Seven-member plainclothes squad in Calgary to hunt down offenders on the lam, with a focus on more serious crime
The province is adding a team of sheriffs to help Calgary police track down fugitives in the city and across Alberta.
After what’s being called a successful launch in Edmonton last February, the Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team (FASST) is bringing a seven-member plainclothes squad to Calgary to hunt down offenders on the lam, with a focus on more serious crime, said Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis.
“Taking these individuals off the streets and putting them back into the courts demonstrates our government’s commitment to making Alberta safer,” Ellis said Tuesday.
“The number of arrests (has) risen steadily since those early days and we expect them to continue doing so in the months and years to come.”
In the past seven months, FASST operating in Edmonton has executed more than 1,300 warrants leading to 303 arrests, 260 of those so-called Tier 1 suspected offenders such as those accused of first-degree murder and child sex crimes, he said.
“Adding more resources significantly reduces their likelihood of reoffending and continuing to victimize Albertans,” said Ellis.
He said there are currently more than 82,000 active warrants throughout Alberta for people in breach of release conditions, failing to appear in court or violating their statutory parole.
The move is welcome, said Calgary police Chief Mark Neufeld, adding it’ll complement the work already being done by city police.
“There are more than enough people to arrest in our communities . . . this adds capacity,” said Neufeld.
More co-operation and flexibility are always needed between law enforcement services, he said, given the mobile nature of criminals.
“Law enforcement has to be equally as nimble and agile to bring these people into custody,” said Neufeld.
Not only are the suspected offenders being arrested by FASST dangerous, but they’re also evading accountability, said Sheriffs Supt. Mike Letourneau.
“Its impact has been both quick and immense,” he said.
Ellis also took a shot at the federal government’s bail reform legislation, Bill C-75, that he says has compounded the problem of reoffenders.
“The federal government must implement serious bail reform to put a stop to Bill C-75. This bill has been a disaster for our communities . . . has perpetuated a cycle of crime, and victimizes law-abiding citizens over and over,” he said.
Role of Alberta Sheriffs has expanded in recent past
It’s not the first time the province has deployed sheriffs in Calgary combat crime and social disorder, and it hasn’t always met with success.
When the 76 downtown businesses and residential agencies surveyed were asked why their perceptions of safety didn’t change, several cited “ongoing open-air drug use, generalized social disorder and safety on transit.” (Fifty-six per cent of respondents said their perception of safety didn’t change during the pilot, but many said it wasn’t long enough to have an effect and they would welcome future sheriff support.)
Last March, the province introduced legislation that laid the groundwork for a new police agency but continued to say at the time that no decision had been made on establishing a provincial police service to replace the RCMP.
In recent months, the government has progressively increased the number of sheriffs as well as the agency’s role beyond its most typical duties of highway traffic enforcement and providing security at courthouses, the Alberta legislature grounds in Edmonton and the McDougall Centre in Calgary.
Alberta’s 2023 budget provided $27.3 million in new funding for the agency, which was to be partly spent on hiring 245 new sheriffs.
And the senior judge said the need to merge two Calgary Court of Justice trial courts into one shows the provincial government holds the legal system in contempt.
Ellis said Alberta Justice Minister Mickey Amery has been advocating for the federal government to appoint more judges in Alberta.
“I can tell you from a provincial court perspective . . . we are certainly doing our part to appoint judges in the province of Alberta,” said Ellis.
Meanwhile, the Sheriffs’ stellar performance and expanding role demands they should have pay equity with their police counterparts, said AUPE Vice President Bobby-Joe Borodey
“Sheriffs are already experiencing a huge wage disparity that must be addressed,” Borodey said in a press release.
“I look forward to seeing the government‘s plan regarding wage increases considering theadditional scope of practice, responsibility and added measure of danger.”
— With files from Kevin Martin, Matt Scace and Matthew Black, Postmedia