EDMONTON --
Starting July 1, Alberta Sheriff highway patrol officers will have more authority to investigate traffic-related incidents to help reduce police response times in rural Alberta.
Under an expansion of the Rural Alberta Provincial Integrated Defence (RAPID) Response initiative announced Friday, approximately 260 sheriff officers will be able to respond to further traffic incidents on provincial highways, including impaired driving and criminal offences.
Before the RAPID response program expansion, traffic sheriffs were only able to enforce Traffic Safety Act violations, conduct commercial vehicle inspections, and participate in collision investigations.
For the provincial government, giving expanded authority to sheriffs allows for more RCMP officers to remain on patrol or respond to higher-priority criminal incidents.