LANDLORD CRITICIZES POLICE OVER RESPONSE TO TIPS

Landlord Henry Schroeder says he's been trying to do the right thing, but
local police haven't made it easy.

Schroeder helped police bust a 100-plant marijuana grow operation at a
house he owns at 10320 Amethyst Ave., near No. 4 and Williams roads.

Schroeder told The Richmond Review he'd received a tip from a neighbour of
some unusual activity at the house and decided he'd like to inspect it, as
Richmond Mayor Greg Halsey-Brandt urged landlords to do earlier this year.

He gave the tenants of the house a day's notice and asked police to be
present when he made the attempt to inspect the home two weeks ago.

But Schroeder said he had difficulty convincing police to come along.

"It's very hard to get the police to come out," Schroeder said, adding that
he doesn't buy the pledge Lower Mainland mayors have made to shut down the
booming marijuana growing business.

"The law is not on your side. That's my feeling."

After waiting in his car for about an hour outside the house, a police car
finally arrived and Schroeder knocked on the door.

A man answered but refused to let him in and then he apparently scrambled
out the back door, leaving it open, Schroeder said.

Schroeder walked in to find the house had been wired up for a grow-op and
some 100 plants were still sitting there in one of the rooms. There were
indications that hundreds of other plants had been removed the night before.

This isn't the first time Schroeder has had a tough time with police.

At the end of May, he asked police to come to a house where he discovered
more than 100 mature plants inside a home he owns at the corner of Lucas
and No. 3 roads.

Schroeder said he spoke to a neighbour who had apparently called police
about suspicious activity next door. But that neighbour was warned he may
be charged with mischief if police didn't find any marijuana plants there.

"You don't get very good co-operation from the police. As a taxpayer, I
don't appreciate that."

Richmond RCMP Const. Peter Thiessen said he couldn't comment on Schroeder's
complaint directly, but said that police are often inundated with calls
about suspected grow operations.

If a landlord wants a police escort to inspect a home, Thiessen said that
request will be prioritized with other duties and cases the police have on
their plate on a given day.

And in some cases, that could mean police don't deal with a complaint until
the next day.

"In general, our office wants to deal with as many and shut down as many
(grow ops) as we can."

But they have limited resources with which to work, Thiessen said.