Airdrie’s Citizens on Patrol (COP) is the reason an Airdrie man faces 14 charges of Mischief after he damaged a number of vehicles in the Railway Street area, according to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis
“I’m very proud of our Citizens on Patrol,” Curtis said. “(COP) is a great resource. They do excellent work.”
According to Curtis, Airdrie RCMP arrested Ryan James Trafford, 21, on Jan. 17 after members of COP observed him walking down Railway Street at 11:50 p.m., doing damage to vehicles, and called RCMP.
“This individual was walking down the street, yelling and swearing to himself and kicking cars. I believe he ripped the side mirror off one vehicle,” Curtis said.
“All indications point to (him being under the influence of something.)”
COP provided updates to RCMP on Trafford’s behavior until officers could arrive and take him into custody, according to Curtis.
“(COP) is out there because when a police car drives around the corner, everyone suddenly behaves a lot more legal,” Curtis said.
“When the Citizens on Patrol are out there, they’re exactly that; they’re citizens in their own vehicles, wearing their own clothes. You wouldn’t know they were watching you until a police officer rolls up on you and they’ve been calling in the whole time where you are and what you’ve been doing. They’re our hidden eyes out on the street.”
Trafford will appear in Airdrie Provincial Court to answer to the charges. According to Curtis, he was released from custody after promising to appear.
Tanker Rollover
Highway 2 was closed in both directions at CrossIron Drive for more than eight hours on Jan. 20 after a tanker trailer southbound on Highway 2 loaded with gasoline rolled over and hit the centre median, according to Airdrie RCMP Media Liaison Constable Jason Curtis.
Curtis said Airdrie RCMP were called to the scene at 4 a.m.
“No other vehicles were involved,” Curtis said.
“There were no drugs or alcohol involved. The investigation is continuing but we’re not sure (what caused the rollover) at this point.”
Gasoline from the tanker was leaking onto the road, according to Curtis, resulting in the lengthy road closure.
Along with Airdrie RCMP, Rocky View Fire Services, Provincial EMS, Alberta Highways and Alberta Environment were at the scene, according to Curtis. No one was injured.
Razor Blade Found
A four-inch razor blade found taped to the side of a shopping cart at CrossIron Mills Mall near Balzac might simply have been left by a worker, or could be something more sinister, according to Curtis.
An employee at the store discovered the four-inch razor blade on Jan. 15 and alerted RCMP and mall security.
“In talking to the manager of that particular retail outlet, it’s possible that a maintenance person or contractor was using that cart, but with the placement of where the blade was, I don’t want to take that chance with the safety of the public,” Curtis said.
“CrossIron Mills security did an excellent job of checking every single cart on the property,” he said. “We didn’t find anything else.”
Curtis said investigators did not know how long the razor blade had been taped to the cart but urged mall shoppers to use caution when using a cart at the mall.
“It’s a disturbing incident,” he said. “Hopefully it’s just an simple mistake.”
Curtis was not able to release the name of the store involved, citing a reluctance to penalize the store.
“In reality, they did absolutely everything right and professionally. Their employee noticed it and contacted RCMP and security right away,” he said.
“They’ve been excellent. I don’t want to unintentionally and adversely impact their day-to-day operations.”
Stolen Sunglasses
Specs Optometry on Main Street was hit by two unknown thieves in the early hours of Jan. 12, according to Manager Lisa Gavin, who got away with more than $20,000 worth of sunglasses and frames.
“RCMP called me at about 2:30 a.m. The alarm went off,” Gavin said. “(The thieves) smashed the front door. They took 90 per cent of our sunglass inventory and a couple of our frame lines.”
The two thieves, caught on the store’s video surveillance, spent less than five minutes in the store, according to Gavin, which she said makes her believe they’d been in the building before and knew exactly what to take.
“There was glass everywhere,” she said. “We could see two men on the video. You can definitely see the two men and watch the whole thing happen. They come in and go straight to what they want. They look like they were handpicking frames.”
A number of the store’s display cabinets were damaged; Gavin said she hasn’t begun to figure out how much it will cost to repair or replace them.
“I’m assuming somebody somewhere is getting a $300 pair of sunglasses for $30,” Gavin said. “They’re after the sunglasses, it’s an easy sale.”
Petty Fraud
The Petland on Main Street in Airdrie were victims of fraud on Jan. 2 at 7:50 p.m., according to Curtis.
“Basically, it appears it was a quick cash scam, where the individual will purchase a small item and pay for it with large bills while attempting to confuse the cashier into giving them more change than they should get back,” he said.
Curtis is unable to disclose the amount of money the man got away with, but says it was a smaller but not insignificant amount.
Video surveillance was collected and RCMP describe the man as having a slight build with dark skin, short, black receding hair and a thin black moustache. He was wearing a large, black winter jacket. Curtis said officers are asking for the public’s help to identify the man.
If you have any information on any crime, call the Airdrie RCMP detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
