Alberta sheriffs shut down problem property in Medicine Hat

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A Medicine Hat property that police visited 50 times in two and a half years has been closed, the Alberta government said Wednesday.

Investigators from the Alberta Sheriff's Safe Communities and Neighborhoods (SCAN) unit were granted permission to close 377 4th St. NW for 90 days starting at noon Wednesday after receiving a court order.

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The property will be fenced and fenced and all locks will be changed. The property will be monitored while members of the SCAN unit continue their investigation.

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The Medicine Hat Police Service visited the property 49 times between Jan. 1, 2021 and Sept. 6, 2023, for various calls, including complaints of drug activity and violence, the province said in a news release. SCAN has received four property complaints since August 2021.

“The Southern Alberta SCAN team's close partnership with the Medicine Hat Police Service is critical to our success in dealing with long-standing problem properties like this,” Alberta Sheriff's Deputy Chief Greg Medley said in a statement Wednesday. “SCAN's work has a positive impact on the lives of Albertans, fueling our teams' efforts to ensure law-abiding citizens feel safe wherever they live.”

Established in 2008, Alberta's SCAN unit has investigated more than 9,000 properties and issued 117 community safety orders. Most complaints are resolved by working with property owners to stop trespassing on their property, the province says.

Last November, the province announced the creation of a new southern SCAN unit of six investigators based in Lethbridge to work with local police to investigate problem properties.

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