ELCAN GIVES POLICE A NEW CRIME-FIGHTING TOOL

The Midland Police Service has been given a new tool to fight crime,
thanks to a generous donation from Elcan Optical Technologies.

A Gen II Black Cat Sight, built for use in the military, has been a
new weapon in the police service's arsenal for the last two months.
Midland Det. Const. Chris Quesnelle, a member of the Huronia Combined
Forces Drug Unit, says the night-vision aid allows him to engage in
long-range surveillance - important for gathering much-needed evidence.

Because he often depends on informants who prefer to remain anonymous,
he must rely on his own observations to get enough evidence for a
search warrant.

The Black Cat allows him to do just that under the cover of darkness,
when many drug deals take place. It also allows a greater distance
between the surveillance team and the action that is taking place.

"It's imperative for me to be able to see people and drug
transactions," he told a group of employees in the rifle site assembly
area at Elcan in Midland. "It's been incredible for me. I can actually
see hand-to-hand transactions (at night)."

Quesnelle and Midland Det. Sgt Jim Rettinger were at Elcan on Tuesday
to personally thank the employees for the donation.

"We can't say enough about the donation from Elcan ... We can't speak
(highly) enough about what all of you do," said Rettinger.

Quesnelle estimates the device can save him about four hours on a
one-day investigation and Rettinger says the time saved translates
into financial savings for the police service, and therefore more
resources to handle other cases.

Although there are other applications for the night-vision scope at
the police service, it's mainly used for the drug-enforcement unit.

The sophisticated piece of technology was built at the Midland plant
and sent to approved international military services for use with
rifles. Although it's difficult to determine a price per unit, Ted
Milner, a program manager at

Elcan, estimates the value of the gift to be more than
$10,000.

Its use on the Huronia Combined Forces Drug Unit, which includes
officers from the OPP, Midland Police, Barrie Police, South Simcoe
Police and Drug Enforcement Section, means communities across Central
Ontario benefit from the donation.