Sheriff unit closes down, boards up northside home
By Lethbridge Herald on September 4, 2025.
Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
After a lengthy investigation, a house in North Lethbridge was boarded up and fenced Wednesday by the Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit of the Alberta Sheriffs.
Mike Dirkson, manager for the Alberta Sheriffs SCAN unit for the Calgary and Lethbridge area, said the complaints about the property began in February 2024.Â
“Complainants described the property that had a large amount of traffic to and from the property, people on foot, vehicles coming to the property,” said Dirkson. “Complainants said they thought they saw drug use on the property, as well as a high frequency of activity and police response to the property.”
He said SCAN investigators began their investigation and substantiated what complainants were observing and observed specific drug activity they would look for in a property like that.Â
“Like short-stay drug transactions, dial-a-dope drug transactions, as well as the police presence and some drug paraphernalia were found around the property, specifically in the alley right behind the house,” said Dirkson.Â
SCAN obtained a court order against the property owner of 1212 10 Avenue North. And after being closed on Wednesday, the property will remain closed for 90 days.Â
“In July of 2024 investigators served a SCAN warning letter on the owner of the property in hopes to open up communication with the owner and work on an informal resolution,” said Dirkson. “Ultimately, in this case the owner was mostly unable to control the activity occurring at the property and it ultimately continued,” said Dirkson.Â
He said in August, SCAN investigators and a lawyer from Alberta justice obtained a community safety order in the Court of King’s Bench, which bars all people from the property until the closure period ends on Dec. 2.Â
“It’s our hope that the 90-day closure breaks the cycle of violence and drug activity that was happening in this property, but it also gives the community a break from what was occurring here,” said Dirkson.Â
He said there was six complainants that showed activity at the property had a significant impact on the community.Â
Between January 2024 and May 2025, the Lethbridge Police Service attended the property 55 times for various types of calls for service, including assaults, disturbances and suspected drug overdoses.
“I would like to thank the complainants that came forward who had the trust in SCAN to submit their information in what they were seeing,” said Dirkson. “And also, a thank you to Lethbridge Police Service who we work closely with, not only on this file but numerous files around Lethbridge.”Â
SCAN members will continue to monitor the property for activity while their investigation remains ongoing. Community safety order conditions remain in effect until Dec. 2, 2027.
15-14
while it may come as a break (or not) for the affected households in the area, this is far too long of a wait time. if there are not already laws in place to this effect, it should be that tenants can be immediately and summarily evicted when there are complaints by neighbours for ongoing noise, traffic and demonstrated/suspected illegal drug activity.
it is entirely unacceptable that residential homeowners and renters should be subjected to this kind of nasty crap for much of any reasonable time frame. change the laws where needed, and get this stuff dealt with far more immediately.
Our justice system is way too slow.