DRUG HOUSE EXPERT SUPPORTS NUISANCE BYLAW

Visiting Edmonton Officer Says Fears Of Retaliation From Criminals Unfounded

The City of Port Alberni is on the right track by considering a
nuisance house bylaw, according to the Edmonton police officer who has
gained a high profile with his Report A Drug House program (RADH).

Sgt. Maurice Brodeur will be speaking at a public meeting from 7 to 9
p.m. at Echo Centre on May 22, at the invitation of the Port Alberni
Community Crystal Meth Task Force. In correspondence with the Times
last week, Brodeur said he wanted to dispel a few rumours about the
fight against drug houses.

First off, while RADH originated in Edmonton, and has been adopted by
many cities across North America, it's not just for big cities. The
concept: an aggressive campaign of attention by police, the city and
neighbourhoods, translates well to anywhere, he says. And the issue of
"displacement" -- drug houses simply picking up and relocating
elsewhere, is overstated, he added.

"Smaller communities have an advantage over big cities, because it is
harder to hide when you cause such problems," Brodeur said. "Also, in
smaller communities I find that people take charge of their
neighbourhoods more readily than they do in rural areas. Because of
this, displacement is even less of an issue once people are aware of
what to look for, and what steps they can take to get rid of the problem."

Brodeur said that, typically, once a community empowers itself,
neighbours begin to look out for each other. And that's when the RADH
approach can have a great effect -- often in a hurry. "Once an
established problem is removed it is very hard to start up again in a
new area because of comfort levels," he explained. "Bad guys have
routines, also, and it is not likely that they will reach the same
high level of disorder and crime."

Brodeur said that, quite often, when a drug house is trying to set up
in a new location, a few visits from police and a little attention
from city officials and neighbours is enough to prevent a new
operation from taking root.

"To me displacement is not an issue," Brodeur said. "The other option
is to accept that displacement is a bad thing and to do nothing --
which is unacceptable."

Brodeur said that, while drug dealers and their clients can be scary,
the record of violence against neighbours is pretty slight.

"In the hundreds and hundreds of these types of houses we have
investigated, I have no record of threats or violence against any of
my neighbours," he said. "People become concerned about 'payback'
because of all the movies and TV shows that show the bad guys bullying
their neighbours and plotting revenge. This is great for TV, but not
true."

Brodeur said the bad guys realize what they are doing is against the
law, and are aware that, at any time, they are subject to arrest.

"They are not surprised to have this happen, as they accept their low,
low position on the human food chain," he said. For a 'nosy' (read
'motivated') neighbour, there could be minor incidents of property
damage as a result of taking an active role in monitoring drug house
activity. But that's almost inevitable in any case, with drug dealers
and their clients in the neigbourhood.

"At the end of the day, the police and the community have to form a
true and transparent partnership along with the other partners: bylaw,
animal control, fire department, health inspectors and various courts
(civil and criminal) in solving this problem," Brodeur said. "I look
at RADH as a puzzle where everyone plays an important part in solving
this problem."

Council was to receive a report from city clerk Russell Dyson on
Monday evening, to determine whether there is support (and resources)
for a nuisance home bylaw under the Community Charter.

"If council decides to go ahead, we will get together with our
solicitor to draft a bylaw," Dyson said. "We had planned to use the
City of Nanaimo as a model, but their (nuisance bylaw) was drafted
under the Local Government Act."