COUNCIL LOOKS TO CURB DRUG-RELATED CRIME

Spruce Grove is dealing with violence, drugs and gangs, and council
wants those convicted of drug-related offences to know the effects of
their actions on the community. To that end, council looked at a draft
community impact statement at the Feb. 12 council meeting, during an
update on a number of enforcement initiatives.

Impact Statement

Police have been working with the municipalities of Spruce Grove,
Stony Plain and Parkland County to get community impact statements
passed, which would be read during drug-related court cases in Stony
Plain Provincial Court.

Typically in a trial, before sentencing the victim of a crime has the
opportunity to inform the court how his or her life has been affected
by the actions of the accused. With a community impact statement,
police hope judges will see that crimes also have an effect on the
larger community and will take the citizens' views into account,
especially for serious and repeat offences.

Spruce Grove council looked at a draft copy of a community impact
statement, signed by Mayor Ken Scott, that asks the court "to be
creative in sentencing and to allow some of the financial profit from
the drug trade to be turned over to the not-for-profit and grassroots
organizations that are proactively engaged in dealing with drug
problems in the community."

Scott concludes the letter by encouraging police, courts, community
groups and governments to work together, and asks judges to "make a
strong statement (by) handing down effective, meaningful sentences to
drug users, growers and dealers."

The statement also draws attention to the RCMP drug squad, a
crime-fighting initiative that's costing Spruce Grove, Stony Plain and
Parkland County in the area of $550,000 per year.

RCMP Contract

Included with the agenda item was a status update on the RCMP in the
city.

The current RCMP contract is for 16 officers, which includes one drug
enforcement officer and a plainclothes investigator who works out of
the Stony Plain office.

In the budget for this year, the detachment will hire an additional
officer in April.

Projections for the next two years forecast the addition of one
officer in 2008 and another in 2009.

The city's 2007 through 2009 fiscal plan shows the RCMP contract will
grow by approximately $200,000 per year, from around $2 million in
2006 to just under $2.7 million forecasted for 2009.

Late in January, Ray Boudreau, the city's community policing/social
development supervisor, presented his year-end report about
enforcement services in 2006 to council, which focused on a jump in
the number of abandoned vehicles left in the city and an increased
emphasis on animal control.

In the newest information, he stated moving animal control in-house
allows more direct service to the community.

Bylaw Enforcement

Council asked whether more could be done could enforce existing
bylaws.

"There are a number of bylaws that we have that the peace officers
should be enforcing with the support of the RCMP when they're on
duty," Ald. Randy Palivoda said, mentioning specifically snow
clearing, unsightly premises and noxious weeds.

Boudreau explained to council a complete business plan is being
developed, and will be brought before council once it's finished.

Ald. Wayne Rothe asked whether more bylaw officers could be brought on
board to help reduce RCMP costs.

"It's less costly to use a bylaw officer than to have a police officer
on duty," Rothe said. "Would it be your opinion that maybe we should
be looking more at that?"

Boudreau said he also believed Spruce Grove's bylaw officers are
important and that there have been plenty of examples of criminal
matters that could have been prevented in the early stages by someone
like a municipal peace officer.

He explained, however, that it's vital to have the police in place as
well.

"If we do not respond to these concerns, they can escalate to the
neighbours feuding and then maybe shooting each other."