OLDS - A newly formed Alberta Sheriffs’ Safe Community and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit will investigate complaints in a large area of central Alberta, including the Olds and Innisfail districts, say officials.
The Red Deer-based unit is one of four in the province aimed at enhancing public safety and increasing the Alberta Sheriffs’ ability to support police, Mike Ellis, minister of Public Safety and Emergency Service, said in a press release issued Friday.
Made up of four sheriffs, the SCAN unit will operate under the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods Act, which allows officers to investigate illegal activities such as drug trafficking, human trafficking and child exploitation.
“With the creation of a new SCAN team in Red Deer, we’re expanding the unit’s coverage even further and putting more boots on the ground where they’re needed,” said Ellis.
“Let this be a message to all criminals: you are not welcome here. Communities in the Red Deer area have the right not to be plagued by drug and other criminal activity that create dangerous environments.”
Mike Letourneau, superintendent of Alberta Sheriffs, said, “We look forward to working with our policing partners in the Red Deer area to help keep Alberta communities safe.”
The new unit’s operational boundaries encompass the city of Red Deer and the surrounding communities and rural areas spanning north to Ponoka and south to Olds.
