Alberta sheriffs close Medicine Hat property over violence, drug activity

Alberta sheriffs closed a Medicine Hat home located at 377 Fourth St. N.W., for 90 days starting May 22, 2024. (Google Maps)

Alberta sheriffs have closed a problem property in Medicine Hat, saying officers were frequently called to the home because of drug activity and violence.

The Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods unit (SCAN) closed the home, located at 377 Fourth St. N.W., for 90 days starting Wednesday.

The community safety order bars people from the property until the closure period ends on Aug. 20.

The property will be boarded up and fenced off until then, and all the locks have been changed.

The Medicine Hat Police Service says officers attended the property 49 times between Jan. 1, 2021 and Sept. 6, 2023.

Police chief Al Murphy says SCAN has provided invaluable assistance in addressing the "persistent concerns" over the property.

"Together, we have taken significant action towards fostering a safer community."

"Drug dealers are not welcome in this province," said Mike Ellis, Alberta's minister of public safety and emergency services, in a Wednesday news release.

"The southern Alberta SCAN team is providing residents with the peace of mind they deserve."

Since its inception in 2008, the province says the SCAN unit has investigated more than 9,000 properties and issued about 117 community safety orders.