(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Josh Hall (Twitter: @Vancan19)

better coverage sought

Call growing for Gasoline Alley police station

Feb 25, 2020 | 8:00 AM

Gasoline Alley should be home to a police station, if you ask those who do most of their business in the area.

It’s wishful thinking for now, says Red Deer County Councillor Jean Bota, but perhaps closer to reality than it was a few years ago.

Bota has asked county staff to report back council on the matter.

“It would not only benefit Gas Alley, but Willowdale and the area east of the city, as well as Springbrook, and C&E Trail,” says Bota, councillor for division two which includes Gasoline Alley.

“What kind of model would it be? Maybe we can combine fire and police, I’m not sure, but administration will have to tell us that stuff. I’ve just said let’s have a discussion about what we could do.”

Prevention, Access, Recovery, and Coordination

Safe Harbour officially hands over shelter keys, establishes accessible navigation hub

9h ago

lacombe and sylvan lake

December 2025 (un)employment data released for Alberta sub-regions

10h ago

21 years with WCPS

Darcy Blum appointed principal of Lacombe Outreach School

11h ago

Bota shares that the county has a piece of land in Gasoline Alley set aside specifically for a future satellite police office.

The crime stories Bota continues to hear from business people like Brenda Neufeld are nothing new, she adds, making the idea of a local police station even more sensible.

“I don’t think there’s been any pressure to do this, even though it’s an area where there are a lot of calls for RCMP,” says Neufeld, who owns Turple Brothers. “There are over 100 businesses on the west side of Gasoline Alley alone, so it’s an area that maybe needs to be monitored a little more closely.”

Neufeld helps with the Red Deer County police advisory committee, and leads a local business group which has strived to make the community more friendly over the past couple years.

The officer in charge of Blackfalds RCMP, which covers policing for Red Deer County, says businesses coming together is helpful, and while a satellite station would be also, it’s not a decision he can make.

“Any members there would be able to respond to calls in the area much quicker, and I think people seeing police cars in the area might bring a sense of security,” says S/Sgt Dan Martin. “Plus, rather than our members going out and having to come back to Blackfalds to write up files, they could stay out there and be in the area a bit longer.”

Blackfalds detachment covers an area from north of Lacombe in the north to the Pine Lake highway in the south, and from Sylvan Lake in the west to Tees in the east.

The most common types of files for Gasoline Alley, Martin adds, are vehicle thefts and thefts from vehicles, along with break-ins.

“It’s safe to say we spend a lot of time in Gasoline Alley.”