Alternative response officers make impact in Saskatoon downtown

Saskatoon’s homelessness and addictions crisis is impacting the downtown core, where community officers are the first point of contact. Keenan Sorokan reports.

Sergeant Ken Kane sees the impact addiction is having on Saskatoon every day.

“You’re attempting to find places for them to go and you’re attempting to honestly just keep some of them alive from overdosing on drugs that are out in the streets right now,” Kane said during a brief break from his duties earlier this week.

“It’s a difficult balance for us.”

The veteran officer’s latest post with the Saskatoon Police Service involves working with the traffic unit alongside alternative response officers (ARO), who walk downtown as a visible patrol offering outreach services to vulnerable people and often being a first point of contact for people in the throes of addiction and homelessness in downtown and Riversdale.

One moment these AROs might be speaking with a business owner or ensuring a homeless person is safe, or they may be called to help with an arrest.

“We try to approach things in a more de-escalation way without a firearm and a Taser. Your words are kind of your most powerful tool.”

More than most other officers, AROs have been able to form relationship with people living on the streets and people working downtown.

After Prairie Harm Reduction closed in April, homelessness and addiction have become growing concerns, and officers know it’s not something more arrests are going to solve.

“It’s not just trying to arrest our way out of a problem, but also trying to find long-term solutions for the people that are coming downtown and making the citizens uncomfortable,” Kane said.

Starting in 2021 as a pilot project and made permanent a year later, AROs are seen as the true difference maker on the streets, being a visible presence and an ally that can prevent situations from getting worse.

“My theory is to always approach things with kindness,” Montgomery said. “People usually respond well to kindness.”

And the work never stops.

Moments after speaking with Kane and Montgomery, they ran toward a man causing a disturbance at the downtown bus terminal. The increasingly agitated man was ultimately arrested for causing a disturbance, which may have prevented a dangerous encounter.

“There are people working very diligently to try and solve what’s happening,” Kane said of the service’s many partners and advocates working to find meaningful solutions.

“But in the meantime, it just feels like we’re kind of just responding to the calls as they come in and trying to make sure that downtown is as safe as it possibly can be.”

Saskatoon police say there are currently 13 AROs working, and it’s currently accepting applications for hire in February 2027.

Due to the success of the ARO program, vacancies happen with some officers using the ARO program as a pathway to police college.

Montgomery isn’t concerned with her long-term outlook right now. She finds her current job to be very rewarding.

“I go home happy at the end of the day that I made even a small difference in one person’s life,” she said.

Downtown business owners have been known to vent their frustration to Kane and Montgomery with the expectation police can prevent drug use outside their door or some of the other social disorder.

While that may not be the case, both Montgomery and Kane say there has been success getting people off the street and into necessary programs as a pathway out of addiction.

“People have had success stories and getting into a detox center and getting clean and sober, which is really amazing. I do think that the complex needs facility helps a lot in that, and also the brief detox unit. Just getting people connected with those resources really makes a big difference,” Montgomery said.