Saskatoon recently said goodbye to three of the original Community Support Officers in the city. All three have moved on to new positions in social work and law enforcement. They spent six and a half years walking a beat in Saskatoon’s business improvement districts working with the city’s most vulnerable citizens which included dealing with minor disturbances as well as helping those who need access to shelter or food. Calls for service can also include loitering, someone suffering from a mental illness, and those who may need medical attention not as a result of a criminal act. Saskatoon police say having the community support officers in the city cuts back on police responding to these calls and frees up officers for other tasks. Saskatoon has a complement of six CSOs who do foot patrols, in pairs, in the city’s BID districts.