proactive basis."
The city has also asked police to add more foot patrols in downtown cores.
The security team will also patrol events, but the city said it will still rely on a third-party security firm for larger events like the Christmas Parade or other major celebrations.
"One of our goals is to be proactive and when residents see someone in uniform, whether it be security, police or bylaw it does provide that additional sense of safety and that someone is there if they need help," said Mattocks.
He also noted that if anyone is in immediate danger they should call 9-1-1 immediately.
Having a full-time security team puts Cambridge in line with other municipalities like Brantford, Waterloo, Guelph and Kitchener, all of which have similar set ups to monitor facilities.
Manager of communications for the city, Allison Jones said in an email to CambridgeToday the team will help create a safe, inclusive and enjoyable community for everyone.
"The team will also ensure that anyone in need of supports like meals or shelter is connected to outreach workers from the region to ensure they can get the help they need," said Jones.
The added cost to create this new security task force will run the taxpayers about $2.13 per year for the average household.
Net annual cost impacts factored in savings from reduced reliance on third-party security, added revenue from more parking tickets, a reduction in vandalism repair costs and fewer overtime call-out costs related to staff responding to alarms and other urgent matters.
Training began for the new team earlier this month and the new security officers are expected to hit the parks over the next few weeks, just in time for summer.
"Folks are concerned about safety for themselves and we want to be able to be proactive and keep Cambridge safe," said Mattocks.
