Community Concerns Prompt Calgary Home Closure

Calgary… A Huntington Hills home that for the past year has plagued the Calgary neighbourhood with drug activity will be vacated thanks to an Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) investigation.

In response to community concerns over public safety, ALERT’s Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods team will close the problem property, located at 475 Huntborne Way Northeast, on July 7th. The home has plagued the neighbourhood with suspected drug activity and Calgary Police Service members have been called to the home 20 times for various complaints in the past year.

SCAN uses civil legislation to target problem properties around the province that are used for illegal purposes such as prostitution, gangs, drug use and drug trafficking. The SCAN team consists of Alberta Sheriffs who partner with local police agencies on their investigations.

The Huntington Hills home will be closed for a period of 90 days with the tenant barred from entering or occupying the property and locks being changed, windows and doors boarded up, and the property fenced. SCAN began this investigation in September 2013 and initially attempted to address the concerns through informal means. The closure, or a Community Safety Order that is obtained through the courts, is proven effective in breaking the cycle of problem behavior.

Since October 2008, SCAN has received more than 2,098 complaints about problem properties province-wide. Sixteen closures have taken place in the Calgary area.