Latest news with #AlbertaSheriffs
CTV News
14-07-2025
- CTV News
Drug house in Mill Woods shut down after decade of disturbances
Alberta Sheriffs have closed down a house in Mill Woods after 10 years of complaints from neighbours about drug and criminal activity there. After 10 years of complaints from neighbours over drug and criminal activity, a house in Mill Woods has been closed by provincial sheriffs. The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit of the Alberta Sheriffs received a court order to close the southeast Edmonton property at 6707 32 Ave. for 90 days. All people living in the home, including the property owner, were required to leave it under the order starting Thursday. The house has been boarded up and fenced off, and has had its locks changed. The moves to close down the house have neighbours feeling relieved and safer after enduring disturbances and property damage over the years. Pauline Wilson, who lives two doors down from the house, said people coming and going from the house would make a lot of noise, describing 'yelling and screaming over there.' She said once she and her neighbours petitioned the sheriffs and the City of Edmonton, officials moved quickly to shut it down in a month's time, Wilson said. Drug house Alberta Sheriffs have closed down a house in Mill Woods after 10 years of complaints from neighbours about drug and criminal activity there. (Miriam Valdes-Carletti/CTV News Edmonton) 'It's about time they started cracking down on these places,' she told CTV News Edmonton on Sunday. 'They're not good for a neighbourhood. They're not good for children. It makes the whole neighbourhood safer, and I'm really glad they're gone.' Pyol Awac, who lives across the street from the problem house for seven years, said he and his family dealt with damage to their vehicle by people associated with the house. They had to park their vehicle behind the house to avoid further damage, but now, his wife feels comfortable enough to park it in front of their house again. 'I'm safe now, better than before,' he told CTV News Edmonton. Since 2009, SCAN has investigated the property six times, twice resulting in orders temporarily closing the house and evicting people living there. Police had visited the property more than 250 times since the start of 2015. There were two fatal drug overdoses at the house in 2022. People who lodged complaints with police reported suspicious people, assaults, drug possession and drug trafficking at the property. SCAN told CTV News Edmonton the owner of the property now plans to sell it. Karen Teng, the city councillor who represents the area, said efforts by the neighbours to report the activity at the house was key in helping the city and police take action to deal with it. 'Based on what I'm hearing and what I'm understanding, it takes some time, neighbours reporting, all those things matter,' Teng told CTV News Edmonton last week. 'This is why we have dedicated policies, dedicated resources. This is why we're taking a multi-disciplinary approach to this ... some of these properties are fairly complex. You may not run into one issue – gang violence, for example – you may run into homelessness and housing issues or squatting, so it does take a concerted effort.' Since it began in 2008, the SCAN unit has investigated more than 10,000 properties and has issued more than 130 community safety orders. With files from CTV News Edmonton's Sean McClune
CTV News
10-07-2025
- CTV News
Extended: Edmonton drug house closed after 250 visits from police
Media were given a look inside an Edmonton house that was closed by Alberta sheriffs after 250 visits from the Edmonton Police Service over the last decade.
CTV News
10-07-2025
- CTV News
Sheriffs shut down drug house that police visited 250 times in the last decade
A problem property at 6707 32 Ave in Edmonton, which has been a source of drug and criminal activity for over a decade, was shut down by Alberta Sheriffs on July 10, 2025. (Google Images) Alberta Sheriffs have closed down a problem property in southeast Edmonton that has been a source of drug and criminal activity for a decade. A statement from the Government of Alberta issued Thursday afternoon said the Sheriffs' Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit obtained a court order against the homeowners of 6707 32 Ave. The property will be closed for 90 days starting Thursday at noon. All individuals – including the property owner – are ordered to vacate the premises. The house will be boarded up, fenced and all the locks will be changed. SCAN has investigated the property six times since 2009. The operation has seen two previous community safety orders that saw the home temporarily evicted and shuttered. Since January 2015, Edmonton police have visited the home more than 250 times. The house has been a hub for illegal drug trafficking and abuse, as well as two fatal overdoses. Neighbours reported suspicious people coming and going from the home, assaults, drug possession and drug trafficking. Community safety order conditions will remain in effect until Oct. 8.
Calgary Herald
09-07-2025
- Politics
- Calgary Herald
Alberta's independent police agency garners mixed reviews
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Alberta Sheriffs cruiser. Photo by Brad Quarin Alberta's formal creation of an independent police agency is getting mixed responses from stakeholders, as some believe it is a positive change, while others have concerns over the lack of details. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA) president Kara Westerlund said the province's announcement last week came as a surprise, as the RMA was not consulted or given notice. She said the new provincial police agency will not solve the ongoing crime in rural communities, and the province should instead focus on addressing the judicial system and repeat offenders. 'At the end of the day, if you've got more officers or boots on the ground, there should be an increase in service level. The issue, and what I will keep pushing back on, is there is no plan,' Westerlund said. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again At a press conference on July 2, the province appointed Calgary Police Service deputy chief Sat Parhar as the first chief of the new police agency, which will be named the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service. It will operate as an independent Crown corporation with its head office in Calgary. The province did not disclose the cost of the agency or a timeline for its rollout. Dan Jones, a retired police officer and chair of NorQuest College's Justice Studies program, said moving to a provincial police force is an 'inevitability,' pointing to the RCMP policing contract set to end in 2032. He said while policing in urban cities like Edmonton and Calgary will not change, rural communities that have struggled with crime would benefit. 'It can be a positive if it's done right, and part of it is a staffing issue,' Jones said. 'The RCMP staffing isn't always what they're saying. It's not being deceptive, it's just that they have people on leave or people going different places … I think it's an opportunity to fulfill that policing duty in the province of Alberta.' He said having RCMP officers on leave or otherwise unavailable creates a policing shortage, which often results in delayed response times, a concern rural communities have voiced. Jones said the change would allow the RCMP to focus on federal policing, which he believes they're more suited for. At a press conference on July 2, Premier Danielle Smith said there are currently more than 2,000 sheriffs categorized as peace officers who do prisoner transports and other specialized services. Of the 2,000, she said 650 are 'trained up' at a level where they could be categorized as police. This advertisement has not loaded yet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), which represents Alberta sheriffs, said it does not have anything to add to the announcement. While Jones believes the new agency is a positive for the province, he said it will take a lot of work and questions how the new agency will develop its own major case management teams. Jones said for the new police agency to be successful, the transition should be done in a way that includes other policing services, hiring the new chief's command staff and police officers, and training those new officers. 'Some of these smaller municipalities have very limited access to the RCMP, and I think that the goal is to change that to provide these communities with equal policing to what their urban counterparts have — quicker response times, more visibility, stronger investigative bodies around or rural crime,' Jones said. Westerlund shared similar concerns, pointing to the need for more information about the timeline for the new police agency, how it will operate, and how much it will cost. She said the province needs to outline a clear plan for staffing the provincial police agency, noting the retention issues faced by urban police forces across the province and Canada. 'We can have a police officer or a uniform on every corner or every intersection on a rural highway, and it's not going to fix the problem. At the end of the day, our biggest issue is with the judicial problem and the revolving door around repeat offenders,' Westerlund said. Postmedia has reached out to the province for comment.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘Smart,' ‘confusing': Experts weigh in on Alberta Sheriffs Police Service
The Alberta government is moving forward with its own police force. The premier insists the new agency will compliment current ones—not replace them. After Alberta Premier Danielle Smith unveiled a provincial policing service Wednesday, there are still many questions left unanswered. CTV public safety analyst Chris Lewis said he was 'a little confused' by the premier's announcement. 'There are a lot of gaps to fill in that are really uncertain at this time,' said Lewis. Currently, sheriffs do court security and traffic enforcement while RCMP respond to homicides, fatal collisions, missing people and the lot. 'How do you go from what they are to what they can do?' said Lewis. 'Who do they report to? Who's responsible for what they do?' In Calgary Wednesday, Smith said the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service wouldn't replace the RCMP, but would 'work alongside existing branches of law enforcement to fill gaps.' Danielle Smith Premier Danielle Smith speaks at a news conference in Calgary on Wednesday, July 2, 2025. Municipalities will have the option to contract the new service for its policing needs instead of RCMP. Lewis said a provincial service would essentially be like the RCMP but with a different name and with its own hierarchy, infrastructure, cruisers and training. 'It would be really tough to move from what the RCMP does now to a model like the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP),' said Lewis. ' Do you take over RCMP buildings, their radios, their cars? Or do you change all that?' The former OPP commissioner added that it would take years to put together if the province decided to go the latter route, but it's too early to say at this point. Dan Jones, chair of justice studies at Norquest College, said he thinks it's a 'smart move' while Ottawa may move to get out of contracting leasing. 'I think it's a smart move for the Alberta government to do something before it's done to them and be ready for it,' Jones told CTV News Edmonton. The current policing contract for RCMP ends in 2032. Contract policing is provided through agreements negotiated between the federal government and provinces, territories and municipalities. Eight provinces and three territories receive RCMP services as well as some 150 municipalities under direct contract. Ontario and Quebec have their own provincial police services. There are over 4,000 RCMP personnel in Alberta, including officers and civilian workers. The province said there are around 2,000 sheriffs, with 650 of them fully trained, for the Alberta Sheriffs Police Service. 'One of the issues at hand is the RCMP are understaffed in some (Alberta) communities, where they are paying for policing services that are not happening because the RCMP don't have people there,' said Jones. 'Where are they going to get these folks from? How many are they going to hire and how large is the service going to be?' Despite unanswered questions, Jones thinks the province has done a 'good job' planning the provincial force. 'This has been going on for a long time and I think the planning has been really well done,' said Jones. 'I think this is a positive move for the province of Alberta.' With files from CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti and CTV News Calgary's Melissa Gilligan.
