SIGNS WILL IDENTIFY SUSPECTED DRUG HOUSES

Cornwall Police Copy U. S. Cities

Police in Cornwall, Ont., announced Thursday that officers will begin
putting signs outside of homes where drug search warrants have been
executed, a practice that occurs in some U. S. cities.

The large signs, reading "Drug Search Warrant," will be erected in
front of homes involved in drug searches regardless of whether charges
were laid or a conviction occurs.

Cornwall community police defended the practice, saying it is a way to
keep residents informed about drug raids in their neighbourhood.

"We feel that we are satisfying the need expressed by the community to
work with them much more closely to elevate our presence and
visibility in their neighbourhoods and ultimately to deal with drug
issues in this city," police Chief Dan Parkinson said.

But Graeme Norton of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association said
there were "serious problems" with this new policy.

"This raises the potential that an individual may be made to appear as
a drug dealer in their community when they may not have done anything
wrong,"he said. "To take this type of action when a person may not
have been charged or convicted . . . Someone can have their reputation
seriously damaged in a serious fashion."

Norton said such a case can include police executing a search warrant
on a basement apartment where a tenant lived and then putting up a
sign outside the house which is owned by another party who was not
involved in the search.

He said such labels should be left to the Canadian criminal
system.

"That type of action should not be taken outside of court," Norton
said. "People can't defend themselves against the allegations. I can
definitely imagine how this type of action can be magnified in a small
community."

Norton said that he has not heard of a similar policy in any other
Canadian city.

He added that home values in a neighbourhood also may be affected by
these signs.

Parkinson said he has had no complaints about the signs.

"We're not out there executing search warrants frivolously,
needlessly,"he said. "While this may be bold, it's certainly supported."

The first sign was put in front of a Cornwall, Ont., home Wednesday.
Police say three people had previously been arrested on drug charges
at the house.

Cornwall is about 90 kilometres southeast of Ottawa.