SPYCAM'S EYES STILL SHUT

Psssst! Don't tell the bad guys, but the spy in the sky on Queensway
isn't in operation yet.

The area around the WAC Bennett Memorial Courtyard and downtown bus
depot has been quieter in recent weeks.

Perhaps it was the publicity surrounding the installation of a
surveillance camera on a tall pole there.

"The surveillance camera has not been turned on yet," RCMP spokesman
Const. Garth Letcher confirmed last week.

The hardware has been installed, but the detachment is still hiring
and training four new employees, he said.

One of those new employees will be responsible for monitoring the
system, although not on a full-time basis.

"I don't have a time frame, but three other people have been hired
already. It will be a couple of weeks at the very least before the
camera is operational," said Letcher.

"It's not uncommon to see the complexion of the downtown change after
Labour Day, for it to be a little quieter.

"The number of complaints has dropped, but not significantly. It's not
quite as high a volume as during the summertime."

"We've noticed a decrease, but we've also taken some action down,"
said Cpl. Terry McLachlan with the city drug squad.

"We've made some undercover purchases and everybody's fully aware the
camera's there."

When his undercover officers try to make a purchase, the dealer will
sometimes suggest they move elsewhere to complete the transaction.

"Kasugai Gardens has been a real problem for hypodermic needles, but
when the camera was installed, it went down to almost zero and the
criminal activity went elsewhere," says parks manager Joe Creron.

"This year, I haven't heard of many. Kasugai Gardens is well under 10,
compared to a couple days in 1999 when we found about 50."

An official opening is planned to notify the public that the area is
being monitored by closed-circuit camera.

Two summers ago, Kelowna RCMP installed a surveillance camera on a
wooden utility pole in Kerry Park at the foot of Bernard Avenue.

The camera recorded a number of drug transactions and other criminal
activity before someone set the pole on fire.

The camera equipment wasn't damaged, but it was removed while city
officials and police reviewed concerns by civil libertarians.

The proposed Queensway installation was part of those discussions.
Queensway has become notorious for drugs dealers, prostitutes and
pimps in recent years.