The Bonnyville General Investigation Section (GIS) hit the ground running.
Since its inception one year ago, the local GIS unit has been busting down doors and taking names.
With 130 drug-related charges already under their belts, Cpl. Kim Hillier, non-commissioned officer of the Bonnyville GIS team, is proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.
“We’ve actually managed to target quite a few drug traffickers who have been in the area for a long time and have almost slipped through the police’s fingers because we need focused time in order to do a full investigation. That’s what our unit is doing. We’re taking that time, utilizing every investigational aid or avenue we can to bring an investigation to a successful conclusion,” she expressed.
The unit was five-years in the making before former S/Sgt. Luis Gandolfi was given the green light.
“He had lobbied to have this unit created for quite a long time... in order to assist in combating the drug issues in Bonnyville,” detailed Hillier.“There’s a trickle down affect when there are drugs in town, obviously it also contributes to property theft and violent crime.”
Acting detachment commander Sgt. Sarah Parke said the GIS unit does a lot more than tackle drug-related crime.
According to Parke, they also help execute search warrants, putting numerous offenders behind bars for charges relating to drug trafficking, theft, weapons, and fraud, among others.
“The GIS unit also takes the lead on ensuring those on curfews and house arrest are checked up on regularly and held to account when they’re found breaching. The Bonnyville GIS unit has been a huge asset to the Bonnyville detachment and working along side the GIS team has been a positive and productive experience.”
Hillier said by taking on some of the more time-consuming cases, they’re able to lighten the load for the general duty members.
She used an armed robbery, a serious child assault, and the break in at the Fas Gas as examples of some of the other work they’re doing.
“These investigations require a lot of focused time. That’s what we’re able to help with,” Hillier expressed. “We get involved any time it requires a more focused investigation than the members have time for.”
She continued, “If you look at our regular members who are multi-tasking every day with different types of investigations, and are spread very thin, for us to take on an investigation, it’s pretty much guaranteed that every one we’ve taken on, we’ve giving 110 per cent and have brought them to a fruitful conclusion... The amount of time we’re able to dedicate, I think, is the most important. These investigations are very difficult in that they span throughout multiple detachments and jurisdictions. We’re able to dedicate the time to follow-through with them.”
Working with other units, such as Cold Lake’s GIS, Police Dog Service (PDS), the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT), and St. Paul’s Crime Reduction Unit, they’re able to execute search warrants with more officers on-hand.
The local unit has worked closely with Cold Lake GIS, collaborating on investigations that benefit both communities.
Hillier explained, “I think (collaboration) is very important. It’s very difficult for a smaller team to put into practice the investigational techniques we need to use in order to be successful for these investigations. Having six members out there working on any one target is very important. We’ve been very lucky, the communication lines have been excellent between our two units.”
The three member strong unit, has managed to score some big wins when it comes to sentencing, Hillier noted.
“Our drug investigations are already garnering, I think, four guilty pleas. We’ve had jail time of up to four years. That’s awesome. It really speaks to the quality of the disclosure that my members are putting forward. It makes it easy for the Crown to prosecute and garners early guilty pleas.”
Looking back, Hillier said the unit takes a lot of pride in their first successful investigation.
The team was “just getting their feet wet,” when they arrested a high-prolific offender who had been travelling between Cold Lake and Bonnyville
Three search warrants, dozens of man hours, and utilizing their local resources such as ALERT and PDS, resulted in them getting their man.
“That one, we showed that we were needed and we were able to put a dent in crime in this area… My team has been awesome in the amount of dedication they have shown in making this unit a success,” Hillier said.
Overall, she thinks the public is pleased with the unit’s efforts, and admits there’s a lot more work going on behind closed doors.
“We have been as forthcoming as we can with our media releases. I do understand that sometimes the public wants to know as much as they can. We just ask them to be patient. A lot of our investigations involve police techniques we can’t make public until it’s before the courts,” Hillier stressed, adding, she isn’t sure people are aware just how many drugs are in the area.
Some of the most common drugs seized are methamphetamine, cocaine, and even MDMA and fentanyl.
Hillier encourages anyone with tips or information to contact the detachment, because they “rely on tips and information from the public.
“If you’re seeing or hearing things, please bring them to us. We will do our best to let you know what we’re able to do with it, but this is a unit where we work, 90 per cent of the time, covertly.”
Hillier hopes the public keeps in mind that a lot of the work they’re doing is covert, and if they happen to see a high police presence in a certain location, to keep it to themselves.
“Sometimes we’re coming to a residence or executing a search warrant, and it can be very dangerous for us. Letting the suspect know that we’re just down the road from their residence could result in some serious issues,” she said. “Give us the space to do our job and rest-assured, we’re doing the best that we can.”
