PRIVATE EYES

AS the law stands, the RCMP are doing their duty when beating the
bushes for marijuana grow-ops.

But the recent attempt by our North Vancouver detachment to obtain the
records of heavy consumers of hydro was so wide-ranging that it smacks
of being little more than a fishing expedition.

This "exploration" of a new avenue of investigation sought a court
order for the hydro records of customers using electricity above a
certain threshold.

According to BC Hydro, that would have been 1,115 North Vancouver
residences in February alone.

The RCMP say they are going for criminals, not legitimate citizens
with hot tubs, but the fact remains that the hydro consumption
specified in the court order was not even close to what would be
defined as criminal activity -- unless the Green Police are chasing
hot-tub users and those with inefficient baseboard heaters.

If BC Hydro hadn't chosen to fight the order, it's quite possible that
a number of innocent homeowners could have been the subject of a
police investigation.

This type of policing is disturbing. By the same logic, an RCMP
detachment could ask for bank records showing a level of deposits
above some predetermined "average" and look for evidence of drug
dealing or money laundering.

Our courts should, as a matter of course, ensure these types of police
requests that infringe on privacy should be tied far more closely to
specific investigations.