Disarming Edmonton Gangs: Police curfew checks with criminals

This is the second story of a special three-part series by Global News looking at gang violence in Edmonton. Click here to read the first story and click here to read the second story. 

From curfew checks to building relationships, the Edmonton Police Service’s gang suppression team (GST) keeps tabs on gang members when they get out of prison.

The hope is to steer individuals towards a crime-free life and, at the very least, prevent more violence from happening.

Ryan Ferry, the EPS sergeant in charge of GST, said throughout the team’s more than 12-hour shift, they do multiple curfew checks. The unit members have a list of people who’ve recently been released from prison who they check on.

“He’s (gang member) got a curfew of a 11 o’clock and so we’re going to head over there and see if he’s abiding by those conditions,” Ferry said.

One person they visit often, who cannot be identified due to safety reasons, has a love-hate relationship with the GST team.

“They’re always watching,” he said. “I can’t 100 per cent hate them for doing their job. They’re just following orders, right?”

He feels the gang lifestyle was just the card he was dealt.

“Not everybody’s blessed with a golden or silver spoon in their mouths… We got to do things we don’t want to but we have to, right, to feed our families,” he said. “I’m not a bad person. Just (make) bad, bad choices, I guess.”

When asked if he thought Edmonton was a dangerous city, the gang member offered a different perspective than police.

“No (not violent). Not with me around,” he said and then laughed.

Ferry reacted to that statement by the gang member, saying: “That’s coded language for: ‘I’m more violent than others that I’m encountering,’ and so, that sort of atmosphere of fear and intimidation and violence, as long as he’s violent enough, he doesn’t have anything to worry about.”

GST still tries to get people who are caught up in gangs to change.

“If he’s (gang member) willing to change, we’re going to support that change. If he can’t change, then we want to influence his behaviour and we want him to knock it off,” Ferry said.

The GST visits can be an olive branch for criminals to turn their lives around.

“We look for diversion first… Often times it takes a guy going to jail, having the friends go to jail, friends murdered, attempt on their life — these significant lifestyle kind of events have to occur before they’re ready to exit gang life,” Ferry said.

But the gang life might not want to leave them, making their presence a liability.

“We, for sure, want to make people aware (of gang members) in this neighbourhood if they see something suspicious because of these guys’ continued gang involvement, they’re a target for violence. His (gang member) truck was set on fire in the back of this house,” Ferry said.

Sometimes it’s those fires that make the work harder.

On the night of the Global News exclusive ride-along, there was a literal fire that forced the team to switch gears. There’s always something going on, always something that can drag the team away from tracking gang members.

“We’re still peace officers, we’re still police for the Edmonton Police Service,” Ferry said.

EPS is expanding the division, building out a second gang suppression team and firearms investigation unit.

Officers said the need is there because there’s also always another gang member on Edmonton’s streets.