Blue Line Magazine May 2013 Subscribe
A leadership standard second to none
"He's like a Gretzky or Sidney Crosby of policing," states one of Cst. Ryan Wood's fellow officers. "He helps set up the plays and makes everyone around him look good."
Wood is the real deal, a rare breed of police officer who can wear many hats at once and has a selfless sense of serving his community. Internal and community leadership is the hallmark of his policing career.
Wood joined Halifax Regional Police (HRP) 11 years ago after working several years as a provincial corrections officer. He has spent most of his career in the patrol division as a community response officer, becoming a well known face and name in North End Dartmouth – so well known and liked that the community he polices calls him "their Randy."
Continue...Search for breach evidence incident to arrest
It is valid to search a vehicle incident to an occupant's arrest for further breaches of a bail order, Manitoba's highest court has ruled.
In R. v. Sesay, 2013 MBCA 8 a police officer saw an SUV run through a stop sign and pulled it over in a parking lot to ticket the driver. The officer asked for identification and registration and a computer check revealed Sesay was flagged as a "known gang member," "armed and dangerous," a "suspected drug dealer" and had been known to be "violent or assaultive."
The officer called for back-up and two cars with four officers arrived and parked so as to effectively box in the SUV. Sesay was given back his documents and a ticket and officers asked his passenger to identify himself. He provided identification and a computer check showed he was currently on bail for drug trafficking with conditions, including a requirement to produce a copy of his undertaking upon police request and not possess drugs or electronic communication devices. The passenger, when asked, was unable to produce a copy of his undertaking. He was asked to step from the vehicle, arrested, searched and read his rights, then handcuffed and seated on the curb.
Continue...Officer safety valid reason to control vehicle occupants
Police may take reasonable steps to ensure their safety during traffic stops, Ontario's top court held, including ordering a passenger to keep their hands in a fixed location.
In R. v. Johnson, 2013 ONCA 177, Toronto Anti-violence Initiative Strategy (TAVIS) officers, responsible for providing high-visibility uniform policing, saw a car stop partially in a traffic lane and partially on the boulevard in an area that regularly experienced spikes in violence during the summer. A backseat passenger yelled "Southside" as the car left.
The officers stopped the car. The driver did not have his G1 licence (graduated licence requiring the accompaniment of a fully licensed driver with at least four years driving experience) with him. A second front passenger wasn't fully licenced. While they were writing tickets for driver unaccompanied, failure to surrender a licence and having no current licence plate tag, a second officer directed Johnson, a rear passenger, to keep his hands on the back of the driver seat where he could see them. The officer was curious why Johnson had yelled "Southside" but did not ask him about it.
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Extremely potent painkiller hits Montreal black market
May 13 2013
MONTREAL - An extremely powerful drug has made its first appearance on Montreal’s black market, and it’s being produced in sordid conditions by amateur chemists.
In late April, Montreal police raided seven locations in Montreal, seizing more than 300,000 tablets of illegally-produced synthetic prescription drugs, including Viagra and Cialis.
“The fight against synthetic drugs is a priority for all of the province’s police forces,” said Cmdr. Francois Bleau at a Monday news conference.
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