A new team of Alberta Sheriffs are coming to Calgary.
The province announced Tuesday they have expanded their Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team (FASST) into the city — a decision that is being questioned by some advocates as a misuse of tax dollars but lauded by some as an effective move to combat crime.
FASST is made up of 14 members, seven of which are in Edmonton, and provincial officials say seven others are now working in Calgary alongside the Calgary Police Service (CPS).
Police chief Mark Neufeld says CPS already has a team dedicated to the same type of work, but FASST officers will still help, especially with locating transient fugitives who move in and out of different jurisdictions.
He cited the recent arrest of Elijah Blake Strawberry, a suspect who was on the run for more than a month following a fatal shooting in Rocky View County in early August.
“The murder took place in RCMP territory, and then had tentacles into many communities along the way,” he said. “Law enforcement needs to be equally as nimble, and equally as agile.”
Tanya Thorne with the Alberta Municipalities’ board of directors says these types of moves are important, especially as crime rates soar.
“Anything that is creating collaboration among police forces and police units is beneficial to public safety,” she says.
Bradley Lafortune, executive director of Public Interest Alberta, disagrees, he says the $2.4 million in provincial funding used to expand the team would have been better used towards initiatives that prevent crime, such as housing or mental health supports.
“Alberta can’t keep throwing guns and boots at a problem that needs to be addressed more holistically,” he says.
The UCP government faced criticism earlier this year after passing a bill that cleared the way for a provincial police force in Alberta.
Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis has said the bill is simply aimed at building the sheriffs’ service, in case the RCMP pull out of local policing when their contract expires in 2032.