ALERT issues notice of Taber ops, declines to reveal outcomes

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

 On April 29, Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT), issued a notice that it would be executing search warrants in Taber, but a week after the fact declined the opportunity to divulge details or outcomes to the Times, citing an “ongoing investigation.”

 The April 29 notice, presumably released just as the Taber operations began, said, “ALERT is currently conducting an organized crime investigation in Taber and residents can expect a heavy police presence in the area.”

 Dubbed Project Leadline, ALERT called the local operation “a lengthy organized crime investigation led by ALERT Lethbridge, with help from Taber Police Service (TPS), Lethbridge Police Service, and the RCMP.”

 The investigations that were expected to result in arrests remain non-specific, with the notice simply stating that additional information will be provided at a later date and time.

  ALERT’s mandate is to create safer communities by combating organized and serious crime. The teams bring 400 municipal police and RCMP officers together to investigate everything from drug trafficking to child exploitation to gang violence.

 ALERT encourages members of the public who suspect drug or gang activity in their communities to call local police or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Crime Stoppers is an anonymous tip line.

 The Times has requested additional information from the TPS.