The Town of Millet’s community peace officer said he is here to help not harass the community, and that his door is always open.
CPO Chanse Trenholm has been patrolling the streets of Millet for about 10 months, first as a bylaw officer but now as a community peace officer. He received his designation last February and can handle provincial statutes, including traffic offenses.
Trenholm said he likes Millet and is happy to be in the community. “It’s great,” said Trenholm at The Pipestone Flyer office Apr. 27. “Really good, especially the people and I love the public in general.” Trenholm said he always wanted to be a CPO, and after becoming one, he knows he made the right choice.
Trenholm has an interesting resume, as he said he’s got a fitness training background, has a class 1 driver’s license, experience in the military, worked in security at Red Deer Regional Hospital and is a certified motorcycle license instructor. He said all of his experience encourages him to adapt to a changing situation.
“I take things as they come, and I’m very much a people person,” said Trenholm, noting he looks at the CPO position as a job that can offer lots of guidance and advice to the community while giving him an opportunity to work positively with people.
Trenholm said he also spends a lot of time by Millet’s schools. “I take school pretty seriously,” said Trenholm. One thing he wanted to point out though is that the crosswalk on Sec. Hwy #616 near the school is provincial responsibility; some residents feel there should be crosswalk lights there to enhance protection for the kids, but Trenholm said that decision is completely up to the provincial government and town council can’t do more than just ask.
Distracted driving is another concern that the CPO has been keeping an eye on in Millet. “Cell phones are a bit of a peeve for me,” he said.
Looking at other bylaw work, Trenholm said a few dogs running loose or without tags from the town can be easily addressed. He stated that the town only charges $80 for a lifetime dog tag, while one ticket from the town can be $60, or $301 under provincial legislation.
He said he’s enthusiastic and has a lot of great ideas but wants to keep them up his sleeve for now.
Looking at the work he’s already been involved in, Trenholm said of the traffic stops he makes, he writes tickets only about 10 per cent of the time, otherwise preferring to just offer advice. He said simply having the peace officer vehicle sitting on Hwy #2A with the lights flashing can have a calming effect on traffic.
Trenholm said he has an open door policy and if anyone in the community wants to talk to him, simply call his office at 780-216-1073 and he’ll get back to them as soon as possible.
He noted he’s not in town to penalize people, just see them comply. “That’s good enough for me,” he added.