Increased police presence will be seen in Ice District during Oilers playoffs
Edmonton police will join Oilers fans around Rogers Place and the Ice District as the team embarks on its playoff run.
"Our whole plan is to create a safe and fun event for all of the Oilers fans and the citizens of Edmonton," said EPS Staff Sgt. Jay Reinelt.
He said the playoff policing plan will be similar to last year.
"We made some small adjustments along the way to improve things as we went and we'll do the same thing this year if need be."
"You'll be able to expect increased uniform presence during games," Staff Sgt. Reinelt said.
He said how many extra officers will vary from game to game, round to round.
"Game 1, Round 1 is probably our lowest level of resources."
"It's mostly on-duty personnel from other units and areas that are re-deployed to the area. But as the fan base increases in the area and the fan participation increases then so does our police presence," he said.
While the focus will be around the arena, Staff Sgt. Reinelt said they'll also be keeping an eye on Whyte Avenue.
"Just because of its history but in the last few years there haven't been any issues there so it's just been our regular beat officers patrolling that area," he said.
Police also remind people that downtown, near the arena, can be busy even during away games.
"Expect some traffic congestion pre and post game," he said.
"Last year one of our games, even though it was an away game, we had almost 30,000 fans in the area so you can probably expect very similar things this year," he added.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.