EdmontonPoliceServices

After working with Edmonton Police Services (EPS) Edmonton Public Schools is reintroducing school resource officers (SRO) to six schools. The SRO program is currently focused on six high schools, Jasper Place, M. E. LaZerte, Ross Shephard, Eastglen, Harry Ainlay, and Queen Elizabeth but plans are to expand it to additional schools in the future. The SRO program was designed to provide support for students and ensure a safe and supportive learning environment.

On Wednesday Edmonton Police Service has asked Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Service Mike Ellis to intervene in and investigate city council's latest appointments of Dan Jones and Renée Vaugeois to the Police Commission. On Thursday Ellis said he will lunch an inquiry into the growing acrimony amongst the Edmonton police, the commission that oversees it and city council. Late Thursday afternoon Dan Jones one of the new police commissioner appointees said he is stepping down from the post.

Reading the accounts of the past couple of days reminds me of kids squabbling on the playground, but this is more serious. On Thursday Minister Ellis said ongoing dysfunction between the three bodies “is negatively impacting public safety, public trust and the ability to deliver adequate and effective policing, putting public safety in Edmonton at risk.”

The Edmonton Police Service (EPS) is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing 14-year-old male.

Junior Hebel, 14, was reportedly last seen in the area of 134 Avenue and Fort Road on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, and has not had any contact with family or friends since.

Junior is described as 6’2” tall and approximately 180 lbs with brown eyes and short blonde hair. He was last seen wearing a black winter jacket, black athletic pants and black and yellow winter boots.

Missing youth: Junior Hebel, 14

“Junior’s disappearance is out of character, and as a result, police and family are concerned for his welfare,” says Const. Stephanie Ducharme with EPS Northeast Branch Patrol. “We have exhausted all investigative avenues available to us to locate Junior and are hopeful the public can assist.”

Junior is familiar with the LRT and ETS bus routes and is known to frequent local libraries.

Anyone who has seen Junior or knows of his whereabouts is asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone.

There have been seven arson fires in southeast and southwest Edmonton neighbourhoods since May and police continue to investigate if there is a connection. At two of the fires ransom notes were left on neighbouring properties demanding Bitcoin money transfers. Police are asking people in the neighbourhoods where the fires were set to come forward with any information they might have including camera footage and requesting that people make certain that all cameras and motion sensors are working.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at 780-423-4567 or anonymous tips can be sent to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

In spite of the huge investment of time & money in creating Edmonton's public transit system and police reporting violent crime in Edmonton’s transit centre is down, a recent poll indicates that majority of Edmontonians still do not feel safe using public transit.

Former Edmonton police officer turned criminologist Dan Jones, the Chair of justice studies at NorQuest College thinks the police report number doesn’t tell the whole story.“ He wonders if its crime that’s going down or is it reporting that going down?

When asked to comment on transit safety Mike Ellis, Alberta’s minister of public safety said that perception is reality and his comment must become a major consideration. As long as people perceive that it is unsafe they will hesitate to use public transit which creates a double whammy that must be addressed. Firstly, public transit must be made truly and actually safe and secondly that will have to be proven and communicated in such a way that will change the public's perception. Until that happens "unsafe" will remain in the minds of too many Edmontonians when they think of public transit.

An Edmonton Police news release today brought great news and was optimistic of more of the same. In addition to the drop in shootings police seized 70 firearms in May and 332 overall in 2024 compare to 521 firearms in the same period. The decrease in the number of firearms seized leaves police optimistic that their targeted efforts to reduce gun crimes are working as intended.

Edmonton Police Services (EPS) have released further details on the recent spate of extortion based crimes targeted against members of Edmonton's South Asian community. They believe the crimes are committed by local criminals who receive their directives from an Indian who is the kingpin of an organized crime ring. EPS believes threats are communicated via WhatsApp and the main targets seem to be home builders who are thought to be able to pay the extortionists.

EPS has formed a dedicated task force, is working with other agencies and is asking the community to get involved.