Mayor Bronconnier is rallying his colleagues in the 22-member Big City Mayor’s Caucus to lobby the federal and provincial governments for legislation and funds for an all-out effort to prevent the ‘catch-and-release’ treatment of repeat offenders.

He has directed the Calgary Chief of Police to identify the full scope of the problem in this city, including the amount of police time and resources that currently go into re-arresting the same individuals, time and time again. The Mayor has also asked other big city mayors to compile the same information from their own municipalities, data that would be used to bolster their argument for a legislative change.

He has also proposed – and Council approved – a $250,000 Drug Courts pilot project, modeled after similar projects that have proven successful in some U.S. cities. Repeat offenders are given two choices: get help, or go to jail. No other options