POLICE APPEAL TO PUBLIC TO WATCH FOR SIGNS OF DRUGS

Small town Alberta is not immune from the trappings of what are often
perceived as big city problems, say Turner Valley RCMP, and they want
locals to be on the lookout for the signs of drug dealing and manufacturing.

Drugs are no stranger to the High Country area, said Sgt. Jim Ross of
the Turner Valley RCMP, and if people are doing drugs that means
somebody is manufacturing and selling them.

"We want to identify drug traffickers," Ross said.

He said there are people in the area who are drug users and they must
be getting their supply from somewhere.

With the help of the public, Ross said he hopes to be able to get
those people locked up behind bars.

"People, a lot of times, have ideas," he said. "You want to step
forward and give us the information so we can work on it at a higher level."

He said it has been a number of years since a marijuana grow-op has
been uncovered in the area, and he also said it would not be
surprising if there were some in High Country.

"We are not getting a lot of reports of (grow-ops)," Ross said. "I
think it is naive to think it's not happening."

The Turner Valley detachment is asking the public to report any
suspicious activity they see and they sent out a pamphlet in recent,
local water bills to show people some of the tell-tale signs of drug activity.

Ross said an unusual amount of late night traffic, closed blinds or
shades, burned bottles or people exchanging money for goods and
people concealing items in garbage bags can be signs of drug use or
drug trafficking.

Signs of drug production include strange smells such as chemicals,
constant humming, strange alterations such as large vents and
multiple generators, moisture on windows, the foundation or the roof,
and little garbage leaving the home.

He said he hopes people who notice this kind of suspicious activity
call the police.

"If people care about their community they'll report this stuff to
us," he said, adding people can call the police anonymously or call
Crime Stoppers.

"They could be providing the missing piece of the puzzle, or the
beginning piece of the puzzle, or the last piece of the puzzle," he
said. "Each one of those little tidbits of information builds up."

The police and the public can be partners in catching those behind
the drug trade, he continued.

"We want people to take ownership of the problems in the community," Ross said.

Surrounding towns had identified drugs as one of the problems they
want to tackle this year, which was the impetus behind the push by
police to get the message out to the community that drug activity
needs to be reported.

A new recruit, Const. Jeff Mahar, created the pamphlet and said he is
happy to get involved.

"It is a way to give back to the community," Mahar said.

Drug use affects everyone, he said.

Crime is often fuelled by drug addictions and hits taxpayers in the
pocketbook through taxes incurred by health care costs, fraud,
insurance costs and policing.