EDMONTON – Edmonton police chief Rod Knecht is hoping for better numbers this year.
It’s a simple math wish: he wants more officers investigating fewer homicides.
The city spent the majority of 2011 with the highest homicide numbers in the country, earning the nickname Deadmonton from some media. By mid-October, it surpassed its record of 38 homicides, set in 2005.
And by December, Edmonton’s homicide tally was neck-and-neck with Toronto’s. Edmonton finished the year with 47 killings, beating Toronto at 45.
“It puts us in the spotlight, and nobody likes to be in the spotlight,” said Knecht.
“What we’ve got to do is invest in the homicide unit and try to stay ahead of the curve as best we can.”
And that’s his plan. Knecht said seven to ten officers will be added to the unit early this year.
Ten officers were temporarily assigned to help the 16-member team last spring, when the homicide numbers started climbing and causing concern.
Knecht said the expansion needs to be permanent.
Even if the homicide rate drops this year, he said the unit will be busy trying to make arrests in many of its 2011 cases. About 40 per cent of the files remain unsolved.
Knecht said he hopes 40-plus homicides each year is not the new normal. Historically, the city averages about 28.
“We’ll be in big trouble if in 2012 we have the same numbers as we have in 2011, because our folks are stretched to capacity.”
Knecht said the unit also has a pile of 100 cold cases dating back three decades, and it’s important to keep working on those.
He recently sat down with an Edmonton woman who wanted to talk with him about her son’s unsolved killing a few years ago.
“Please solve the murder of my son,” she told the chief. The conversation has stuck with him.
“There are many other people out there like this lady, who are grieving, who need resolution, who need closure,” he said.
Knecht said sexual assaults in the city also increased in 2011, although property crime, break-and-enters, personal robberies and vehicle thefts all dropped.
The chief has also asked the city for $4.8 million to hire 68 new officers and staff. The city approved $3 million, and Knecht said he plans to go back to city council again and ask for the remaining money.
Most of the new resources will be used to help with a violence-reduction strategy – a plan to curb the crimes behind the homicides.
The three-to-five year plan involves community teams that reach out to different neighbourhoods. Knecht said the teams are building trust between officers and residents, and they’re also producing tips.
In addition, there has been a noticeable drop in crime in those neighbourhoods in the week following team visits, said Knecht.
“We’re kind of learning on the fly on this.”
Although the teams were an experiment scheduled to stop in December, Knecht said they will continue their work until at least August.
He said a new part of the plan will also include a blitz on warrants.
About 16,000 people in the city have outstanding warrants, said Knecht. The top 100 offenders will be targeted early this year.
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