Calgary Police: Major Sweep Targets Downtown Disorder

CALGARY, AB — Calgary police are on the ground right now running another sweep of downtown core streets, the latest pulse in a year-long enforcement rhythm aimed at pushing back disorder, drug activity, and violence in the city's most visible trouble zones.

The Calgary Police Service announced this morning that "Safer Calgary - Operation Order" is underway, with officers teaming up with City of Calgary Community Safety peace officers and Calgary Transit crews to blanket priority areas. It's the second "Operation Order" run in three months—the first hit the streets in November—and the fourth major deployment under the "Safer Calgary" banner since early 2025.

Translation: If you're downtown today, expect to see more vests, more badge checks, more patrols on trains and platforms.

The Pattern

These aren't random blitzes. Since February 2025, CPS has rolled out a rotating series of operations with names like "CERTainty" (spring 2025), "Jingle All the Way" (December holiday season), and now "Operation Order" (twice). Each one mixes street enforcement with referrals to social services—a carrot-and-stick play designed to both arrest offenders and connect vulnerable people to help.

The targets: drug possession and trafficking, social disorder violations, violent offences. The zones: downtown core, surrounding neighborhoods, and the LRT network where public perception of safety has been a flashpoint since at least 2023.

The Players

CPS Chief Katie McLellan is steering the ship, with Calgary Transit Public Safety Chief Marcia Gonder coordinating the transit side. Mayor Jeromy Farkas and the current council hold the budget strings—this is their administration's answer to years of resident complaints about lawlessness on Stephen Avenue, around shelters, and inside train stations.

The broader "Safer Calgary" framework grew out of a 28-point recommendation set from the Downtown Safety Leadership Table back in March 2024, plus a transit safety strategy Council approved in late 2023. Translation: this isn't improvisation. It's a multi-year playbook.

What It Means for You

If you ride transit or work downtown, today's operation is designed to make your commute feel safer—whether by removing offenders or simply by flooding the zone with visible authority. If you're among the city's street-entrenched population, expect increased contact with law enforcement and potentially a handoff to social agencies.

The friction point remains unchanged: enforcement sweeps can clear corners temporarily, but without long-term housing, mental health supports, and addiction treatment capacity, the same faces tend to cycle back.

CPS has not yet released arrest or referral numbers from today's operation. Those typically come days later, once booking paperwork clears.