DRUG TRADE FUELS LOCAL CRIME

Drugs And Crime Go Hand And Hand Say Local Top Cops.

Cpl. Ted Baier of the Okotoks RCMP said there is no doubt that in Okotoks
police are responding to crimes that are tied into drug addictions and the
drug trade.

"Most property crime is drug related," Baier said. "Break and enters,
thefts from vehicles, even shoplifting can be drug related to support
their habit."

Baier said the amount of property crime the Okotoks RCMP detachment deals
with is significant, but it is unknown how much of it is being done by
people who are stealing for drugs.

"It is difficult to categorize," Baier said.

Violent crime is also attached to drug deals, particularly those that have
gone wrong, Baier said.

"I've seen assaults over drugs," he said. "People feeling like their
dealer is ripping them off."

Baier said he has personally seen people become involved in drugs and then
watched their career in crime take off.

"We have repeat offenders who have become known to police due to their
drug activity."

In Turner Valley, RCMP Sgt. Jim Ross said the High Country area is not
immune to the impact of the drug trade.

"Crack and cocaine are seen in the community," Ross said. "With people who
use drugs, there is a co-relation between crime and the drug users."

Ross said he would support any changes that would get addicts sober, but
said at some point the justice system needs to get realistic about
people's ability to live crime-free in the community.

"Anytime someone can deal with their vices that is a good thing," Ross
said. "But if their addictions cannot be surmounted because they are too
great then maybe they need to be somewhere else."

In Okotoks Provincial Court, a contracted lawyer handles drug cases.
Baxter Lee is at the local courthouse every Friday, every second Tuesday
and for trials on drug-related charges.

Lee said he is kept busy handling Okotoks' drug cases.

"There are a number of cases," Lee said, adding that sometimes the drug
charges he handles are directly related to other crimes in the court
system.

All of that could change if a drug treatment court in Calgary receives
provincial and federal funding that could see the program expand to
outlying communities.

Foothills resident Rob Laird is the intake coordinator for the Calgary
Drug Treatment Court and said he has been discussing the idea of bringing
the program to Okotoks if more money becomes available. "The idea is being
entertained right now," Laird said. "Calgary police are helping to set up
a program."

Under the new program, Lee would continue dealing with federal drug
charges. A limited number of cases from both federal and provincial court
involving drug addicts would be diverted to the drug treatment court.