DAD MAD AT MOUNTIES OVER 'UNFOUNDED' RAID ON SUITE

Former West Vancouver school superintendent Ed Carlin is furious with
North Vancouver RCMP after a blunder during which the emergency
response team raided a basement rental suite occupied by his son and
three others in search of drugs and guns.

Red-faced cops took down the four young men at gunpoint and found
Nintendo controllers in the home, but no guns or drugs.

Carlin said yesterday he wants police to guarantee their file on the
incident does not remain on computers where it can cause future
problems for the foursome, including his 19-year-old son Ryan.

RCMP Const. Marina Wilks said there should be "no effect" on the
young men in future because the police report -- which will remain on
their computer for five years -- was amended to note the complaint
was unfounded.

"It won't be the cause of any adverse problems for them," said Wilks.
"It's like they were the registered owners of a stolen vehicle.
They're in a police database, a file. That's it."

The incident began on the morning of Nov. 10 when police received a
citizen's complaint of a "male with a gun passed out in a basement
surrounded by drug paraphernalia."

Carlin said the young renters had slept in on the Saturday morning
and were not aware the neighbourhood had been sealed off and their
house surrounded by armed cops and police dogs.

He said a neighbour searching for his garbage can had looked in the
window of the basement suite and called police to say he'd seen a gun
near a man asleep on a sofa.

Carlin said the youths slept through most of the action.

The father of one who arrived at the home at Jones Avenue and 19th
Street became alarmed by the sight of police and telephoned his son
to ask what was going on.

"The boy comes out to check and he is taken down," said Carlin.

Then the other youths came out and . . . were wrestled to the ground.
They were taken to the police station, searched and detained.

Police acknowledged the complaint was unfounded.

"We are currently drafting a letter of apology to these individuals
for the trauma they experienced and have again offered counselling
support," a police statement said.

"We are also sending a letter to the neighbours . . . emphasizing
that it was an unfounded complaint."

But Carlin described the police statement as "jargon" and "spin."

What bothers him, he said, is that "this will go into the [police]
computer that these boys were investigated for firearms and drugs."

And the fact that a file exists could pose future problems for his
son and other boys, he said.

"I want that file erased. The boys did nothing wrong. It was the
police who did something wrong."