Grande Prairie Police Service is still on pace to become the police of jurisdiction in October.
GPPS say that they are still on-track to complete the transition two years ahead of schedule.
Currently, recruit Class #4 is progressing through training and is scheduled to graduate in October. Recruitment is also underway for Class #5, and scheduled to begin in early 2027. The service says they continue to strengthen its experienced ranks as well, with Experienced Officer Program #7 recently completed.
“In just three months, the Grande Prairie Police Service will become the police of jurisdiction for our city,” says GPPS Chief of Police Dwayne Lakusta. “We have built a strong team of trained, experienced, and locally focused officers who are already serving Grande Prairie. As we approach this important milestone, our focus is on ensuring every system and service unit is fully operational so we can deliver responsive, community-driven policing that reflects the needs and priorities of our residents.”
Recent additions to the service’s fleet include its first police motorcycle, restored by the City of Grande Prairie’s Fleet Services team with support from Mighty Peace Harley-Davidson. Officials say that the motorcycle will support traffic enforcement, community engagement, and special events, with a second motorcycle expected to join the fleet in the future.
When GPPS becomes the POJ, they will provide a range of enhanced policing capabilities dedicated exclusively to Grande Prairie. Some of those include an in-house tactical team, Criminal Investigative Section, Specialized Investigations Section, forensic services, a polygraph examiner, canine teams, and drone operations.
GPPS also has a drone program, police say that the program will support operations such as searches for missing persons, crime scene documentation, collision mapping, and response to crimes in progress.
GPPS is expected to become the POJ on October 21.
