Weapons concern for police in drug fight
Many stories of heroism for police and public
Crime and policing are two of the largest components of the opioid crisis, as illicit drug use is tangled up in a web of “supporting” crime as chronic drug users seek out their next fix by any means necessary.
Drug use, property crime and firearms offences connect to add complexity to the issue from a policing standpoint.
As police continue their efforts to curb drug crime in Alberta, many agencies are reporting a disturbing trend as more firearms are being found in the possession of drug traffickers.
That these weapons are being found in the presence of illicit substances such as methamphetamine is particularly troubling.
Drug users who need money to support their habits often take part in property crime, which is easy as it often includes thefts from motor vehicles, break and enters to residences, and thefts from businesses.
Sometimes, guns are taken during the course of these property crimes.
In many cases, firearms are acquired by drug traffickers in order to protect themselves from other drug traffickers, or even their own clients.
In June, amid calls for the police to do more about public drug use and the associated crime that comes with it, Insp. Tom Ascroft said the Lethbridge Police Service is doing what it can but that the opioid crisis has the potential to overwhelm police resources.
“So far, it’s worked fairly well, but the notion we’re going to prevent every single criminal act from occurring in this community is just not realistic,” he said. “So we try to manage it as best we can.”
Lethbridge residents generally feel safe in this city, but recent policing surveys presented to the Lethbridge Police Commission show the public has taken notice of problem areas, such as the downtown core and in public spaces at night. According to the surveys, fewer people are going downtown at night — though whether that was due to changing use patterns or because of safety was uncertain.
Societal changes may be responsible for some of the responses, as the way people access the core and for what purpose has changed in the past few decades.
There also appears to be strong support for a number of public security enhancement initiatives, such as the use of security cameras in public spaces. Those results need to be considered within the context of a survey focusing on security.
Overall, the top priorities for stakeholders appear to be drug trafficking and property crimes. Secondtier priorities were identified as public intoxication, vagrancy and panhandling, as well as crime prevention programming.
The opening of the supervised consumption site has shifted some of the responses off the shoulders of emergency responders, but, at the same time, the issue is still being dealt with on a daily basis.
In May, an Executive Leaders Coalition on Opioid Use at a Community Issues Committee, Fire Chief Richard Hildebrand said the numbers of drug-related issues continue to grow for emergency responders.
He added the SCS is not expected to eliminate the drug problem, but to provide options.
“For every overdose attended to in the (SCS) itself, there is one less we have to deal with on the street,” he said.
Woven into the hard details of drug crime and police response are many stories of personal heroism by responders and members of the public.
On Jan. 8, LPS members Const. Nick Cousineau and Const. Chris Stock attended a domestic disturbance in a Lethbridge residence, and, while dealing with the two people involved, noticed a third person who was unconscious and struggling to breath.
They called EMS and administered naloxone — an opioid inhibitor used in the treatment of overdoses — and other life-saving measures until EMS arrived.
On Feb. 20, four police officers saved the life of a man on the city’s westside.
Const. Josh Kurtz was patrolling on the westside when he observed the driver of a vehicle unconscious and hanging over the door. Upon closer inspection, he found the male was unconscious and had tried to selfadminister naloxone.
Const. James Steacy, Const. David Easter and Sgt. Travis Evenson administered CPR and more naloxone to the man prior to the arrival of EMS.
And last summer, Const. Ryan Darroch was recognized several times for his actions as a member of the LPS Downtown Policing Unit.
On June 7, Darroch was writing reports in the 300 Block of 5 Street South when he heard screaming coming from a block east. When he arrived on scene, he found a male in distress on the ground outside a parked vehicle.
He called for EMS and began chest compressions until the ambulance arrived to administer nalaxone.
After the man was revived, he became enraged and had to be restrained. On Aug. 26, Darroch attended the Lethbridge Shelter and saw a woman propped up against the wall in medical distress. The woman had a used needle in her hand and she was not breathing.
Again, he called EMS and began chest compressions until they arrived. It was confirmed she had taken fentanyl and was transported to hospital for treatment.
Heroic acts have also been performed by members of the public. For example, in October last year, Allan Black came to the aid of an officer who was in the middle of a brawl with a suspect high on methamphetamine and drunk on alcohol.
Stock had responded to a report of an aggressive male who was damaging vehicles and fighting people along the 200 block of 5 Avenue North.
Upon arrival, the subject fled the scene on foot. Stock intercepted and confronted the man a short distance away. At that point, the man became combative, turning on Stock.
The man punched Stock twice in the face and attempted to gouge his eyes in order to avoid arrest.
The fight immediately turned into a brawl. With witnesses on scene, Black approached the officer and asked if he needed assistance.
Black approached the man from behind, tripped him to the ground, and was able to help hold the man and put him in an armbar so that Stock could apply handcuffs.
When Black was recognized for his efforts during an LPC meeting in February, Stock was visibly moved by the man’s actions. “It means the world,” he said. “It’s nice to know there are people out there who still want to help.”
Black said he simply reacted to the situation.
“You can’t turn your back on something like that,” he said.