The Fugitive Apprehension Sheriffs Support Team (FASST) tracks, investigates and arrests criminals who are wanted on outstanding warrants in Alberta and have previously evaded capture. Fugitive apprehension is a specialized investigative skill and capturing these individuals requires a lot of time and police resources. FASST ensures the process is intelligence-led and that tracking efforts can seamlessly cross jurisdictions.

The program, the first of its kind in Canada, plays an important role in promoting safe, secure communities by arresting criminals and decreasing the likelihood of them re-offending and re-victimizing Albertans.

In Alberta, there are thousands of people wanted on about 175,000 outstanding arrest warrants. Approximately 8,000 of those warrants involve serious or violent crimes such as robbery and attempted murder.

The support of FASST allows local police more time and resources to focus on other priorities like community policing and criminal investigations. Until this program was created, the province's various police agencies, including the RCMP, were solely responsible for tracking people with outstanding warrants and other provincial apprehension warrants. FASST has also received requests for service from the federal immigration department, welfare fraud investigators and the federal justice department's fine enforcement program.

All agencies that contact the unit have their requests prioritized and assistance is granted in accordance of urgency.

In January 2010, ALERT's Calgary-based FASST unit joined a six-month pilot project in southern Alberta. The Integrated Fugitive Apprehension pilot project brings together the Calgary Police Service's Fugitive Apprehension Detail, Southern Alberta RCMP, FASST, and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) to identify, track, and apprehend fugitives who are actively evading police. The project will test an integrated approach to sharing information and resources, and prioritizing fugitives based on real-time intelligence and the level of risk they pose to Albertans.