HYDRO ASKED TO POLICE MARIJUANA OPERATIONS

Ottawa police are asking hydro companies to help pull the plug on marijuana
growing operations.

Police estimate there are now about 50 to 200 illegal hydroponic operations
in the city -- an "unprecedented" number police want to eliminate.

"Grows" have been found in affluent neighbourhoods from Orleans to
Stittsville, and with only 12 officers in a unit dealing with
narcotics-related crimes, Ottawa police need new strategies to deal with
the problem.

Because grow houses need massive quantities of electricity to operate
high-voltage lamps and maintain hothouse temperatures, operators usually
knock a hole in the basement wall about three metres underneath the utility
meter and divert the power.

Two weeks ago, police spoke with hydro officials, asking them to alert
police to surges in electrical use. But they also want the utility to cut
the power to a residence if it seems suspicious -- even without an
investigation.

Currently, when the utility suspects something suspicious, police are
called, though they do not have the resources to check out every
circumstance. That's why they would like hydro firms to take action on
their own, similar to a system set up in the region of York, near Toronto.

Since February, York utility companies have been monitoring transformers
for surges in electrical use.

A household that operates a hydroponic lab needs three to 10 times the
power of an average home. Using this system, police have located and shut
down 150 marijuana labs in the York region. In 87 of the cases, hydro
companies stopped the service. In the other cases, York police acquired
search warrants.

York's move will save money for consumers as well. York police estimate $72
million worth of power was stolen in the region last year -- a cost passed
to consumers.

Utilities have been effective partners, said Det. Michael Klimm of York
Regional Police. "If you have no power, you can't grow marijuana."

In Ottawa, growing operations usually house between 200 and 500 plants and
cost about $30,000 to start. Once harvested and smuggled into the U.S., the
crop can bring in almost $250,000 U.S.

"I've never seen it like this," said Staff Sgt. Marc Pinault, who heads the
Ottawa police drug unit. "They are everywhere. No neighbourhood is free
from them."

Police suspect Asian gangs are moving east from Vancouver and setting up shop.

Hydro companies can legally cut off power to any household they suspect of
stealing electricity.

Homes that are wired laboratories are fire hazards, he added. If hydro
companies can pinpoint theft, which points to danger, he argues the
companies have a moral obligation to act.

Area hydro companies only shut down power when asked by police to assist in
a raid to protect officers from electrocution.

Ottawa Hydro spokesman Owen Mahaffey said the company does not have
conclusive figures on how much energy is being stolen.

But the proposal is "definitely worth a look."

Sgt. Pinault is concerned an increase in the marijuana trade will lead to
more violent crimes.

Two weeks ago in York, a someone was killed inside a grow house.

With more operations springing up, he is concerned unsuspecting officers
doing routine checks may find themselves walking into houses equipped with
electrified doors and windows.

And if children end up playing among illegal wiring and hot lamps, their
lives and safety at risk, he added.