T
The420Guy
Guest
A police squad that has raided more than 100 marijuana-growing operations -
but hasn't arrested a single grower - has been a success and will continue
its work, Vancouver police said Monday.
"It [Grow Busters] is going to continue, because we consider it a
successful program," Vancouver police spokeswoman Constable Anne Drennan
said. "Our focus is to take the crime out of the neighbourhoods and that's
what we're doing."
On Monday, the Vancouver Sun reported that the year-old Grow Busters
program hadn't arrested a single suspect because of a controversial
department decision that police resources are better spent shutting down
more growing operations than trying to build criminal cases against
offenders.
As a result, Grow Busters does not engage in surveillance of suspected
growing operations to observe who visits them and raids operations during
the day, even though police know growers usually maintain their plants at
night.
While careful not to criticize Vancouver police directly, drug
investigators with other police forces have suggested the policy allows
marijuana growers to get away with their crimes.
"I can't speak for other police forces," said Corporal John Furac of Surrey
RCMPs drug squad. "But our intent is to put people in jail. Running
around just taking the plants doesn't do anything."
Because they are not building criminal cases, Grow Busters usually only
seizes marijuana plants and high intensity lamps (which are a fire hazard)
from the operations it raids - leaving most of the pot-growing machinery in
place.
This has led, in at least one case, to a grower coming back to the house
days later to recover his equipment.
Drennan conceded Monday that the Grow Busters approach could just be
shifting the problem to other neighbourhoods.
"That [moving the problem elsewhere] is possible," she said. "But we're
taking them out of neighbourhoods where they're most affected. We're
forcing them to relocate. We're hitting them where they hurt."
Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen, whose city council approved budget increases
for Grow Busters earlier this year, also expressed support for the program.
"They're making a judgment call on what's an effective use of their
resources," Owen said. "It's an operational call they have to make and I
support that ...The public want action. They want us to do something."
Grow busters raids growing operations during the day, accompanied by city
staff who shut off utilities and declare the property unfit for occupancy.
Landlords must then pay a $309 fee to the city to have their property
declared safe again and $200 to reconnect the electricity and gas.
Both Drennan and Owen said one of the reasons police have shifted their
focus away from arrests is because of the low sentences marijuana growers
receive from judges when they get to trial.
"Is it a deterrent to go to court and get a fine of $3,000?" asked Owen.
Courts have been lenient on marijuana growers in the past (a Vancouver Sun
investigation last year found only one in five growers received jail
sentences while most got fines).
But courts appear to have adopted a tougher attitude lately, sentencing
some growers to one or two years in jail.
Drennan said the neighbourhoods targeted by Grow Busters are positive about
the program. "The feedback (to Grow Busters) has been overwhelmingly
positive. We believe it's making a difference.
Chris Taulu, executive director of the Collingwood community police office,
which assists Grow Busters, said people in the neighbourhood support what
police are doing.
She said residents are most interested in seeing growers being forced out
of their neighbourhood and less worried about whether they are charged
criminally.
While Grow Busters' investigations have not led to any criminal charges
over the past year, some growers are still arrested and charged in separate
investigations carried out by Vancouver police drug squad.
Drennan said that while the focus of Grow Busters is to move in and remove
drugs from a growing operation, the squad does pass on relevant information
to detectives.
"When there's clear evidence to indicate someone found there is involved,
it's turned over to the drug squad to obtain evidence for a charge," she
said.
Newshawk: Herb
Pubdate: December 12, 2000
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Page B3
Copyright: The Vancouver Sun 2000
Contact: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Address: 200 Granville Street, Ste.#1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3
Fax: (604) 605-2323
Website: Vancouver Sun
Author: Chad Skelton and Brian Morton
but hasn't arrested a single grower - has been a success and will continue
its work, Vancouver police said Monday.
"It [Grow Busters] is going to continue, because we consider it a
successful program," Vancouver police spokeswoman Constable Anne Drennan
said. "Our focus is to take the crime out of the neighbourhoods and that's
what we're doing."
On Monday, the Vancouver Sun reported that the year-old Grow Busters
program hadn't arrested a single suspect because of a controversial
department decision that police resources are better spent shutting down
more growing operations than trying to build criminal cases against
offenders.
As a result, Grow Busters does not engage in surveillance of suspected
growing operations to observe who visits them and raids operations during
the day, even though police know growers usually maintain their plants at
night.
While careful not to criticize Vancouver police directly, drug
investigators with other police forces have suggested the policy allows
marijuana growers to get away with their crimes.
"I can't speak for other police forces," said Corporal John Furac of Surrey
RCMPs drug squad. "But our intent is to put people in jail. Running
around just taking the plants doesn't do anything."
Because they are not building criminal cases, Grow Busters usually only
seizes marijuana plants and high intensity lamps (which are a fire hazard)
from the operations it raids - leaving most of the pot-growing machinery in
place.
This has led, in at least one case, to a grower coming back to the house
days later to recover his equipment.
Drennan conceded Monday that the Grow Busters approach could just be
shifting the problem to other neighbourhoods.
"That [moving the problem elsewhere] is possible," she said. "But we're
taking them out of neighbourhoods where they're most affected. We're
forcing them to relocate. We're hitting them where they hurt."
Vancouver Mayor Philip Owen, whose city council approved budget increases
for Grow Busters earlier this year, also expressed support for the program.
"They're making a judgment call on what's an effective use of their
resources," Owen said. "It's an operational call they have to make and I
support that ...The public want action. They want us to do something."
Grow busters raids growing operations during the day, accompanied by city
staff who shut off utilities and declare the property unfit for occupancy.
Landlords must then pay a $309 fee to the city to have their property
declared safe again and $200 to reconnect the electricity and gas.
Both Drennan and Owen said one of the reasons police have shifted their
focus away from arrests is because of the low sentences marijuana growers
receive from judges when they get to trial.
"Is it a deterrent to go to court and get a fine of $3,000?" asked Owen.
Courts have been lenient on marijuana growers in the past (a Vancouver Sun
investigation last year found only one in five growers received jail
sentences while most got fines).
But courts appear to have adopted a tougher attitude lately, sentencing
some growers to one or two years in jail.
Drennan said the neighbourhoods targeted by Grow Busters are positive about
the program. "The feedback (to Grow Busters) has been overwhelmingly
positive. We believe it's making a difference.
Chris Taulu, executive director of the Collingwood community police office,
which assists Grow Busters, said people in the neighbourhood support what
police are doing.
She said residents are most interested in seeing growers being forced out
of their neighbourhood and less worried about whether they are charged
criminally.
While Grow Busters' investigations have not led to any criminal charges
over the past year, some growers are still arrested and charged in separate
investigations carried out by Vancouver police drug squad.
Drennan said that while the focus of Grow Busters is to move in and remove
drugs from a growing operation, the squad does pass on relevant information
to detectives.
"When there's clear evidence to indicate someone found there is involved,
it's turned over to the drug squad to obtain evidence for a charge," she
said.
Newshawk: Herb
Pubdate: December 12, 2000
Source: Vancouver Sun (CN BC)
Page B3
Copyright: The Vancouver Sun 2000
Contact: sunletters@pacpress.southam.ca
Address: 200 Granville Street, Ste.#1, Vancouver BC V6C 3N3
Fax: (604) 605-2323
Website: Vancouver Sun
Author: Chad Skelton and Brian Morton
