Alberta sheriffs shutter ‘problem property’ in southeast Calgary over alleged criminal activity

Alberta sheriffs have shut down a property in southeast Calgary in response to alleged drug activity in the area.

According to a release from the provincial government issued Tuesday afternoon, Alberta Sheriff’s Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit began investigating the property at 3232 Rae Crescent S.E., in the community of Albert Park/Radisson Heights in January due to public complaints.

Investigators said they observed suspected drug transactions and a large number of people coming and going from the property.

The release also said Calgary Police Service officers visited the property 37 times between January 2022 and May 2023 after receiving calls about drug use, drug trafficking, violence and threats.

Paramedics and firefighters also responded to numerous toxic drug poisonings at the property in March and May of this year, the province said.

SCAN officers issued the property owner a warning letter in May, but the province said investigators didn’t see any improvement.

This prompted the province and investigators to obtain a court order at the Court of King’s Bench on Oct. 3 to close down the property for 90 days effective noon on Tuesday, Oct. 17.

The province also said it issued a community safety order against the property, barring people from entering until the closure ends on Jan. 15, 2024. A fence has been erected around the property and the house was boarded up.

Crews have also changed the locks of the house to prevent any unauthorized entry, according to the release.

The community safety order also requires sheriffs to monitor the property for three years, ending on Oct. 3, 2026.

“Criminal activity that disrupts neighbourhoods and threatens the safety and well-being of the people who live in them will not be tolerated. Families have a right to feel safe in their own home and community,” Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said in an emailed statement.

SCAN was founded in 2008 by the province to deal with problem properties across the province. The Alberta government says the unit has investigated more than 8,000 properties and issued around 100 community safety orders since its inception.

“Investigations by the SCAN unit help people take back their communities when criminal activity disrupts their day-to-day lives and can threaten their safety. The SCAN unit’s work with our law enforcement partners is a way that law-abiding Albertans can reclaim their sense of safety and enjoy the peace and quiet they deserve,” Farooq Sheikh, Alberta Sheriffs chief, said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.