Alberta Sheriffs Branch
| Alberta Sheriffs Branch | |
|---|---|
Logo of the Alberta Sheriffs Branch
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| Agency overview | |
| Formed | March 10, 2006 |
| Preceding agency | Courts and Prisoner Security (CAPS: 1988–2006) |
| Legal personality | Governmental: Government agency |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction* | Province of Alberta, Canada |
| Population | 4,067,175 |
| Constituting instrument | Peace Officer Act |
| General nature |
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| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Sworn members | 800+ |
| Elected officer responsible | Kathleen Ganley, Minister of Justice and Solicitor General |
| Agency executive | Lee Newton, Chief Sheriff |
| Facilities | |
| Stations | 16 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
| Footnotes | |
| * Divisional agency: Division of the country, over which the agency has usual operational jurisdiction. | |
The Alberta Sheriffs Branch is a law enforcement agency overseen by the Ministry of Justice and Solicitor General of the province of Alberta, Canada. Under the authority of the Peace Officer Act, Alberta Sheriffs are peace officers with a jurisdiction over the province of Alberta. The Alberta Sheriffs Branch is the largest and most versatile provincial sheriff service in Canada.
There are several divisions currently operating in various areas around the province. The sheriffs can enforce all provincial and Federal acts with active enforcement depending on unit. Training is completed at the Justice and Solicitor General's Training Academy, located in Edmonton. Training is a minimum fifteen-week basic recruit course, and once on Highway Patrol or other specialized units, a minimum of another eight to twelve weeks of training is conducted.
During the 1980s in Alberta, the court system had a multitude of agencies that contributed to its operation. The Provincial Court of Alberta's security and operation (when referring to the process of moving offender populations to the court house for court appearances) was the responsibility of the local municipal police forces when they were inside a major municipality. Rural courthouses were the responsibility of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta was the responsibility of the RCMP all over the province.
Within the correctional system, moving prisoners from provincial remand and correctional centres fell to the Alberta Correctional Escort Service (ACES), which was an unarmed service with the Alberta Correctional Services. Transferring prisoners to and from federal correctional institutions was the responsibility of RCMP as the unarmed ACES were not permitted to perform these transfers.
In April 1988, Court and Prisoner Security (CAPS) was formed to free up resources tied up in the operation of the Alberta justice system. CAPS initially operated in the major city centres of Calgary and Edmonton, but eventually expanded to the smaller cities of Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Red Deer and Wetaskiwin in September 1988. The organization when up and running fully consisted of roughly 150 sworn members.
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