Police concerned over growing number of indecent exposure incidents

CALGARY – Police are concerned over a significant increase in the number of indecent acts reported in Calgary, many of them targeted at children.

There have been four incidents in the Ranchlands and Dalhousie area this week where a man was reported to have exposed himself to young children. Three happened within the same block.

“Right now this offender seems passive,” says Det. Dave Jennings. “He’s not interacting with the kids or touching them but if he keeps getting away with it there’s no telling he could take it up another notch so the sooner we can intervene the better.”

New statistics show the number of indecent acts in Calgary has risen 50% compared to last year.

Forensic psychologist Dr. Patrick Baillie says while no physical harm is caused in these incidents, they can easily escalate.

“If it is harmless it may also get boring over time and they up it to the next level of looking for someone they can have closer contact with.”

In early September, a flasher in the Mission area sexually grabbed one of his victims.

On Saturday, September 4th, two women in their late teens were walking in the area of 13th Avenue and 2nd Street S.W. around midnight when they were approached by a man who exposed himself to them. He then grabbed at one of the women.

“Before I could even say anything to him he reached out grabbed my breasts and was like can I touch these?” says Amy, the victim. “I pushed him away and I realized he had his shorts down and was masturbating.”

Police say the increase could be due to more people reporting the incidents but are also attributing it to the fact that these types of offenders usually perform the same crime repeatedly.

“In my experience your flasher is almost always a serial in nature,” says Det. Jennings. “If there are 20 offenses, rarely will there be 20 offenders. You would have one or two for all of those offences.”

Investigators are so concerned about this growing behaviour that a Crime Stoppers re-enactment of the incidents in Ranchlands is planned for early next week.