NOT JUST IN THE BIG CITY

Last week I worked my second night shift with Vancouver Police officer
Al Arsenault. He is one of several "odd squad" officers featured in a
documentary entitled Through A Blue Lens.

Though A Blue Lens is reality TV at its best: a gritty, compassionate,
and telling story of Vancouver beat officers who videotape, with
permission, a year in the lives of people horribly affected by drug
addiction while living in the "skids" or downtown east side. The
documentary-which has won film festival acclaim as far away as Japan-is
directed primarily at students and focuses on the real risks of living a
drug-addicted lifestyle.

It is a graphic rendition of what it is to be "drug sick," a condition
that Hollywood and/or the criminal element rarely mention. I have shown
this video production to several local secondary school classes as an
education tool on the hazards of choosing a drug-abuse lifestyle. What
often bother me, after showing this documentary locally, are comments
such as, "Well, that's a Vancouver problem. You know it's not something
you would see here in Powell River."

Granted, Powell River is a beautiful place to live and I chose to serve
here. However, the issue of drug addiction, particularly heroin and
cocaine addiction, exists deep within this and other BC communities.
Sadly, drug abuse locally has a direct link to drug abuse found in the
downtown east side. Last week I located an Powell Riverite-rumoured to
be dead-trying to recover from a heroin/cocaine addiction while living
on Main and Hastings.

What started this person's trip towards the "skids" is explained in a
videotaped interview I obtained last Wednesday night. The interviewee
agreed to be taped, provided it helped keep students "off the dope."
Interestingly, most of the people depicted in Though A Blue Lens" were
known personally by the person I interviewed. This person shared a story
regarding "Randy", an interviewee, that Constable Arsenault found
revealing.

When editing is complete, I hope to show this interview to the students
attending November's LEAD (Let's Educate About Drugs) drug-educational
fair. Later, if time permits, I hope to share this interview with any
other schools interested in watching it. The video will also include
footage of my nighttime foot patrols in the alleyways of downtown east
side with Constable Arsenault.

In upcoming Behind the Badge articles, I hope to share some of my first
night-shift experiences, including my observations of the game of
"tweaking" and the risks of accidental overdose.