Bylaw enforcement officer facts for kids
A bylaw enforcement officer (also called municipal law enforcement or municipal enforcement) is an employee of a municipality, county or regional district, charged with the enforcement of local ordinance—bylaws, laws, codes, or regulations enacted by local governments. Bylaw enforcement officers often work closely with police and other law enforcement agencies, but are generally not considered emergency services.
This terminology is commonly used in North America—particularly Canada—and some other Commonwealth countries. In the Canadian province of Ontario, bylaw enforcement officers are generally titled municipal law enforcement officers, and in Newfoundland & Labrador, Alberta and the Northwest Territories, the term municipal enforcement officer is also used. In German speaking countries the term Ordnungsamt, literally translated "Order Office", is widely used. Under other denominations, this kind of bylaw enforcement exists in several countries around the world.
Contents
By jurisdiction
Australia
In Australia, the terms law enforcement officer, shire ranger and local laws officer are used for general-duty bylaw enforcement, traffic officer for parking enforcement only, and animal management officer (formerly known as ranger or council ranger) for animal-related enforcement.
Canada
In Canada, municipal law enforcement officers are generally referred to as bylaw enforcement officers. Every municipality in Canada is authorized to develop and enforce municipal by-laws, but each province and territory regulates the authority of municipal law enforcement agencies differently. Rather than operate an in-house bylaw enforcement division, municipalities may rely on police services, contracted commissionaires, or private firms for bylaw enforcement.
Duties
In most Canadian municipalities, bylaw enforcement officers are tasked with the enforcement of the regulations or by-laws of their employer, and are usually operate on an as-requested basis.
In all three territories, however, as well as the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, some — but not all — municipal enforcement agencies also enforce provincial legislation and control traffic. In Alberta and Saskatchewan, bylaw enforcement officers can be additionally trained and appointed as community peace officers (in Alberta) or community safety officers (in Saskatchewan). These community officers maintain a proactive presence; have additional authority to enforce provincial legislation and conduct traffic enforcement; respond alongside other emergency services to 9-1-1 calls; and, in Saskatchewan, field complaints for minor criminal offences.
Peace officer status
All bylaw enforcement officers employed in Canada are peace officers; in most provinces, bylaw officers are explicitly appointed as peace officers or special constables for the purpose of enforcing municipal laws, while in others, such as British Columbia, enforcement officers get their authority from court decisions that have ruled that bylaw officers count as "other person[s] employed for the preservation or maintenance of the public peace or for the service or execution of civil process."
New Zealand
In New Zealand, local governments such as district/city councils usually appoint persons to undertake certain enforcement duties. Councils can employ persons such as: Enforcement Officers, Animal Control Officers, Parking Officers, Noise Control Officers, and Litter Officers. These positions are granted role-specific powers under legislation. Common parts of their roles include enforcing bylaws made by the local council, such as dog-leash rules or parking restrictions during special events.
United States
Municipalities in the United States more frequently use the terms code enforcement officer or municipal regulations officer, although code enforcement officers in the United States often have a narrower scope of duties than municipal bylaw enforcement officers in Canada. Code enforcement officers in the United States are more like property standards officers in Canada.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, the word warden is commonly used to describe various classes of non-police enforcement officers, and sometimes the title of inspector is also used in various jurisdictions. An environmental warden in Edinburgh, Scotland, has duties very similar to those of a bylaw enforcement officer employed by a similar-sized city in Canada.
See also
- Nuisance abatement
- Traffic warden
- Traffic guard
- Traffic police
- Highway patrol
- State police
- Car guard
- Municipal police
