Downtown crime and drug issues persist, but policing shows positive trends
By Justin Sibbet - Lethbridge Herald Local Journalism Initiative Reporter on July 25, 2024.
LETHBRIDGE HERALDjsibbet@lethbridgeherald.com Crime, drugs and disarray are often seen as the face of downtown Lethbridge, but there are some who say the city core is evolving into a more stable location with each passing day.One LPS sergeant says while downtown crime and drug issues remain a problem, the overall trajectory of the police service is moving in the right direction.
Sgt. Ryan Darroch, who oversees the downtown public order unit of the LPS, says as recruitment numbers rise, the ability for officers to keep the peace is increasing.
“We’ve come a long way from where we were even two years ago with staffing,” said Darroch.
“We’ve hired a whole bunch of officers this year.”
He says this is a serious step forward as the LPS looks to regain ground downtown, though he understands progress does not happen over night.
“It takes time (for a new officer) to go through their field training officer program to being 100 per cent confident and competent to go on the street by themselves because it’s a complicated job with a whole lot of scrutiny.”
Darroch has been with the Lethbridge Police Service for 21 years and he says there has been significant change in those two decades when it comes to recruiting new officers. This, he says, is because the “label in society in general has changed” for police officers.
“Even going back (four or) five years ago… we were not in a great place,” said Darroch.
“With our new management team and some additions to our executive team, we’ve moved a long way and that trickle down effect has come through our entire service. We’re seeing a whole lot more applicants than we did four or five years ago.”
He says this shift is good to see as recruitment is now simply easier today than it once was.
“We’re turning the tide back in a much more positive way,” said Darroch.
Even despite the significant steps forward, Darroch says there are still major problems facing Lethbridge, specifically regarding drug use. He says the opioid crisis is a complex “three-pronged” issue that has no easy solution.
“Fentanyl is obviously something that kills many good people within our city,” said Darroch. “But meth brings a lot of erratic behaviour.”
According to Darroch, meth is “king in Lethbridge”, because it is the most popular drug on the streets.
He says the erratic behaviour is “troubling for a lot of people to see” because they don’t know how to handle the situation.
“Either us or EMS show up to deal with that person who is basically flailing. Methamphetamine psychosis is the technical term where they’ve been up for days, they’ve been using for days, they’re dehydrated, they’re not in their right state of mind.”
He says the part of the solution may be just six to 12 months away as more officers get recruited and trained.
“Just having more presence, I think we can curb some of that behaviour,” said Darroch. “And with that comes, I think, a greater sense of security for downtown business partners and just visitors to our downtown core.”
He says the city has come a long way since the closure of the supervised consumption site. However, he says the problems seen today are no longer a direct result of that site.
“I don’t think it’s overly fair to still be labelling our current problems linked back to the supervised consumption site,” said Darroch. “I think that narrative probably has to fade away at this point.”
Even so, Darroch says several initiatives in Lethbridge, from police recruitment to the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force, are bringing these positive trends and conversations further along than the years when the supervised consumption site was active.
He says the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force in particular has allowed open dialogue between residents, city leaders and LPS.
“I think it’s important to highlight what’s happening and talk about it and have meaningful conversations on how to try and find solutions to what’s happening,” said Darroch. “Because not talking about it is not going to help because then you’re basically turning a blind eye to it.”
As a result, Darroch says it is important for residents to report all crimes they witness, whether they are a direct victim or not.
“I don’t ever want to see people not reporting because then it looks like our crime stats are going down when we know our downtown is a hotspot of negative behaviour. By not reporting, it is not going to help because then it looks like everything is rosy and then we don’t get the resources to deal with the problems that are going on.”
While Darroch says the conversations are happening, officers are being recruited and LPS is moving forward into a stable direction, the life of an officer is still not easy, especially when dealing with crime downtown.
“We don’t have a whole lot of downtime. We have police officers who’ve been working for five years at breakneck speed now. We don’t even know what it’s like to do proactive patrols because we are so busy,” said Darroch. “That’s just our task, on to the next one, on to the next one, on to the next one.”
He says the patrol crews work 12-hour shifts, which offers little rest right from the start of the shift.
“You sign on and you’re sent to your first call,” said Darroch. “You go to that event, you write a report about what happened, you clear yourself with a computer and they send you another (call).”
He says this is challenging work, but officers are a special breed of people who are prepared to work in a high-pace, high-stress environment.
“A police officer understands what it takes and they’re ready for that challenge and I think they take pride in that to a certain degree.”
Even so, he says there is nothing that can prepare a police officer for the mental toll the opioid crisis is creating.
“Where we do see some faltering, some added stress is just from all the overdose deaths,” said Darroch. “We have a lot of people who join law enforcement to help people and there’s days where we feel more like morticians.”
This part of the job, he says, causes some of the most strain on officers.
“The opioid crisis has crushed our community in many ways and just dealing with so much death and especially so many young people… it’s just so troubling,” said Darroch. “It’s not normal to be doing multiple death notifications for 21, 22, 30-year-old people. It’s hard. There is some wear and tear for sure.”
Thankfully, Darroch says LPS has resources for officers if they are struggling with their mental health and, overall, morale is high within the service.
Finally, for those who may feel as though LPS is not there for them, Darroch says they are there, even if they are not always immediately available.
“Just believe in us. I know that’s a big ask, but we’re coming, we’re doing our very best with the resources that we have.”
He says the force must triage calls, so certain crimes will be dealt with later.
“Someone banging against a brick wall at 11 o’clock at night, yeah that is troubling, but we have, sadly enough, a lot more dynamic events going on at 11 o’clock on a Friday night.”
Returning full circle, Darroch says the boosted number of officers within the Lethbridge Police Service will have a positive impact on the community in the long haul. 3
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