Grant Funding Helps Owen Sound Police Maintain Downtown Presence & Data Support
Provincial grants are helping Owen Sound Police keep officers downtown and expand data-driven community safety efforts.
Owen Sound Police have shared new details with Owen Sound Current about how recently announced provincial grant funding will support community safety downtown — sustaining foot patrols, data analysis, and proactive engagement without major staffing changes.
Chief Craig Ambrose said the city’s part-time officer program, which has been in place for several years, continues to play an important role in managing busy call periods and keeping uniformed officers visible on city streets.
“The grant supports a portion of the program that allows part-time officers to assist during the busiest times for calls for service,” Ambrose explained. “They’re also assigned to traffic enforcement and high-visibility patrol downtown when not answering calls.”
These part-time officers handle lower-priority incidents so they aren’t tied up with lengthy investigations, ensuring steady foot and vehicle patrols during peak hours, even when resources are stretched, he said.
The Community-Oriented Response and Enforcement (CORE) program also benefits from renewed support. While the CORE full-time officer position was made permanent last year through the annual budget, the latest grant will offset some costs, cover training and equipment, and enable more visible patrols in the city’s core.
A part-time analyst, first brought on under an earlier round of funding in 2022, is now also covered through the grant, Ambrose confirmed.
That role provides crucial data and trend analysis, helping direct police attention to recurring issues such as housing insecurity, addictions, and repeat calls for service. The new funding will allow for extended hours and expanded duties for the analyst, strengthening the service’s capacity for evidence-based deployment.
Ambrose confirmed there are no new hires or staffing increases tied directly to this funding, but said the grants help sustain programs that improve efficiency and public visibility — two areas that residents consistently value.
As for the social navigator initiative, a concept the service has explored since 2019, Ambrose said the police are now in discussions with Safe ’n Sound and Grey County following the county’s new grant to fund four navigator positions.
“We attended a kickoff meeting last week and have reached out to determine how and what calls for service can or will be redirected to this resource,” Ambrose said.
While the details of that collaboration are still being defined, the potential coordination marks a positive step toward easing police demand where social and health services may offer better support.
Together, these updates signal a meaningful investment in community safety, focused on sustaining visible patrols, informed response, and cross-sector collaboration in Owen Sound’s downtown core.
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