As 2008 comes to a close, I’ve been reflecting back on the people I have met and the situations I have experienced over the last twelve months.
When taken at face value, I’ve had an exciting year, but really, when is policing NOT exciting? There have been car chases, ERT (SWAT) deployments, and take-downs. The lights and sirens of ‘Code Three’ driving are a part of my daily routine, and my bond with PSD Hondo grows deeper with every passing week. Some of the people whom the Dog Squad helped put behind bars were really unpleasant, and there is great satisfaction in knowing the VPD is making this world a safer place.
That said, my memories of 2008 are like flipping through a book of snapshots – here is a quick look at some of the pages:
the young blind boy with the radiant smile, his hands running through Hondo’s fur
the tears of gratitude from a man when we located his missing elderly mother
seeing a litter of eight-week-old German Shepherd ‘police dog hopefuls’ and wanting to take them all home
moving into the temporary Dog Squad building and actually having my own locker room
being proud when another handler and his dog had a successful capture (yes, maybe there was a little envy in there too…)
driving Code Three through rush hour traffic and wishing the cars ahead of me would pull to the side
running behind Hondo as he tracked a robbery suspect
the sound of Air One (the police helicopter) in the air above us
having a suspect throw his hands in the air and surrender when he saw the police dog
the capture of an armed suspect after a vehicle pursuit into another jurisdiction
every shift, when Hondo stuck his head between the seats of my SUV and nuzzled my elbow
The officers of the VPD are truly good people, and the guys in the Dog Squad are top shelf. 2008 was a great year, and I’m looking forward to another with 2009. To all of you – have a safe and Happy New Year!
As promised, here is the final installment for my mini-series on ‘How to be a Good Witness’.
So you’ve found yourself in the position where a crime unfolds itself right in front of you, and you are fortunate enough to have in your possession a fully charged cell phone. You are able to make the call in to 911, and as you are speaking to the call taker, the suspect in the crime flees the scene. Besides getting a good description of the suspect and his mode of transportation, the next most important bit of information you can give the police is the suspects direction of travel.
“Which way did he go?”
You would be amazed at how often a witness is not able to answer this question. Maybe the witness is in a part of town they are unfamiliar with, or they are just not that adept at figuring out which way is North. This is okay, we understand when this happens - even the best are sometimes stumped when trying to figure out which way is up. But what happens with some regularity is the witness, with the absolute best intentions, guesses as to which direction the suspect fled in. When this occurs the police have, at best, a one-in-four chance of starting off in the right direction. And when it comes to crimes and the suspects fleeing them, time is of the essence. If you do not know which way the suspects have gone, do not guess. You are better off waiting until a police officer shows up to speak with you.
Now, here are a couple tips (mostly landmarks) to help you figure out ‘which way is up’ when you are in Vancouver:
North – when you can see the North Shore Mountains, or the lights on the ski hills
South – the direction you go when you drive to the airport/Richmond
East - the direction you go when you drive to Burnaby/Metrotown/Coquitlam/Port Mann Bridge
West – towards downtown/Stanley Park/English Bay/where the fireworks take place in the summer
Even I have been stymied on where the heck I’ve been on a few occasions, and I am a born & raised Vancouverite. So please, if you are unsure about ‘direction of travel’, you are better off admitting to this than sending us off to chase our tails with a guess.
A while back, a young man made the poor decision to steal a minivan. John (not his real name) drove around Vancouver in his stolen van until he caught the attention of two officers in a police car. They conducted a traffic stop, and John pulled over. John must have realised he was about to get caught, because he zoomed away as the officers approached his window. The officers hopped back into their police car and gave chase. However, with our stringent policies surrounding vehicle pursuits, coupled with the fact the van had not yet been reported stolen, the officers were required to stop pursing the van and John was able to get away.
But not for long.
In his haste to try and get rid of the stolen van, John tried to abandon it. In doing so, he made his second bad decision of the night - the lane John chose to dump the van in was adjacent to the police station.
Two different officers coming on shift saw John as he parked the stolen van, and they attempted to arrest him. Without radios (they had not yet picked up their radios or police car) they had no way of knowing John had just fled from a traffic stop. John was able to drive away, this time dragging one of the officers for a short distance. As he raced out of the lane, John’s decision making entered the ’bad things happen in three’s’ realm when he narrowly avoided t-boning the police car that had originally spotted him.
So ensued another brief pursuit. The officers in the police car were again instructed to stop pursuing (at this point, no one knew John had dragged another officer or that the on-foot guys had tried to arrest him), and John was able to get away. Again.
As this was all happening, PSD Hondo and I were driving into the area to see if we could be of assistance. When the pursuit was terminated a second time, the police unit broadcast that John was last seen headed in my direction. I pulled over, turned my headlights off, and sat there in my unmarked SUV. I heard John before I saw him; the sound was similar to that of the space shuttle on takeoff, and I knew he was getting close.
John blipped passed me at more than double the speed limit, barely in control of the van as he careened down the street and through a stop sign. Then John proved his driving prowess by augering the van into the back of a construction trailer parked on the side of the road. In an impressive explosion of smoke and debris the van literally flew through the air, coming to rest another half a block down. The entire front end was gone, the wheels were angled to all points of the compass, and I was already driving towards the wreckage anticipating a fatality when the driver’s door popped open and John jumped out, uninjured. It was proof again that somehow, these guys are able to survive accidents that would otherwise kill an innocent bystander.
John tried to make a run for it, looking back at me over his shoulder while brandishing a can of bear spray. Bad decision number four.
I yelled at him to stop or the police dog would be sent. John kept on running. Yup, you got it…that’s number five.
And so, John got a fast and hard lesson on the Law of Cause and Effect when he discovered the four paws of a police dog are much quicker than the two feet of a fleeing suspect.
It’s been a quiet week from a policing perspective – the heavy snowfall and the holiday spirit kept everything down to a dull roar over the last few days.
The exception was the Grinch-like incident of two would-be thieves trying to make off with the huge inflatable Christmas decorations from someones front yard on Christmas Eve. They were caught when the home owner saw his 7-foot Santa go bopping past his living room window. It did not help that the two would-be thieves were incredibly intoxicated, and between the two of them they were unable to handle Santa and the knee deep snow. Needless to say, we dug them out of the snowbank they found themselves in and took them to jail.
Cst. Ojo Tewogbade
One positive thing of note I have to mention is about an officer from the Toronto Police Service. Constable Ojo Tewogbade, who has been a police officer since 1979, was featured on Global National’s ‘Everyday Hero’ broadcast a number of weeks ago. Then, just yesterday, the news program announced the public had voted, and Cst. Tewogbade was crowned as the ‘Everyday Hero’ of 2008.
Up until I saw this newscast I had never heard of Cst. Tewogbade, so this story was of some interest. It is about a man who was able to overcome adversity in his young life, how he joined the Toronto Police Service shortly after, and how he connected with the community around him. To this day, Cst. Tewogbade continues to connect with his community, but he does so with an abundance of caring, compassion and empathy.
After seeing how this officer gives of himself to those in need of a role model, a father figure or a friend, I am deeply impressed. If you take the few minutes to read his story, I think you will be too.
Posted on December 24, 2008 by Sandra in Uncategorized
Snow, snow, and more snow.
It’s beautiful, as long as you don’t have to drive in it. Our Dog Squad trucks are two-wheel drive, and if it weren’t for chains, I would not have gotten anywhere last night!
This is a very short post for today, as everyone (including me) is gearing up for the big day tomorrow.
Stay safe, and stay warm. I’ll be back on Friday.
Sandra
PS – don’t forget to put out the milk and cookies for tonight…
Watch the following video with an eye to being the best witness you can:
It happened pretty quick, didn’t it?
The fellow with the camera phone was in the right place, at the right time, and if this were a REAL incident, his video would be used by the police as evidence.
Wait a minute. This wasn’t a real incident?
Nope. It was an action scene during the filming of a commercial, and if you listen carefully at the end of the tape you can hear the director yell “CUT!” (thank goodness this was make believe, because the police looked like buffoons running right past the get-away car…and I hate it when we look like buffoons).
Now, if you were on the street, sans camera phone, and this unfolded in front of you as a real incident, would you later be able to answer the following questions?
How many suspects were there?
What were the suspects wearing?
What were the suspect carrying?
Did they have weapons?
Did the suspects say anything to one another?
What kind of car did they leave in?
What color was the car?
How many doors did it have?
What was the licence plate number?
All these questions can be difficult to answer, and the longer you wait to recall certain details, the harder it will be. What I suggest is to immediately jot down anything like a licence plate, make/model of car and anything else of utmost importance. Here are the things I took note of during the video, and the answers to the questions I asked:
There were four suspects – three robbed the bank plus the driver of the get-away car
The three suspects who robbed the bank were dressed head to toe in black, including black balaclavas
The suspects were carrying black duffel bags
I’m not sure if they had weapons – I didn’t see any (but I would think they had them if they just robbed a bank)
One of the suspects yelled, “Go, go, go!” a number of times as they ran out of the bank
The get-away car was a newer model beige/gold, four door Chevy Malibu
I couldn’t read the licence plate
PLUS – there was damage to the front drivers side fender
Even though I was fairly confident the get-away car was a Malibu, I was not able to confirm it until I located another video of the same action sequence, taken from a different angle. Turns out the entire production was for a Chevy Malibu commercial. If all you can say is that the get-away car was a mid-sized beige American car with four doors, then you’re doing really well.
For the sake of keeping this brief, I’ll end here. I could keep going about this topic, and I will at a later date, so keep an eye out for ‘How to be a Good Witness – Part Three’. Until then, it’s time for me to get some much needed shut-eye.
After reading a comment left by Molly on the ‘Theft from Auto’ post, I found it discouraging to hear her building management would not install cameras in the building or underground parking lot, even after repeated break-ins and vehicle thefts. Security systems are a proven deterrent. Even if a crime does take place, the cameras provide the police with invaluable information such as a suspect description and any possible suspect vehicle involved. However, these security systems can be expensive, and are not an option for some buildings.
In the absence of cameras, police depend on witnesses to identify suspects. I’ll go over some things that you can do to aid the police when witnessing a crime, but first, I must stress this:
If witnessing a crime, do not get involved. Do not place yourself at risk to apprehend a suspect, as suspects will often become very hostile, aggressive and combative in an effort to escape. Too many people have been injured trying to stop a thief, and some have been killed. Your life, health and safety are worth far more than any piece of property.
So now you ask, “What am I suppose to do if I see someone committing a crime?” My answer is for you to be the best witness possible. By following some of the these suggestions, you can increase the likelihood that a suspect will get apprehended by the police:
Be quiet – you do not want the suspect to know you have seen him
Make sure you have an ‘out’- always make sure you can get away. If your safety is at all compromised, then back away and leave. Your safety comes first.
Call 911 – report to the call taker exactly what it is you are witnessing – still call 911 even if you have had to back away for safety purposes
Give your location – we cannot help you if we do not know where you are
Suspect description – give as detailed a description of the suspect as possible
Suspect vehicle – take a look around for a get away car
Additional suspects – take a look around for accomplices
Weapons/tools – look for any weapons involved, or tools the suspect may be using. Tools can become weapons, so remember what I said about ensuring your own safety
Direction of travel – if the suspect leaves before police arrive, be able to tell the call taker which direction the suspect went in
Mode of travel – did the suspect leave on foot? On a bike? In a car?
Stay on the phone until police arrive – you may be able to give some last minute details
Ideally, if you happen to witness a crime, you will already be somewhere safe, like in a building. Several of our calls for service are from witnesses inside their own homes, watching a suspect break into a car parked on the street. These calls, and any call where someone is watching it ‘live’, are considered ‘in progress’ and will get a quick response from police.
Tomorrow, I’ll give you some tips to help you with giving suspect descriptions.
First. locally, there was the Christmas party shooting in Vancouver. The owner of the business where the incident took place, forty year old Benjamin Banky, was killed by an ex-employee during the staff Christmas Party. The suspect was arrested after a tense standoff with police, and no one else was physically injured. The incident is still under investigation, so I cannot comment further than to say my condolences go out to Mr. Banky’s family.
K9 Carson & Sgt. Scott Dunn
On the same day, in Giles County, Tennessee, Police Service Dog Carson was accidentally shot and killed while searching a building during a break and enter. I say ‘accidental’ as it was an officer from another agency who shot Carson. How tragic for everyone involved. Even though this incident is not local, as a police dog handler, I have to mention it. My thoughts are with Carson’s handler, Sgt. Scott Dunn, as he mourns the loss of his partner. RIP K9 Carson.
On a more positive note, the Vancouver Police Department released the results of ‘Project Oldtimer’, where two officers went undercover and posed as senior citizens in areas of the Downtown Eastside where robberies on seniors were becoming more frequent and increasingly violent. Kudos to Inspector Tim Laidler and Sgt. Toby Hinton for volunteering for this dangerous assignment. The full story can be read on the VPD website – there’s even a video produced by the Odd Squad that shows the makeover Hinton got at the hands of some very talented special effects artists. Great job guys & gals! Kudos are also due for Cst. Christiane Prevost and the other officers involved in making ‘Project Oldtimer’ a success.
I spent many years working in the Downtown Eastside, and it’s a good thing these officer’s have done. Hopefully their actions make the streets a little safer for the more vulnerable residence who call the DTES home.
That’s all for this week, everyone. Have a good weekend!
The Vancouver Police Department fields a response unit called ‘Car 87′, where a police officer and a nurse are partnered to give assistance to those with psychiatric problems. The team works closely with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority – Mental Health Emergency Services, and provides assessments, follow-up and emergency intervention to those in need. The nurse is able to provide the medical services required, while the officer is able to act under the Mental Health Act (MHA), which grants powers of apprehension to the police in cases where the person is believed to be suffering from a mental disorder and poses a risk to their safety or the safety of others.
Having worked a few fill-in shifts on the officer side of the team, I witnessed first hand the compassion and understanding the nurses showed to those with mental health issues. On one night, the nurse had several patients on his list to follow-up with, and we were working our way around the city. The nurse’s cell phone rang, and it was an urgent request to follow up with a woman who had just called into the crisis line, threatening suicide.
We went to the address provided, where we found the woman. She was clearly in distress, crying and sobbing, telling us she didn’t want to live. There were fresh scrapes on both of her wrists, and even though the marks were superficial, they were a good indicator of how the woman was feeling. The Car 87 nurse talked with her at length, but no amount of encouragement could convince the woman to come with us to the hospital voluntarily. She did not want to go, and told us that when we left her, she would kill herself.
That’s where the Mental Health Act came into play. Once I explained what my apprehension powers were under the MHA, and that the decision of whether or not she should go to the hospital had been taken out of both of our hands, the woman reluctantly agreed to be transported. She was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, where she was admitted to receive the care and follow-up she needed.
That incident ended peacefully, but not all such calls end with the patient walking themselves out to the ambulance. Sometimes, the patient has gone un-medicated for days and needs to be restrained. Other times, the patient is angry, hostile and aggressive, and it takes several officers to load the person into a waiting ambulance. But in every case where I have seen this happen, the Car 87 nurse has always remained as the ’safe person’, continuing to show kindness, compassion and gentle caring to the patient who often does not understand what is happening. Being a Car 87 nurse is a job that takes a special type of person, and I am thankful for their expertise.
