With 2014 quickly coming to an end, for Staff Sergeant Art Hopkins, it was a progressive year for policing.
    While crime and policing stats show a picture of consistency over the last couple of years, the most important measure for Hopkins is a feeling of personal safety.
    “There are areas that are down a little and slightly higher in others, but overall there is a feeling of safety in the community,” he said. “Overall I haven’t changed my habits or acted any differently. I still take my walks in the evening and don’t fear for my safety.
    “I feel just as safe in my home and my community as last year, and that is a better judge than numbers.”
    One success story over the last few year is the Drumheller RCMP’s effort to charge inmates criminally for crimes in the institution, rather than simply allowing for internal discipline.
    “We started this in January 2010, so in four years the charges laid have accumulated into approximately 75 years of consecutive sentencing, and a few years of concurrent sentencing,” said Hopkins. “There has been approximately $35-$40,000 worth property from the proceeds of crime seized. There has been restitution for damages done up there for between $5,000 and $10,000.”
    While some may not immediately recognize the benefit on the streets, Hopkins says these efforts make the community a safer place as well as contributes to investigations.
    “It drastically affects our community if we don’t hold inmates accountable. If we do not charge the inmate with offenses they commit, it does not become part of their criminal record,” said Hopkins.
    He explains that if an inmate is released, and has a relatively clean record that does no reflect their activities while incarcerated, if they are dealt with by the courts again, they are not held accountable for their actions if there is no record.
    “When a judge sentences an inmate to the penitentiary, it says we need behaviour modification, they need to change to fit into society,’ said Hopkins. “By not holding them accountable, we are not giving the inmate an opportunity to change.”
    “In addition, the ones who are being released to work in the community are the ones who have kept their noses clean, have gone through behavior modification, as opposed to those who are still committing offenses working in the community,” he said. The position also affords correction officers more security if an inmate threatens a guard or take a stance that is threatening, we hold the inmate accountable.”
    Another success Hopkins points to is fraud awareness.
    “We have been harping on frauds repeatedly. I can’t stop harping on frauds because these are easier to commit by way of our computers,” he said. “When I look at the offenses committed successfully they are greatly reduced by the efforts we have put in educating our residents as a whole. They are more cognizant of these attempts. We have to keep talking about it because there is not a day that goes by that someone is not cooking up something.”
    There have been many (fraud) attempts but not near as many successes as there used to be.” 

Drumheller-Stettler MLARichard Strankman stays as a member of Alberta's Official Opposition following the December 22 decision by the Honourable Gene Zwozdesky.

With the reduction in the number of Members in the Wildrose caucus to five, the question has arisen as to which caucus will constitute the Official Opposition in the Legislative Assembly of Alberta since the Liberal Opposition also has five Members, while the New Democrats have four Members and there is one Independent.

“Based on a thorough review of authorities and precedents across Canada, I have determined that incumbency is the key factor in the case of a tie and that the Wildrose caucus shall continue as the Official Opposition,” said Speaker Zwozdesky.

Leaders of the Wildrose and Liberal caucuses were notified of the Speaker’s decision on Tuesday afternoon. In his five-page decision letter Speaker Zwozdesky stated that “when faced with the issue of designating an Official Opposition in the event of a tie in caucus standings during the life of a Legislature, the key factor is incumbency or, put another way, which caucus was previously the Official Opposition.”

Speaker Zwozdesky considered a number of practices and precedents from across Canada which are referenced in his decision letter. The letter will be available on the Assembly website: assembly.ab.ca