The Brockton?Police Services Board has agreed to fund up to nine RIDE programs over the festive season.
The $4,000 cost was approved at last week’s board meeting after members learned that a high concentration of road checks over the Labour Day and Thanksgiving weekends had put a dent in the detachment’s provincial grant that allows such programs to take place.
“Our Festive RIDE program is coming up — it’s starting,” South Bruce OPP Sgt. John?LeBlanc told the board. “Unfortunately, we’re through almost all our grant money before we get to the festive season. We had a heavy concentration out over the Labour Day weekend and Thanksgiving weekend. Both of those weekends we managed zero fatalities and zero personal injuries.”
LeBlanc said the police were successful in their goal of keeping a high visibility and that they sent a good strong message.
“Unfortunately, it put a dent in our funding,” he said.
LeBlanc explained that enough money is left on the grant to put on three festive RIDE programs during the remainder of the year, but that puts them well short of the amount they’ve done in the past.
“Normally in?December we like to have about 12 during the festive RIDE season,” LeBlanc said.
Brockton Mayor Charlie Bagnato and the rest of the PSB agreed it was important to fund additional festive RIDE programs.
“I think it’s imperative,” said Bagnato, “You can’t have a December without RIDE programs.”