Commissionaire Violence, how far is too far?

A parking ticket awaits an unknowing victim to their car.

Commissionaires receive a bad name for the things they do.

People disrespect them even though they are just doing their jobs.

Commissionaires have the highest rate of employees in Canada, currently retaining 21,000 people.

They are well trained and diverse and are usually made up of former military and RCMP.

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Violence is something that the commissionaires face almost daily, for writing parking tickets to providing security.

From people throwing things that they find in their cars, to trying to take them out by throwing punches, it’s not an easy job.

Cody Neale works for the Commissionaires here in Lethbridge.

Neale has never been assaulted, but knows the pain that they face.

“Although it isn’t that common, it depends on the postings. The guys posted at the south library or Lethbridge centre experience violence more often,” said Neale.

Violence against Commissionaires in certain posting make them the most difficult sports to fill.

Danielle Hutchinson is a second year Criminal Justice student at Lethbridge College.

Hutchinson worked as a by-law officer in her home town of Fernie, British Columbia over the summer, and even as a summer student it was hard.

“The public fails to realize that we are people of authority regardless of the fact that we aren’t ‘police officers’,” said Hutchinson. 

Legally, if bylaw officers have sworn to an oath, they are peace officers.

Every one of them deserves respect.

Most of the time parking tickets are relatively inexpensive if you pay them within ten days.

Between $15 and $30 isn’t bad compared to a speeding ticket which can be upwards of $200,depending on how fast you were going.

Nathan DeJong who attended Lethbridge College last year isn’t fond of the commissionaires that work for the college.

DeJong had to return home to Calgary after getting a major concussion following a longboarding accident and wasn’t near his car which had been parked by a friend in haste following DeJong’s injury.

“I got parking tickets at the college parking lot when I had my concussion and was not even there, when I shouldn’t have been getting any tickets because I have a pass in the first place,” said DeJong.
His parking pass wasn’t displayed properly and hard to see.
Although it doesn’t seem right, if the pass isn’t displayed properly, how would the commissionaires know he had one?
Commissionaires are officers, but most importantly they’re people too, they deserve the respect that you would give a friend.
Isn’t that just common decency?
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Authors

Kayla has always had a passion and an interest in radio and journalism from a young age. Her future aspirations include working across North America as well as overseas. She is currently in her second year of Digital Communications and Media at Lethbridge College with a focus on Digital Journalism. Her keen interest in writing and public speaking stems from the age of seven when she joined her local 4-H club. During her 11 years in 4-H, she competed in many public speaking events, including a provincial competition in her home province of British Columbia. In her spare time, Kayla likes to go out hunting, camping and be out in the backwoods in her hometown of Jaffray.

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