Knowledge is Power
Pandemic Impacts ICE Unit
When COVID-19 arrived in Canada, life slowed down for people who started working from home and cutting back on social activities. But, for investigators in ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit, things only got more hectic. In March 2020 alone, the ICE Unit took in 243 online child exploitation files — more than double the […]
Laying the Foundation
Seeing is believing, as the old saying goes. But when it comes to organized crime investigations, seeing is the key to bringing perpetrators to justice. That’s where ALERT’s surveillance teams come in. Operating across Alberta in support of organized crime investigators, they collect detailed information on associations, exchanges, evidence and techniques. “A picture is worth […]
Cross-Border Cooperation
While the laws they enforce and the methods they use might differ, law enforcement agencies on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border have the same goal: To catch the bad guys. That shared goal is a big reason why Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) have developed a […]
Good Neighbours: Alberta, B.C. Work Together to Curb Interprovincial Crime
Organized crime doesn’t respect provincial borders, but thanks to cooperation between police agencies in British Columbia and Alberta, more effort is being put into tackling criminals who operate interprovincial. Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) and the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit – British Columbia (CFSEU-BC) have had a long-standing working relationship as they investigate […]
Making the Connection Through ACIIS
Sharing intelligence is one of the most effective weapons law enforcement agencies have at their disposal in combatting serious and organized crime. And one of the best ways they have to share that intelligence is through the Automated Criminal Intelligence Information System (ACIIS). ACIIS is the only national criminal intelligence database and is governed by […]
Looking Out for Luring
The word “luring” conjures up every parent’s worst nightmare: Their children are enticed by a predator they met online to leave the house and meet up with them in person. But Det. Leigh Happner with ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit says that, when laying charges in an investigation, the definition of “luring” is quite […]
Suspect Arrested for Online Child Exploitation Offences
Calgary… ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit and Beiseker RCMP have charged a 47-year-old man with online child exploitation offences. Karl Schackwidt was arrested on April 22, 2020, and his home in Irricana, Alta., was also searched. The suspect was charged with distributing, possessing, and accessing child pornography. ICE alleges that Schackwidt was involved in […]
Online Child Exploitation On the Rise
Edmonton… ALERT’s [alert-tooltip title=”The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit is under ALERT’s umbrella and investigates offences related to the exploitation of children over the Internet. Click for more info.”]Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) unit[/alert-tooltip] and the Canadian Center for Child Protection are reminding parents about the need to closely monitor their children’s internet activity in light […]
EPS Civilian Employee Arrested by Internet Child Exploitation Unit
Edmonton… A civilian employee of the Edmonton Police Service has been arrested by ALERT’s [alert-tooltip title=”The Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit is under ALERT’s umbrella and investigates offences related to the exploitation of children over the Internet. Click for more info.”]Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) Unit[/alert-tooltip]. Richard Adamsky was arrested on April 1, 2020, at his […]
