WRPS permanent Road Safety Team with ‘laser focus’ would cost $1.2M
Posted Nov 14, 2025 04:08:37 AM.
Last Updated Nov 14, 2025 04:08:40 AM.
The Waterloo Regional Police Service is hoping to change their temporary Road Safety Team (RST) project to a permanent model, but it would cost roughly $1.2 million.
Making the team permanent would require hiring six new officers.
As it is now, the RST operates for only about nine months per year, with staff from traffic services and general patrol officers, but they can be called away to other duties.
The head of the Traffic Services Unit, Sgt. Scott Griffiths says the officers on a permanent team would be highly motivated, with “a laser focus” on road safety.
Griffiths says that would include school zones, RIDE programs, and special events.
As described in a presentation to the Waterloo Regional Police Services Board, a permanent team “would result in increased visibility, responsiveness and flexibility of our resources to meet the concerns of our citizens and partners in road safety and further our goals of reducing death and injury on our roadways.”
The permanent team would be driven by public complaints and the concerns coming from the leadership of the cities and townships in Waterloo Region.
Some of the board members expressed their strong support for a permanent team, including Woolwich Township mayor Sandy Shantz and Chair of the Region of Waterloo, Karen Redman.
Board chair, Ian McLean, said “outrageous” cases like speeders going 140 km/h in a 60 zone, and “the accidents, the horrific nature of this speaks to the need” to have a permanent traffic team.
The pitch for the permanent team is part of the WRPS budget plan for 2026 that still requires final approval by the Region of Waterloo council.
WRPS used to have a dedicated team for this work, but only between 2003 and 2009.
