Cochrane RCMP had a busy year in 2015.
With three homicides in the detachment area, eight traffic fatalities, four arsons in Morley, and a rash of break and enters in the summer – the force is hoping for a more positive year in 2016.
“We are continuing to see rapid expansion growth, in the town and outside – so it is going to be challenging to keep up services. So we will be in consultation with the Town and Province to ensure we have adequate resources for services delivered,” said Sgt. Jeff Campbell.
In the past year, the majority of the crimes previously mentioned have been solved.
All three homicides were solved with charges laid with all cases are still before the courts.
With the eight traffic fatalities, some had alcohol as a factor, “which is disappointing, even one (traffic fatality) due to alcohol is too many,” said Campbell.
“We are still seeing people step behind the wheel when they had too many drinks and when people are still dying as a result from drinking and driving. If we could not have any (drinking and driving) incidents for the next year that would be my hope,” Campbell said.
The break and enters in summer resulted in one man, 36 year old Robert Simms from Calgary, being arrested and sentenced to five years in jail from theft in the Cochrane and surrounding area, with the local detachment still searching for the owners of the property.
“Quite a bit” of the property has been returned but Campbell said they still have a “bunch of outstanding” property the RCMP would like to return, if possible.
Charges have also been laid for the three arsons out in Morley. But the Mountain Springbank area fire still has an ongoing investigation.
With 2015 in the past, the local police are now focusing on the New Year.
The local RCMP are most excited for the construction start date of the new detachment building, to be located in the area where Highway 1A meets Highway 22. Which land the building will be built on is still being decided.
Campbell thinks the move will be good for the police. Reflecting on working at the same detachment in Cochrane in 1995, Campbell said it used to be a 20-member force, compared to the more than 50 people that occupy the building now.
“Unfortunately, we have kind of outgrown this. The (new building) will allow better access – it will be easier to get to the new development and back into town, just less congestion, getting in and out of the area” Campbell said.
The new building will also allow better communication between department, as Bylaw and Protection Services will also reside in the building.
And with a bigger force, comes the need for a higher rank in command. The Cochrane RCMP will be replacing the Staff Sergeant with an Inspector in Charge in the New Year, as the growing numbers require. No one has been named yet and the force is still going through the approval process.
Cochrane RCMP will also be bringing technology into the New Year.
“Right now we are playing catch up, especially on the social media side,” Campbell explained.
Police are looking into how to streamline posts/tweets for the local and surrounding area.
Currently the Cochrane RCMP social media activity must be approved by the K-Division media people but local officers are working to find quicker options to post and tweet updates.
Campbell explains the officers would like to post updates about traffic, including crashes and fatalities so the public can be aware of which route to avoid.
The social media aspect would also come in handy for trying to locate suspicious persons.
“Even 24 hours is too late,” Campbell said.
The December Checkstops resulted in 11 impaired charges, with six drug-related suspensions, and seven alcohol-related suspensions in Cochrane and area.
“When the government did their speech from the throne, they did mention at looking into legalizing marijuana so within that is going to come on how to enforce driving while under the influence of drugs,” said Sgt. Jeff Campbell.
While driving while impaired by drugs is already in the Criminal Code of Canada, Campbell suggests the RCMP might be looking into ways to determine the quantitative value of drugs in a person’s system.
“Right now there is no quantitative value, unlike alcohol – it is the whole part of the officer’s investigation, which determines the level of impairment then it is up to the judge to decide whether or not you were impaired,” Campbell explains.
Currently the officers determine level of impairment from drugs with a field sobriety test, following another test from a trained drug-recognition officer.
“If someone smokes a lot of marijuana and it is always in their system, there will always be some level of impairment,” Campbell said.
“Whether you are driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs, you will be caught.”
