New team of Alberta Sheriffs going after wanted criminals

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on September 18, 2024.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The provincial government announced the creation of a new team of Alberta Sheriffs to help bring wanted criminals to justice all across the province during a press conference Tuesday.
“Today, I’m pleased to announce that a new Alberta Sheriff’s team created to help track down criminals wanted by authorities, is now up and running across the province,” said Mike Ellis, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.
He explained that the team is called the Fugitive Apprehension Sheriff Support Team, known as FASST which started operations in February of this year in Edmonton and is already making a difference in just seven months.
“The team has executed more than 1300 warrants. Now that may seem like a large number, but there are more than 82,000 warrants that are active in the province of Alberta at this time,” said Ellis.
He explained that this meant more than 300 offenders have been apprehended, taken into custody and are now off the streets.
“It’s also worth noting that of the nearly 300 arrests that have been made, more than 260 have been Tier 1 fugitives. So those are offenders who are the most dangerous, the most prolific and of course, high risk offenders in the province,” said Ellis.
He said the provincial government is providing $2.6 million in operating funding for the FASST teams, which will have members in Edmonton and Calgary.
“Seven officers in each city who will work with police services throughout Alberta to ensure that those accused and convicted of crimes in our province are brought to justice,” said Ellis.
While the team has been serving the province since February, Lethbridge Police Service has yet to receive their help, but Inspector Jason Dobirstein in charge of the criminal investigation division, told the Herald over a phone interview shortly after the announcement that they have applied for it.
“In July we finished a SOP of sorts, a Standard Operation Plan, working arrangements where we would be able to work hand in hand with the team as they were able to come down here,” said Dobirstein.
He said they are planning something potentially in the next quarter for members of FASST to come down and identify some targets that LPS may be having a hard time tracking down, and hopefully be able to then work together collaboratively on a few projects.
Dobirstein said he sees the positive value of FASST, particularly in rural areas where they don’t often have as many police officers available.
“When people flee, if they leave your community, I think it’s good that you can have a team that can go through the province where they need help catching a fugitive that has fled, outstanding warrants and those kinds of things,” said Dobirstein.
He said there is definitely value to FASST as some communities, including Lethbridge, have limited resources that can be dedicate specifically to tracking down people with outstanding warrants.
“Much like as an example when we have Street Wheelers weekend or other large gatherings in Lethbridge, we do well with the support of our partners like the RCMP and the sheriffs, so it would be really positive the same as that,” said Dobirstein.
He said LPS really appreciates the work the Sheriffs do and therefore they appreciate the concept of FASST and the work that they will do with them.
“The South team will work all of southern Alberta as needed, so if we want to do a project with them, they’ll come down, work with us for few days and then go back home,” said Dobirstein.

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