DIAL-A-DOPER SERVICES A BIG PROBLEM: POLICE

Crack houses and grow ops breed more public concern, but
dial-a-dopers are quickly becoming a big problem in Red Deer,
Neighbourhood Watch members heard on Tuesday.

Dial-a-dopers are literally fly-by-night - or day - operators who
live by their cellphones and sell drugs out of a vehicle throughout the city.

It could be empty church or school parking lots during off-hours, or
sometimes even busy mall parking lots at peak hours, said Const. Kent
Dahl of the Red Deer City RCMP Street Team.

While there are 10 to 15 known drug houses in the city, police say
there are 80 to 150 active dial-a-dopers working here.

Dahl told a meeting of Neighbourhood Watch members that two
dial-a-dopers generally work together for protection and usually
drive a rented vehicle.

They first circle a public parking lot to ensure it's free of police.
Then the dopers park briefly at a prearranged time to complete a
brisk trade of money for drugs from a client who's called ahead for
the service.

"The money has to be up front, cold, hard cash" before the drugs are
handed over, said Dahl. "They don't front the drugs and ask for the
debt later."

As soon as the trade is done, they leave for other locations and
other customers, possibly returning to the same parking lots several
times a day.

"They're very hard (for police) to deal with," said Dahl.

Even if a dial-a-doper is charged with a crime and released pending a
court date, he goes back to his boss in Calgary or Edmonton and is
often reassigned to another community to work off his debt for the
drugs police have seized, added the constable.

The same dealer could end up in Saskatoon or Camrose - making it hard
for police to pick up the trail.

Dial-a-dopers also have to know their clients, said Dahl.

Buyers either have to be recommended to the dealers by a trusted
source or the dial-a-dopers have to get to know them over a certain
period to ensure they aren't undercover police.

He described most dial-a-dopers as white males from 17 to 25 who do
it for the "thrill."

Some have boasted they get more for selling drugs - especially
cocaine - than they would working in the oilfield, said Dahl. "They
come into the community, get a lot of money, get a lot of girls and
in drug circles they get a reception as if they are a 'big player.' "

But Dahl said businesses and area residents can make it harder for
dial-a-dopers to operate by monitoring all parking lots for this kind
of activity and calling police with car descriptions and licence plate numbers.

"Look for vehicles that don't fit the age group" of the motorist,
said Dahl, as well as for teams of two, in which one person is
constantly on a cellphone. "These guys can get 800 to 1,000 phone
calls in a shift."

Neighbourhood Watch member Pauline Mousseau said she's noticed
suspicious night activity in the parking lot of an Eastview
convenience store off of Ross Street.

"It's escalated over six months," said Mousseau, who recalled
witnessing three vehicles use the parking lot location for brisk drug
deals. The cars park, trade, then take off again and return later.

Mousseau said she thinks it's in the best interest of all store
owners - as well as nearby residents - to monitor parking lots better
and call police about suspicious vehicles.

Neighbourhood Watch president TerryLee Ropchan said drugs in the
community are always among the top concerns for her members, who also
heard Dahl speak about crack houses and grow ops on Tuesday.

The information provided will be useful in the fight against drug
dealers, she said.

"We encourage people to get to know their neighbours and not to lose
hope. They can learn what to look for and what to do when they see
drug activity."