BLM 2008-02.Pdf

FEBRUARY 2008 2 BLUE LINE MAGAZINE February 2008 Volume 20 Number 2 The 108 year old Bridgewater Police Service opened its first stand-alone police facility last year. For more on this unique service, turn to page 6. 6 Success through partnership 39 Supply and Service Guide 2008 The Bridgewater Police Service... the little department that could! 52 Out of the mouths of babes Shattering old myths about children’s testimony 10 Juvenile justice in Canada 56 Tough boss or tyrant? 14 New chief sets a lofty goal Jim Chu aims to make Vancouver Police Department Canada’s police leader 70 Advertisers Index 60 ‘Prosper warning’ not necessary if waiver unequivical 70 Back of Book 61 Inquiry line-up recommendation not binding 68 Blue Pages 62 Warrant provisions constitutional despite lower stand 55 Coming Events 63 Odour, bags and experience justify arrest 49, 53 Dispatches 66 CBSA officer required to demand sample 54 Emergency Services 58 Letters 69 Market Place 56 Media and Public Affairs 59 Odditorials 5 Publisher’s Commentary 50 Technology BLUE L LINEINE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE 3 FEBRUARYFEBRUARY 2008 2008 FEBRUARY 2008 4 BLUE LINE MAGAZINE No one has the right to run up a bill on the taxpayers by Morley Lymburner of milliseconds – but when we are dealing with people who owe a debt to society, the entire in- It is time we used human nature and modern frastructure fails us by design. technology to encourage errant citizens to pay Mixing our archaic justice system with mod- their debts to society... voluntarily. ern technology is like mixing oil with water. It was A misunderstanding from years gone by, with carved out of the middle of a previous millennium a tragic outcome, underscores my point. I saw a and is supported by people with a vested interest car blow a traffic light on a wide right turn while in keeping it that way. Slow, stodgy, out of tune on patrol one warm summer evening. Since I had and archaic, it is supposed to mete out justice in the green and was almost on top of him, I activated a timely fashion but is built upon a mountain of my roof lights. Immediately the car accelerated bureaucrats who think they know what is good rapidly. Traffic was minimal so I radioed the for us. dispatcher about the chase about to commence. All warrants from all jurisdictions should be As I gave my location, I was surprised to see the on the Internet for everyone to see and search. vehicle go out of control and slam sideways into There should not be any expectation of privacy a sturdy hydro pole. for anyone who owes a debt to any level of gov- I searched the very nervous driver, handcuffed ernment, since it is a burden that must be carried him and, after noting that he only had minor by all of us. Furthermore, unpaid debts grow and scrapes and wasn’t otherwise impaired, asked exceed the value of the original debt if not settled why he had bolted. He explained there were within a reasonable time. An increasingly heavy warrants out for his arrest for unpaid fines and burden on the offender. he was probably under suspension. I checked my Making this information available to all – computer, discovering there wasn’t and he wasn’t. employers, neighbours and friends – can help The driver stared at me in disbelief. After a few pressure the violator or debtor to pay up and face self denigrating expletives, he explained he had the music. This is not a debt to a private company; been moving frequently, thinking he was wanted they were charged in,” he told them. it’s a debt which requires taxpayers to hire clerks, for careless driving and driving without insurance. Chu’s innovative solution – police would police, inspectors and supervisors who must be A friend told him he would have to do time, as the use donated Air Miles to send scofflaws back to housed in publicly funded buildings which store fines would be too huge and he would be under a where they came from, where local police could mountains of documents, computers, databases driving suspension. deal with them. Although this methodology is and other equipment. I checked later and found all charges had been unique, the concept has dogged the justice system Every day a parking ticket goes unpaid or a withdrawn on lack of evidence more than a year ever since a national railroad joined Canada’s warrant is outstanding, there are overhead costs earlier because neither my errant motorist nor any two coasts. to maintain them. These are not ‘soft costs’ but witnesses showed up for trial. My offender had I wondered about that motorist from many hard, cold cash costs, which comes out of your been looking over his shoulder to keep ahead of a years ago. What if he could check for his own pocket and mine. A scofflaw has no right to run phantom law man, believing he would be thrown outstanding fines on the Internet? If all outstanding up a tab. We all have a right and personal interest in jail if stopped. It was this perceived fear that fines and warrants were treated for what they really to know who the cops are looking for, and to help caused him to take off. Unfortunately for him, my are – public information – offenders, the public find them. In reality the one who is on the run has charges did stick. Fortunately, he decided to face and police would all benefit. In fact, given the em- a benefit as well. They have a chance to clear their the consequences this time. barrassment and other related repercussions, that file and not have to look over their shoulders. This man’s dilemma came to mind last Octo- outstanding list would be comparatively short. ber when I read a remark Vancouver police chief We live in a truly remarkable age, one where Jim Chu made to a business group. “We need some we can travel almost anywhere in a matter of national leadership... people should not be able to hours, instead of months or years, and commu- evade justice just by leaving the jurisdiction that nicate with almost anyone anywhere in a matter BLUE LINE MAGAZINE 5 FEBRUARY 2008 by Lisa Brown among members. interrogation rooms and breathalyser rooms. “Our position always had been that we Administration is in another wing, with a third With 20 sworn officers serving a population need to focus on the evidence gathering first, suite of offices for plainclothes investigators. of just over 8,000 residents on Nova Scotia’s creature comfort and attractiveness second,” While Bridgewater currently has 23 sworn South Shore, Bridgewater’s municipal police Crowhurst says. “In other words, we had to officers, through partnerships with the province force recently moved into a new 9,960-square- ensure absolute control of any exhibits and, and the RCMP, 27 officers work out of the foot station. Re-branded, it offers citizens an more particularly, any evidence gathered by station. The local criminal intelligence service array of innovative programs more typically virtue of interrogation or interviews was the includes one seconded Bridgewater officer and found in larger urban centres. highest priority.” one member of the RCMP, funded by the Nova Crime, which has never been particularly For example, impaired driving suspects Scotia government. A four-person integrated high, dropped by eight per cent in the past year. are digitally recorded from the time they ar- street crime enforcement unit, also funded by It is perhaps not surprising that a January, 2007 rive on station property until they eventually the province, includes one Bridgewater officer survey found the majority of citizens are pretty depart. The DVD becomes part of the court and three RCMP members. happy with their police force. brief, showing how the suspect was processed The province also funds an integrated traf- Bridgewater is a growing town known from start to finish. The only exception oc- fic unit comprised of four RCMP members, one as the “Main Street of the South Shore.” An curs when a suspect consults counsel in a member of BPS and a Kentville Police Service hour’s drive from the province’s capital, it is sound-proof booth, when the video continues officer. This new unit is designed to attack im- the commercial centre of the region, offering a without audio. paired driving throughout the southern region combination of tree-lined streets and services The booth is an interesting feature of the of Nova Scotia. The force’s two GIS officers appealing to many. new facility. A person in custody is placed in also work out of that end of the building, mak- The town’s police force began with Bridge- the concrete cubicle, which has a glass door, ing a total complement of eight plainclothes water’s incorporation in 1899. The chief was allowing them privacy while an officer can investigators. also the “sanitary inspector and truant officer,” continue to monitor their safety. A light outside “In the last five years, there’s been much working with a budget of $600. the door indicates the phone is engaged. If the more emphasis on integration and partner- Today, the town’s 22nd chief of police has person attempts a second call, the officer is ships,” Crowhurst says, “We can’t do it alone, a budget of $2.2 million, however finances notified, eliminating any opportunity to contact but by partnering we can provide a much better remain tight. When Chief Brent Crowhurst an accomplice. level of service to the citizens of the Town of stepped into the job in 2002, he knew he’d The interrogation rooms are equipped with Bridgewater.” face a struggle to move the force from the town two cameras.

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