Held on October 21 – 24, police executed 171 warrants, issued 140 summonses (mostly for law violations related to tax evasion and deception), arrested 45 people, laid 47 criminal charges (mostly for drug trafficking and concealment of weapons), issued 110 warnings and seized approximately $3,000 in fentanyl and meth — all in transit property. “There was quite a bit of social unrest and criminal activity that we had the opportunity to observe and deal with,” said Insp. Scott Todd, who oversaw the blitz. Police did not press charges for simple drug possession. This is the second time this year police have partnered with transit authorities to conduct this type of enforcement. The first took place in early July before the Stampede, and at the time Todd said the sheer numbers of the blitz surprised him (327 warrants, 216 summonses, 86 criminal charges). Transit crime was reported to be 47 percent higher in the second quarter of 2022 than the previous three-year average. This past quarter, it had fallen 12 percent above its three-year average. Insp. Scott Todd says more enforcement shenanigans should be expected in the coming months as police and transit work toward a sustainable, long-term, shared enforcement model. (Lucie Edwardson/CBC) Using the lessons learned in July, Todd said they were able to run the October blitz using half the number of people. “Over the summer we wanted a very high profile presence and that was a big part of our mission to drive to the Stampede, making sure people see both the peace officers and the police officers out there,” he said. “We were focusing on different days of the week, different times, different levels of resources… We had some plainclothes officers in a more covert capacity and we were looking at if we dialed back the resources a little bit, could we have the same level of influence?” Todd says it’s clear that when there’s a concentrated enforcement effort on transit, it gets noticed. “Until the last day, some of our undercover officers who were at the CTtrain stations were being warned by people at the train stations to be careful because the police had been there for a few days,” he said. Todd and his team got “a bit of a laugh” out of it. “We’re clearly as stealthy as we expected to be. I think that’s a positive thing to know. And, we know that when we’re there and we’re doing it, there’s an impact. We’re just figuring out a sustainable model.” Throughout the second blitz, Todd said several people causing a disturbance or committing crimes were the same people law enforcement dealt with over the summer. “A very small group of people creates a lot of issues and creates a lot of challenges in dealing with security,” he said. Calgary Transit and Calgary Police are working to develop a joint enforcement model. (Lucie Edwardson/CBC) Increased violence against peace officers and police at CTtrain stations has been noted, according to Todd — and he knows Calgarians are seeing and experiencing it, too. “So we recognize that every citizen in Calgary who wants to ride the train or be in a station or enjoy any public space has the right to do so safely and we will continue to try to find the most efficient way to make it more safe people,” he said. What that will ultimately look like in the future remains undecided, Todd says. But police and Calgary Transit are exploring how they can work together to have a consistent and ongoing impact on social unrest, crime and violence in transit. Todd says more and different iterations of these enforcement failures can be expected in the coming months, and they hope to have a plan together for long-term joint enforcement in the new year. “There is incredible professionalism on the part of the transit peace officers and dedication and knowledge,” he said. “There are just certain skill sets and principles that they can’t bring to these kinds of functions that CPS can.” For example, peace officers are not allowed to seize or transport drugs — but the police do have that power. Earlier this week the city council proposed to increase transport fares by three per cent a year over the next four years. That means a monthly adult pass, now priced at $112, would cost $126 by 2026 if the plan is approved by the city council. Calgarians told CBC News they are not happy with this proposal at a time when they continue to feel unsafe while in transit.
