Election candidate Jyoti Gondek, also the mayor, wants a special phone line you can call to report “non-criminal” social offenses.

This is a classic election-time smoothie. Calgary’s crime and public disorder problem is far beyond telephone tinkering.

Some typical tales, from an inner-city café with a popular outdoor patio:

It’s a summer Saturday morning and the patio is packed. A street person wanders in and suddenly collapses to the ground, half-blocking the entrance.

Is he asleep or unconscious? Nobody knows. They’re not even sure he’s alive.

He just lies there, unmoving.

A bizarre human spectacle ensues. Some people leave, some stay, wondering if they’re enjoying their coffee in the company of a corpse.

The owner repeats a familiar routine. She calls the police for help.

They a

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