You’ve seen it, read it and heard it.  So much so, that I think many of us don’t even register the real issue behind the message and it no longer catches our attention.

But here is a commercial that will.

It’s meant for the holiday season so consider this as my early Christmas present to all of you and thanks to TAC (Transport Accident Commission) in Australia for creating it.

Usually I’d post a warning about this video not being suitable for the squeamish but frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn.  I’ve seen too many people killed by drunk drivers and I want you to cringe when you watch it.

Also, thank you to Global TV for putting me onto this commercial in the first place.  It’s too bad the television networks couldn’t run this commercial on all the channels across Canada.

If you don’t, we will find you. Probably within the block, gasping for air and nursing a sprained foot (see point 2).

Last week’s coverage on the lethal injection execution of the Washington Area sniper John Allen Muhammad featured an interview by Larry King with Bob Meyers, whose brother Dean was shot and killed by Mohammad in 2002.  Meyers witnessed Mohammad’s execution, and while one might expect someone in Meyers’ position to have an ‘eye for an eye’ mentality, he voiced a different opinion saying the entire situation filled him with sadness. 

Another witness, Nelson Rivera, whose wife Lori Ann Lewis was among the shooting victims, said he was glad to watch Mohammad die, as it meant Mohammad could not hurt anyone else.

Another woman interviewed outside of the prison on the night of the execution voiced her opinion that perhaps the condemned killer should have been kept alive and locked away so society could study him and better understand what makes killers like him tick.

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Canada does not support the death penalty, having abolished it in 1976, so any conversation and debates Canadians have on the topic are just that – conversations and debates.  We do not put people to death as punishment for their crimes, and I do not see that changing at any time in the near future. 

But it still makes me think – should we keep the Dalmers and the Bundy’s alive in order that we may study them under the microscope like a sample in a petri-dish? 

I’m not sure it can be done.  Look at Canada’s Clifford Olsen.  He is serving a life sentence for the early 1980’s murders of two children and eleven youths. 

What have we learned from him?

• You are driving on a two lane highway, with one lane going in each direction. 
• No passing is allowed due to the turns and hills on the roadway – think of the Sea to Sky highway, or Hwy’s 3 and 5 to BC’s Interior. 
• The speed limit is 80 kms/hr, or 60 kms/hr, or 100 kms/hr.  The actual speed isn’t the issue. 
• You are behind another driver who is travelling well below the posted limit for some unknown reason.  Maybe the driver is not familiar with the road, or is a new driver, or has poor eyesight.  Again, the reason for the slow driving isn’t the issue.
• The road ahead of you opens up with a passing lane, with clearly marked signs that state SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT, followed by another sign that states STAY RIGHT EXCEPT TO PASS.
• Your foot itches on the accelerator as you wait for the driver in front of you to pull to the right and allow you to pass.  A quick peek in your rearview mirror shows a long line of cars behind you waiting for the same opportunity.
• Much to your dismay, the driver in front of you finds a sudden burst of confidence at the open road and floors it.  I mean, really floors it, and races forward in the left lane.  To try and pass the car now would mean passing on the right (not a good idea) and would mean driving like an idiot to pass him.
• Then, as your opportunity to pass dwindles with the end of the passing lane in sight, you are again stuck behind the slowpoke as he drastically drops his speed when the road closes in again.

I’m not sure about you, but this has happened to our family on several occasions.  Not only is such driving behaviour dangerous, it frustrates other drivers.  There are various traffic laws and statutes that can deal with this, but I’ve been trying to figure out why this happens in the first place. 

Maybe if I can understand why I will be better able to educate drivers on safe practices.

Have there been any studies on this?  Has anyone made a point of examining the driving mentality of people who do this?  Is it something as simple as our competitive nature to not want to give up the lead even if we are poor leaders (wow – that last line works on a whole bunch of different levels, doesn’t it?  But I digress…sounds like a topic for another post…).

If you know of any studies on this, would you please email me or leave a comment with the link?

My first thought was this was a great idea.  By the law of averages, more random breathalyzer tests = more drunk drivers off the road.

Then, after giving the issue some more attention, I had to bridle my enthusiasm.  Concerns were raised by lawyers on how the proposed law circumvents the Charter of Rights and a persons right to protection against unreasonable search and seizure. 

Then again, driving is a privilege.  A person is not born with the ‘right’ to drive, instead a person has to prove they are entitled to the privilege through training, education and responsibility.  With this in mind, is a random breathalyzer test ’reasonable’ in respect to search and seizure? 

Who knows – we’ll have to wait and see what the experts say on this one.

Vehicle pursuits are a heated topic with many pros and cons to both sides of the argument on whether or not to engage in one, so I’m going to leave that topic alone for now.

But to tell your officers they are not allowed to run after a person who is attempting to evade arrest?

I was so taken aback by the video of an interview with the mayor about her decision that I simply could not help commenting (as could over three dozen other people as seen in the comments section of the article).  I’ll let you come to your own conclusions about the mayor’s professionalism.

In a nut shell, the mayor says insurance rates go up if an officer gets hurt running after a suspect.  Funny, that.  Policing is an inherently dangerous profession. 

After consulting with a prosecutor, the foot-chase ban was lifted when the prosecutor believed such a policy would prevent officers from upholding the law.

Thank goodness for common sense.

My iced-latte was soon joined by a treat for the kids.  It ended up being a balancing act between the drink, the weird cake-thing the barrista said the kids would love and my wallet.  I almost dropped the entire production on my way out the door, but I caught it all and kept everything upright – barely. 

Then I looked up and started back to the car, which was parked about a 1/3 of a block away.  Coming towards me and cutting across the street were two hooligans.  Both of them looked like they had been drinking and one of them was obviously high on drugs, probably meth.  They both had me in their sights.  They swaggered, had started to puff themselves up, and were eyeing the fact I was balancing my wallet and wearing flip-flops.  By all appearances it looked like a mugging about to happen.  Great. 

Just try me.

They kept walking and so did I.  They made no secret of the fact they were eyeing my wallet, and they kept trying to stare me down in an attempt to gauge what my response would be.  I eyed them right back, silently telling them they were picking the wrong ‘victim’ and that they should buzz off.  As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, attitude is everything. 

The two hooligans veered away as we got closer together and they dropped their eyes first. 

‘Housewife’ – 1, Hooligans - 0

When I got back to the car and handed the kids their treat, hubby was looking in his sideview mirror at the retreating figures of the two would-be-muggers.  He had watched the entire episode and said he thought the two guys were going to jump me.  He also said they had eyed up the car as well, as if it were theirs for the taking, but had moved their attention to me when I stepped out of the coffee shop.  

Either way, the two hooligans would have been in for a big surprise if they had carried through with what had obviously been their initial intention.  The kids were part of this conversation and they turned around to get a look at the guys.  Then my son cracked us up when he added his two bits.

“Mom, you would have been okay.  Dad would have been all over them, I would have jumped on their backs and she (pointing at his sister) would have kicked them in the nards.”

Kids.  Gotta luv em.

In 2004, The Odd Squad, a non-profit society created by a group of Vancouver police officers, teamed up with the Vancouver Giants and created a project called ‘Stay on Side’ as part of a drug awareness and education program for Junior League hockey players.  There are several teams within the WHL that have teamed with their respective police departments in similar projects.

The goal of ‘Stay on Side’is to bring the young hockey players into the Downtown Eastside so they can witness first hand the reality of chronic substance abuse.  Then, after receiving education on the drug culture and the short/long term effects of drugs, the hockey players go to the schools and give presentations on what they have seen and learned – all in an attempt to prevent future drug abuse/addiction by our kids.

I’ve met the hockey players as they’ve toured the Downtown Eastside, and I’ve had one come out with me for a shift on a ride along.  That young man was the billet of a friend of mine, so I know what the hockey players see leaves a lasting impression.

Last week, CBC’s The National did a story on project ‘Stay on Side’ and I’ve included a link to the broadcast.  At approx 11 minutes in length, it will give you a glimpse of what the Vancouver Giants do and see as they learn about the drug culture in the Downtown Eastside. 

Kudos to The Odd Squad, the Vancouver Giants, and to Sgt. Mark Steinkampf and Det. Chris Graham for bringing this program to Vancouver.

Now if I could only figure out how to block text messages on my cell phone….

A few days ago, a new scam was brought to my attention.  This scam has been used with some success, and it’s targeting seniors.  It all starts when a grandparent gets a call from someone they believe to be their grandchild.  The ‘grandchild’ is usually calling from a noisy location, which makes it difficult to communicate and makes it easier for them to convince the senior they really are their loved one.  The ‘grandchild’ then says he has been arrested for a minor offence and is being held in a Canadian jail, with bail posted at several thousand dollars.  The grandparents, being the loving and caring people that they are, immediately wire their ‘grandchild’ the money.

You can probably see where this is going – the ‘grandchild’ is a fake and the money is never seen again. 

There have been several cases in the States where grandparents have been duped out of tens of thousands of dollars.  It’s had a far reaching effect, as even our jail here in Vancouver has fielded calls from worried relatives who eventually find out their ‘grandchild’ has never graced the cells of our jail.

These scam artists will stop at nothing to get their paws on your money, so treat EVERY request for funds with a little bit of scepticism. 

Thanks to Ray for sending me a link to a great blog out of Wisconsin.  Onconto County Commission on Aging’s Blog is “intended to keep seniors up-to-date on current programs, scams, press releases and recalls.”  While most of the information is more suited to local residents of the Onconto County, there are still some very valuable tips for our Canadians and it’s worth a look.

If anyone has a good link to such a Canadian site, please let me know.

PinkShirtDay.ca

This day has also been called Pink Shirt Day, and there is a growing call for everyone to wear something pink in the stand against against bullying.  The t-shirt seen above can be purchased through PinkShirtDay.ca, with the proceeds being donated to the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Vancouver. 

What started with two Nova Scotia high school students showing support for a bullied school mate has turned into a national cause.  From CBC news:

“Two Nova Scotia students are being praised across North America for the way they turned the tide against the bullies who picked on a fellow student for wearing pink.  The victim — a Grade 9 boy at Central Kings Rural High School in the small community of Cambridge — wore a pink polo shirt on his first day of school.  Bullies harassed the boy, called him a homosexual for wearing pink and threatened to beat him up, students said.

Two Grade 12 students — David Shepherd and Travis Price — heard the news and decided to take action.

“I just figured enough was enough,” said Shepherd.

They went to a nearby discount store and bought 50 pink shirts, including tank tops, to wear to school the next day.  Then the two went online to e-mail classmates to get them on board with their anti-bullying cause that they dubbed a “sea of pink.”  But a tsunami of support poured in the next day.  Not only were dozens of students outfitted with the discount tees, but hundreds of students showed up wearing their own pink clothes, some head-to-toe.

When the bullied student, who has never been identified, walked into school to see his fellow students decked out in pink, some of his classmates said it was a powerful moment. He may have even blushed a little.

“Definitely it looked like there was a big weight lifted off his shoulders. He went from looking right depressed to being as happy as can be,” said Shepherd.

And there’s been nary a peep from the bullies since, which Shepherd says just goes to show what a little activism will do.”

Bravo to David Shepherd and Travis Price.

Bullying is a huge concern, and as police officers we see the impact bullying has on our community.  Later today, when I put my uniform on, I’ll be wearing a pink bracelet to support this very worthy cause.