BAD POLICE RAIDS HAPPEN - CRIMINOLOGIST

Incidents Like The Search That Shocked Innocent Family Inevitable,
Expert Says

A mistaken drug raid that left a family traumatized and police
empty-handed is an unfortunate but inevitable part of police work, a
B.C. criminologist says.

"Police have to conduct investigations, and they can't be 100 per cent
certain every time," said David MacAlister, co-director of the
Institute for Studies in Criminal Justice Policy at Simon Fraser
University. "Mistakes will happen."

On May 16, Saanich police raided a Regina Avenue house they suspected
was a lab for manufacturing crystal meth and other drugs. Police have
since apologized for the move, which revealed no illegal activity but
upset the three people inside the house at the time.

In their apology, Saanich police said the raid was based on a tip from
a confidential informant who had helped them in the past.

"They told us he'd been bang on the previous six or eight times,"
Patty Cushing, who was arrested during the raid, said Thursday. "They
were 120 per cent sure there were drugs here."

Police say the tip was corroborated by other sources, though they have
not revealed what that information was. For a suspected drug lab,
MacAlister said, corroboration could be anything from unusually high
power bills to negative reports from neighbours or other informants.

"Search warrants don't need to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt,"
he said. "Police have to provide just enough evidence that, logically,
they're going to find what they're looking for."

As long as incorrect searches remain rare, MacAlister said, the public
should not be concerned. Repeated mistakes or excessive force,
however, should be investigated.

"As long as it's a rare occurrence, we have to expect there's going to
be the odd mistake along the way," he said. "It's the price we pay."

Mike Chadwick, Saanich police deputy chief, said an internal review
has been launched to determine what went wrong with the raid.

Yesterday, Chadwick and two other officers met with the Cushings to
apologize and discuss the incident.

"We've had great interaction with them as well as great feedback about
what their concerns are," Chadwick said. "We're going to be working
with them over the next few weeks."

Geraldine Glattstein, executive director of victim services, said that
the family has been receiving counselling throughout the week.
Earlier, the family suggested victim services refused counselling
because the Cushings weren't victims of a crime.

"We have spent hours and hours with the family," Glattstein said.

Robin Cushing said the police meeting went well, but the family was
not allowed to see the warrant, which has been sealed from the public.

"We really wanted to know what this informant said, what he said about
our house and everything like that. We hope to see it by early next
week."