Major Crimes Section

The Major Crimes Section of the Police Service is comprised of investigators whose primary responsibility is to provide investigative expertise to investigations that by their very nature require additional resources and/or time to thoroughly review the complaint. Members in this unit receive specialized training in a number of areas that allow them to investigate matters to the fullest opportunity available. Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) is mandated by the provincial government to provide Police with tools to fight organized crime.

Major Crimes is comprised of key areas of investigation such as:

• Computer Crime Section – Members in this section are responsible for investigating complex computer crimes ranging from internet frauds and scams to tracing other internet complaints.
  
  
• Economic Crime Unit – Members in this unit concentrate on investigating offences relating to major frauds and thefts.  Offences such as internet and credit card fraud and identity theft are a part of their active files.  Frequently this unit will partner with local media to ensure that the community is aware of the types of fraud that are currently happening within our city and how not to become a victim of these scams.
  
  
• Family Crime Unit – Members in this unit dedicate themselves to crimes involving all levels of domestic violence, sexual assault, and child abuse.  They work closely with community partners and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that all are focused on a positive resolution to the matter. Read more about the Family Crime Unit.
  
  
• General Investigations – Members in this unit are primarily tasked with investigating property and violent crimes such as homicides, home invasions, and robberies.  In addition, they will partner with provincial agencies such as Alberta Gaming and Liquor to assist in investigations that are of mutual interest and benefit.  Where required, members in this unit will conduct investigations on offenders that have been released by way of Judicial Interm Release hearings, Parolees and high risk individuals released to the community to determine what action, if any should be put into place.
  
  
• Integrated Child Exploitation - This member is part of a provincial initiative that responds to complaints of child abuse and child pornography over the internet.  In partnership with other provincial agencies, this member provides a coordinated approach to identifying those responsible for producing and distributing child pornography as well as helping to identify children who may have been subject to this type of abuse.
  
  
• Polygraph Unit – This section has one member who has been trained as a polygraph operator.  This member is responsible for conducting polygraph tests on suspects involved in criminal investigations, statement analysis and interviewing persons of interest. Read more about the Polygraph Unit
  
  
• Priority Crimes Unit –This unit investigates "Priority" crimes identified by Patrol Teams / Major Crimes Staff Sergeant. The Unit also investigates projects generated by the P.C.U. from analysis of crime trends. The Priority Crimes Unit is assigned to “at-risk” community initiatives, as determined by escalating crime statistics and socio-economic indicators; the P.C.U. team stabilizes environments; reducing and preventing crime and fear of crime.
  
  
• Technological Crimes Unit - The Technological Crimes Unit of the Medicine Hat Police Service is responsible for investigating and assisting investigations involving sexual exploitation of children on the internet, internet auction fraud, identity theft, computer hacking, theft of high-tech computer components, counterfeit computer software, and any other crimes where the computer is used as a tool or is the target of an offence. Read more about the Technological Crimes Unit
  
  
• Threat Assessments – One police member is assigned to I-TRAC (Integrated Threat and Risk Assessment Center) joint-forces, multi-disciplined unit that assesses threats and provides risk reduction plans for high risk domestic violence and stalking cases throughout the Province of Alberta.

Contact:
S/Sgt Jack Lemire
Major Crimes Supervisor
(403) 529-8421