Downtown crime and drug issues persist, but policing shows positive trends
By Justin Sibbet - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on July 25, 2024.
Herald photo by Justin Sibbet
LPS constables Tanner Campbell and James Steacy speak with people under the pergola at Galt Gardens on Tuesday morning after arriving for a patrol of the area.LETHBRIDGE HERALDjsibbet@lethbridgeherald.com
Crime, drugs and disarray are often seen as the face of downtown Lethbridge, but there are some who say the city core is evolving into a more stable location with each passing day.
One LPS sergeant says while downtown crime and drug issues remain a problem, the overall trajectory of the police service is moving in the right direction.
Sgt. Ryan Darroch, who oversees the downtown public order unit of the LPS, says as recruitment numbers rise, the ability for officers to keep the peace is increasing.
“We’ve come a long way from where we were even two years ago with staffing,” said Darroch.
“We’ve hired a whole bunch of officers this year.”
He says this is a serious step forward as the LPS looks to regain ground downtown, though he understands progress does not happen over night.
“It takes time (for a new officer) to go through their field training officer program to being 100 per cent confident and competent to go on the street by themselves because it’s a complicated job with a whole lot of scrutiny.”
Darroch has been with the Lethbridge Police Service for 21 years and he says there has been significant change in those two decades when it comes to recruiting new officers. This, he says, is because the “label in society in general has changed” for police officers.
“Even going back (four or) five years ago… we were not in a great place,” said Darroch.
“With our new management team and some additions to our executive team, we’ve moved a long way and that trickle down effect has come through our entire service. We’re seeing a whole lot more applicants than we did four or five years ago.”
He says this shift is good to see as recruitment is now simply easier today than it once was.
“We’re turning the tide back in a much more positive way,” said Darroch.
Even despite the significant steps forward, Darroch says there are still major problems facing Lethbridge, specifically regarding drug use. He says the opioid crisis is a complex “three-pronged” issue that has no easy solution.
“Fentanyl is obviously something that kills many good people within our city,” said Darroch. “But meth brings a lot of erratic behaviour.”
According to Darroch, meth is “king in Lethbridge”, because it is the most popular drug on the streets.
He says the erratic behaviour is “troubling for a lot of people to see” because they don’t know how to handle the situation.
“Either us or EMS show up to deal with that person who is basically flailing. Methamphetamine psychosis is the technical term where they’ve been up for days, they’ve been using for days, they’re dehydrated, they’re not in their right state of mind.”
He says the part of the solution may be just six to 12 months away as more officers get recruited and trained.
“Just having more presence, I think we can curb some of that behaviour,” said Darroch. “And with that comes, I think, a greater sense of security for downtown business partners and just visitors to our downtown core.”
He says the city has come a long way since the closure of the supervised consumption site. However, he says the problems seen today are no longer a direct result of that site.
“I don’t think it’s overly fair to still be labelling our current problems linked back to the supervised consumption site,” said Darroch. “I think that narrative probably has to fade away at this point.”
Even so, Darroch says several initiatives in Lethbridge, from police recruitment to the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force, are bringing these positive trends and conversations further along than the years when the supervised consumption site was active.
He says the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force in particular has allowed open dialogue between residents, city leaders and LPS.
“I think it’s important to highlight what’s happening and talk about it and have meaningful conversations on how to try and find solutions to what’s happening,” said Darroch. “Because not talking about it is not going to help because then you’re basically turning a blind eye to it.”
As a result, Darroch says it is important for residents to report all crimes they witness, whether they are a direct victim or not.
“I don’t ever want to see people not reporting because then it looks like our crime stats are going down when we know our downtown is a hotspot of negative behaviour. By not reporting, it is not going to help because then it looks like everything is rosy and then we don’t get the resources to deal with the problems that are going on.”
While Darroch says the conversations are happening, officers are being recruited and LPS is moving forward into a stable direction, the life of an officer is still not easy, especially when dealing with crime downtown.
“We don’t have a whole lot of downtime. We have police officers who’ve been working for five years at breakneck speed now. We don’t even know what it’s like to do proactive patrols because we are so busy,” said Darroch. “That’s just our task, on to the next one, on to the next one, on to the next one.”
He says the patrol crews work 12-hour shifts, which offers little rest right from the start of the shift.
“You sign on and you’re sent to your first call,” said Darroch. “You go to that event, you write a report about what happened, you clear yourself with a computer and they send you another (call).”
He says this is challenging work, but officers are a special breed of people who are prepared to work in a high-pace, high-stress environment.
“A police officer understands what it takes and they’re ready for that challenge and I think they take pride in that to a certain degree.”
Even so, he says there is nothing that can prepare a police officer for the mental toll the opioid crisis is creating.
“Where we do see some faltering, some added stress is just from all the overdose deaths,” said Darroch. “We have a lot of people who join law enforcement to help people and there’s days where we feel more like morticians.”
This part of the job, he says, causes some of the most strain on officers.
“The opioid crisis has crushed our community in many ways and just dealing with so much death and especially so many young people… it’s just so troubling,” said Darroch. “It’s not normal to be doing multiple death notifications for 21, 22, 30-year-old people. It’s hard. There is some wear and tear for sure.”
Thankfully, Darroch says LPS has resources for officers if they are struggling with their mental health and, overall, morale is high within the service.
Finally, for those who may feel as though LPS is not there for them, Darroch says they are there, even if they are not always immediately available.
“Just believe in us. I know that’s a big ask, but we’re coming, we’re doing our very best with the resources that we have.”
He says the force must triage calls, so certain crimes will be dealt with later.
“Someone banging against a brick wall at 11 o’clock at night, yeah that is troubling, but we have, sadly enough, a lot more dynamic events going on at 11 o’clock on a Friday night.”
Returning full circle, Darroch says the boosted number of officers within the Lethbridge Police Service will have a positive impact on the community in the long haul.
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The downtown core relocation program has begun. Service Stations, bank drive throughs, fast food drive throughs.
Hi buckwheat
This is the next stage of this disaster. Council, Police all “have to say” everything is fine, or its getting better, or the numbers are skewed by X and there is always an X.
Boots on the ground say otherwise, people who live there, say otherwise.The natural unimpeded development of this problem, over decades of history, says otherwise.
I have watched numerous police forces tackle this problem and the disorganized product of all of them, is somewhat organized but its not recognized as such.
They are constantly undermanned, and I mean constantly. So for instance, if you are a Police officer and you are trying to get one, or a small group of Addicts to move on, and three peckerheads are pecking at your ear telling you they are human beings, they have rights, they deserve respect, they don’t need the harrassment, and all they need is love and tenderness. It tends to violate why you believe you are there.
So in the end, the loudest group influences how things are handled, because police officers live in this community as well as work here. So Lethbridge Society sends conflicted messages to its own police force continually.
Why? No rules as Barry insists, thats why! You can’t say there are rules and then suddenly decide there are 15 exceptions to that rule. Well if its Johnny, he has FASD so you can’t do this, if its Sally well she just lost her brother so you have to treat her with kid gloves. So the Social Services breakdown of whom these people are then becomes the rule book.
Every formal or informal meeting between these groups further blurs the rules to a point, when an officer arrives, and departs results in a mod to the rules literally every time.
An example: Speeding, there is a rule, now it is up to the officer who listens to you explain why you were speeding and determine whether you will be let go or not. He listens to your story, uses his/her judgement and then makes a decision. With Addicts, he has to listen to the addict, listen to his counsellor, listen to the Social Justice League of Lethbridge, listen to the complaining citizens, listen to the Ambulance Driver, listen to the bleeding hearts who come to his/her aid, etc etc and the decision becomes so blurred to the point that in the end, he/she wonders why they bother even being on the scene! Thats whats happening now!
So whats the Answer: Clear set of rules, one rule for all, no wavering, give the speeding ticket (eg) until the mess is cleaned up. Suddenly after doing this, the streets will become better, but terms like Gestapo and Nazis will be circulated by the marginalized groups who thrive on discourse.
I concur!
We have been let down by the police, who are not listening! As a business owner who is reading this article, I am furious because downtown has been ignored!
Do police staff show up for work, then have to hide in their vehicles until the drug crazed men flailing their arms in the doorways – staff parking areas leave or police arrive an hour later? Are they afraid to walk 40 feet from their car to the door and do they call their boss and ask for help moving these people away so they can be safe walking from their vehicle to work? Oh wait, that is right, the police leadership say they feel safe walking downtown! So, if they say it is safe, well I guess it must be??
Do they come to work finding piles of poo and pools of urine at their doorways, graffiti on their building, or a fatal overdose?
When their shift ends and they head home, have their employees discovered that their cars were broken into and damaged?
These issues have cost me nearly $50,000 in just over 5 years and that does exclude staffing costs be in because downtown safety issues. We require a police force that can and will police, and if Lethbridge Police cannot, then change is required! Period!
They are unaware of the high costs to downtown businesses!
When I look back, I sometimes wonder if the city administration and the realtors who own a lot of downtown property have a covert plan to destroy downtown, lower real estate prices, buy those properties, and then employ planned gentrification, including new neighborhood plans once the criminals are gone. Is it possible that this is the reason they permit criminals to demolish downtown?
Take a gander at every one of the damaged structures, ones with plywood for windows, plywood where glass doors were, and all the ones who have reverted to roll shutters, which the criminals like to graffiti with spray paint.
How many businesses have relocated to other areas of this city? Is leadership truly blind like this?
Barry, I appreciate you sharing the videos and images with me! It reflects what truly is occurring downtown and that administration ‘sweeps under the carpet’ and expresses, ‘nothing to see here’!
I would love to share my CCTV footage with media, but that would then make me a target! Because it is not safe downtown!
Makes me wonder why all of the Strict Patriarchs here are always clamouring for more police. At least y’all are coming around to the proximity of reality.
never enough police for some – if the fascists get their way we will have at least one in every home…or, they will get to visit every home at will, using the same mentality as did our courts when check stops were okayed: driving is a privilege…and so, too, is having a home. hey, if you have nothing to hide…right?
here’s to the police state – because in order to have freedom you have to have police state order.
How can I view those images and videos? Can you share?
R.U.Serious….did the Businesses of Lethbridge get together and show a united front and fight this at the start….not a chance, too many afraid of their church, afraid of offending their fellow church paritioners, afraid of not getting invited to the next Tea Party or afraid of the bylaw’s officer, just like you, so get off your high horse! You Reap what you Sew!
So lets see how you are doing right NOW. How many Businesses are on the Next Meeting of “lets straighten this mess out”? Post the time and place and I will watch as 3 show up!
We put LAPS in this situation, let me break it down for you. If there is a gang of people creating trouble on a street downtown, and at the sametime their is domestic dispute and there is ONE Officer available? Where does he/she go? If they attend the gang thing, and the domestic results in the woman being killed, Lethbridge fries their butt!, if they go to the domestic and the gang brakes windows, Lethbridge fries their butts!
Mind you, they do it behind aliases because they don’t have the balls to say it to their face. So do you listen to aliases preach from the pulpit or do you ignore them? I choose to ignore your rants but do take joy in answering the “ruffy-tuffy guy/gal, (hidden behind an alias like all other businesses), you come across as, so keep posting it keeps me amused!
So there is no confusion in what I am saying, I will be clearer “Lethbridge Business and Chamber of Commerce did “ZERO” to prevent this, so, what are you doing now, I mean RIGHT NOW”? Too funny!
What an angry man! Perhaps you should find some time to read your Bible and find some peace.
Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.
I will pray for you Mr. Bremner!
Not an angry man at all. I am the product of 35 years of being in constant pain. I was addicted, and quit pain killers. One of the things that comes out of being in constant pain is you tend to lose all your filters to placate societies propensity to lie to itself. Some call it tact, others call it being less abrasive. In the end we lie to each other to comfort each other.
When you have no filters, you say what others wish they could say, but don’t because of being deemed socially unacceptable. I don’t lie, so if I tell you something, it is the RAW truth, its not some flowery misrepresentation of the truth.
We are where we are today because of this cities propensity to color the truth. I believe that there are times you do that, this is not one of them.I walked the streets of Lethbridge talking to businesses to try to garner support for my project, the results were big talk, but they did not want to be on the record, because,they were ;
-afraid of offending their church, who was deeply involved in washing the offenders feet and not caring about their business or them;
-afraid of offending their fellow church paritioners, who are there patrons that keep thier business afloat, or ;
-afraid of the bylaw’s officer,
So one businessman who uses an alias on this board, speaking up, encapsulates the existing problems beautifully. Hence the reason you “think” I am angry.
No need to pray for me, I am secure in my lot in life. You have a fine day.
while i advocate the idea of replacing the poisons that pass for “drugs” with relatively safer, natural products. this option brings about several better outcomes: less crime due to stealing to support a habit made stupidly expensive by drug laws, and by the fact that criminal entities are able to cash in on misery; less crime means a safer community and money saved via policing and courts and jail; safer products that are quality controlled that help stave off overdoses and poisoning, again, saving us all money and resources.
i am very ,much onside with more enforcement of gang laws. if the cops arrest gang members, though, their ultimate removal for any period of time is then with the courts. sadly, the courts seem to love the most violent and nasty offenders. a pat on the back, stay out of trouble, follow some conditions…as if. we have seen numerous people recently let off human trafficking charges and sexual assault of at least two minors. i know, this seems to have noting to do directly with downtown issues, but it is exactly a part of the issue: the courts refuse to slam down on violent and others of the most dangerous offender categories. repeat, serial, ongoing offenders that repeatedly fail to show for court appearances, that repeatedly fail to comply with conditions, that repeatedly prey and offend upon folk that have nothing to do with criminality.
all that said, i absolutely favour one’s right to their body and to their preferences: but i also absolutely stand for the rights we each have that protect us one from the other. we all must be responsible such that our choices do not infringe upon the rights of others using drugs, alcohol, big gulps…whatever is not an infringement upon another. if one cannot behave safely and with respect for the universal rights of another, one requires a fair and reasonable come comeuppance. this does not appear to be happening much in and around lethbridge.
Legal prescribed opioids are what got many addicted in the first place.
Drug policies- https://youtu.be/fzG3karEDuU
Opium Wars in China – research the damage it did to China
Addiction to opium became widespread in China, causing serious social and economic disruption.
The wars also led to the weakening of the Chinese dynastic system and paved the way for uprisings such as the Taiping and Boxer rebellions.
You cannot get more pure of drug and it destroyed their society, weakened it and caused crime to rise! It also allowed the British to win in battles.
No drug is safe! Have you ever heard the long list of side effects on TV for prescribed drugs they are marketing?
Addicts don’t want clean drugs because they do not give them the high they want to achieve to go into trip which leaves reality behind! They sell them in exchange for those stronger drugs they seek!
Safe supply has failed in BC and it failed in Ontario.
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/evidence-shows-safe-supply-diversion-is-a-problem#:~:text=%E2%80%9CDiverted%20safe%20supply%20is%20being,happening%20in%20Toronto%20and%20beyond.
If you want to have safe supply, by all means move to BC and enjoy free Meth, Cocaine and Fentanyl on the taxpayer dollar. No one is holding you here!
not sure how it is you and so many others that support our drug laws seem to be stuck on referencing the opium wars lol. an entirely different context. opium has existed pretty much as long as have people. notwithstanding the nefarious intent of the wicked british empire, opium has never undone any society, and nor have any drugs that have forever grown as weeds, shrubs, cacti and fungus. the ones that are poison in the tiniest doses have been learnt to be avoided. the ones that work to quell physical pain, ease mental anguish, stoke creativity and energy, evoke spirituality or soothe and calm have all been used the world over by the vast majority of users without severe issues. of course, there is the 10% rule, whereby roughly 10% of humans seem to have issues with something, be it drugs/alcohol, gaming, eating, sex…and now, digital devices and synthetic drugs and products. in fact, with regard to synthetic drugs and products, like digital devices, the rule of thumb seems to be a great number more than 10%.
this brings me to your first line: you seem to confuse “prescribed” synthetic pharm pills with actual real products. they are not, and thus, they are far more insidious as our bodies are not geared to interact with them very well. pharm opioids are indeed a massive part of our societal problems right now. because, like glucose/fructose/liquid invert sugars, they are foreign to our dna. ditto all the preservatives and chemicals that are strewn together to create addictive unhealthy food choices tha ravage the stomach microbiome that creates unhealthy and obese humans. let us agree that the opium war association has far more in common with big pharm synthetics than it does with societies that have used natural drugs safely and responsibly over the many thousands of years. in fact, the worst problems were begun by the fascist and crimes against humanity war on drugs and laws that have tried to enforce such a draconian and sick approach. criminal elements have since flourished, people have been sickened and poisoned – just like during alcohol prohibition – and the basic right of human to their body has been illegally stolen away.
yeah, a bunch of numbed brain negs but no acknowledgement of the many decades long folly of drug prohibition, and as was the case with liquor, how prohibition leads to poisonings, deaths, big piles of money and power for organised crime, and lots of wasted money and resources, with great fail, to enforce, prosecute, and jail offenders.
I think Darroch is saying that your narrative is flawed and out of date.