The APP was formed as a result of the Royal North-West Mounted Police (RNWMP) leaving the prairie provinces during the First World War due to a lack of sufficient resources in light of its increased responsibilities for national security and reluctance to again enforce Prohibition law recently put into effect by the Alberta government after its experience doing so during territorial times.

[2] The APP was known for its tumultuous beginning, battles against rum-runners and bootleggers during prohibition in Canada and the United States, as well as its remarkable efficiency and professionalism which endeared the force to Albertans.

On November 9, 2019, Premier Jason Kenney announced a panel exploring the benefits of reinstating the APP, along with other policies regarding the return of federal programs to Alberta's jurisdiction.

[4] Upon Alberta entering Confederation in 1905, Wilfrid Laurier proposed that the mounted police should remain in the new provinces, under contract to the provincial authorities for $75,000 per year apiece – about one-third of the actual operational cost – a solution which was approved by both sides.

Owing to these greater responsibilities, which came without additional funding, on June 20, 1916, Commissioner Perry advised the federal government that the RNWMP law enforcement contract with the prairie provinces should be temporarily suspended for the duration of the First World War.

[10] The newly formed APP was provided a few horses and Ford Model T's,[11] and was primarily composed of former RNWMP officers, with 85% of members previously being employed as Mounties.

[12] Despite efforts to depoliticize the new police force, the provincial government was excited about the prospect of the APP, in particular enforcing the Liquor Control Act and prohibition, which RNWMP Commissioner Perry was happy to ignore.

The Saskatchewan government led by Liberal Premier James Garfield Gardiner sought to save money, reduce duplication of services and improve the reputation of the SPP.

[17] While disinterested in the RCMP and the situation in Saskatchewan, Prime Minister King advised Lapointe to resolve the matter to Premier Gardiner's satisfaction, and following a quick round of negotiations the SPP was disbanded by the end of 1928.

[20] The 1930 Canadian federal election saw Mackenzie King's Liberal government removed from power, and Conservative Calgarian R. B. Bennett took over as Canada's eleventh Prime Minister.

Bennett appointed General James Howden MacBrien as Commissioner of the RCMP and enthusiastically supported the idea of a single, nation-wide law enforcement agency, which would provide efficiencies through economies of scale over fractured provincial police forces.

Bennett had publicly opposed the RNWMP withdrawal of the prairie provinces in 1917 as a member of Prime Minister Borden's caucus, and saw the RCMP as an opportunity to assert federal control over policing, particularly around the issue of the union movement and left-wing political parties.

[21] Brownlee recognizing the opportunity and facing significant financial pressures approached Commissioner MacBrien on December 3, 1931, seeking a new federal contract.

[22] The Bennett government in 1931–1932 provided good terms to Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island for policing services, which enticed the provinces to support the RCMP's jurisdictional growth.

Increasing Western alienation coupled with perceived hostile federal governments in the late-1990s and early-2000s made greater control over policing, taxation and other matters palatable to Albertans.

However, Klein appointed nine MLAs to the Committee on Strengthening Alberta's Role in Confederation, which recommended against a number of the policy points in the letter, yet called for a study of the RCMP to evaluate if an alternative could be operationally and financially viable.

[36] Prior to the start of the 2023 Alberta general election, Premier Danielle Smith said that she would not campaign on the previous United Conservative promise to replace the RCMP with a provincial police force.

George Arkoff, Alex Auloff and Tom Bassoff robbed passengers of $400 in cash and a collection of valuable items and escaped into the woods.

[44][43][45][46] Constable Stephen O. Lawson (June 8, 1880 – September 21, 1922) was stationed out of the Coleman detachment in Crowsnest Pass, which was a hub for the liquor smuggling into Alberta during prohibition.

On September 21, 1922, Emilio Picariello, Florence Lassandro and possibly another shooter confronted and killed Constable Lawson in front of the APP station in Coleman.