SEARCH WARRANT DETAILS RELEASED, FAMILY STILL PURSUING
COMPLAINT

Abbotsford Police obtained a search warrant to check out a home on
Lobban Road for a suspected grow-op based on closed blinds,
condensation on the windows, and hoses that appeared to be leading
into the residence as well as the smell of marijuana.

The Abbotsford News has obtained a copy of the "information to obtain
a search warrant" that is connected to the family who has launched an
official complaint against the Abbotsford Police Department.

Connie and Ken Fast allege police wrongfully detained them - as well
as their daughter Tracie and her fiance Scott Richardson - while
searching their home at 2374 Lobban Rd. on July 4.

The four were forced out of the home by police pointing guns at them
and were handcuffed and placed in the back of two police cars. They
were released on the scene when no marijuana was found in their home,
and police issued an apology.

At the time, the Fasts did not know why their home was pinpointed as a
possible grow operation, believing it was solely because an officer
had smelled marijuana in the area.

However, the application for the search warrant lists the smell as
just one factor. Also listed is that all the blinds in the residence
were pulled shut, pieces of insulation covered a basement window, and
condensation had formed on that window.

Also noted was an outdoor faucet had two hoses attached to a splitter,
and the hoses appeared to lead inside the residence.

The application said these are all signs consistent with a marijuana
grow-op, which requires darkness, produces a high moisture content and
needs large amounts of water.

Connie said better surveillance on the part of police would have
explained any of the factors listed in the application.

She said the blinds were drawn to keep out the heat during the day.
Insulation had been placed on the downstairs window to keep out the
cold during the winter, and gaps in the material enabled the basement
to easily be seen from the outside, she added.

Connie said the condensation was the result of a broken seal in the
window, and the hose did not lead into the house but was coming from a
hole in the carport, where it is stored.

Const. Ian MacDonald said police followed proper procedure in applying
for, and conducting, the search.

"The justice ultimately deemed there was enough information in the
application to approve it," he said.

Connie filed an official complaint last Wednesday (July 14) with the
Abbotsford Police's professional standards branch. She wants changes
made in the way search warrant applications are made, and in the way
police handle potential suspects.

"This is about trying to make sure it doesn't happen to more innocent
people," she said.

MacDonald said the matter will now be investigated and relevant issues
will be identified, with the oversight of the Office of the Police
Complaint Commissioner.