“Undesirables or criminals — those are the kind of people walking through my land to get into Canada.”
That’s how Cardston County rancher Layne Cook reacted to news the RCMP now have Black Hawk helicopters to help patrol the Canada-U.S. border between Alberta and the state of Montana.
Cook’s family settled the area in 1889 and there is just over three kilometres of his land that sits right along on the border.
Until now, if Cook saw something suspicious, the nearest RCMP detachment is in the town of Cardston, about 25 km north.
“We’ve had multiple people cross the border from the U.S. coming into Canada. We’ve called the RCMP and most the time, by the time they get here, there’s not much they can do because they’re gone.”“It’s my safe space — and having people that you don’t want walking through your yard is not a good feeling,” added Cook.
While it’s more common for Cook to see people coming north across the border, Cook has seen people headed south, trying to get from Canada into the U.S.
“It’s not been as prevalent as the U.S. coming up,” said Cook, “because they know that the U.S. Border Patrol is on.
“I’ve seen the U.S. Border Patrol right along the fence many times while I’ve been out and I know they have cameras up, so they have ways of tracking and seeing who’s coming into the United States, where we have nothing.”
The RCMP said the flights along the U.S.-Canada border began Tuesday. Similar such flights have already begun in Manitoba.
The helicopter will patrol the Prairie border to search for, and target, all illegal activity along the border region.
The range of the Black Hawks depends on fuel, with the standard amount allowing them to travel about 590 km, though the range can be extended to more than 2,000 km if auxiliary tanks are added.
RCMP said this includes searching for people who illegally cross over into Canada between border crossings and for the human smugglers who facilitate those journeys.
RCMP said the Black Hawk will also be used to detect and stop smuggling and trafficking of contraband such as illegal drugs into, and out of, Canada.
The helicopters will have police officers on-board who can respond to any spot near the border where illegal activity may be taking place.
The helicopters can also be used to help direct Integrated Border Enforcement Team officers, who patrol the Alberta border in vehicles on the ground, to any suspicious activity.
Police added the Black Hawks allow those on board to fast-rope down without the helicopter needing to land, giving them the ability to extract and hoist to remove people as well.