JAIL TIME URGED FOR DRUG-DEALING COP

Prosecutor Says Ex-Officer's Elaborate Drug Scheme Deserves Prison Time

The former Vancouver cop who pleaded guilty last November to peddling
marijuana and breaching his trust as an officer should be put behind
bars, a prosecutor told Vancouver Provincial Court Thursday.

Prosecutor Joe Bellows told Judge Gregory Rideout during a sentencing
hearing that ex-officer Peter Hodson should spend three and a half
years in prison for his "well thought-out" drug scheme -which he
sometimes operated while on duty.

According to Bellows, Hodson intimidated and took advantage of Tyson
Pappas -a self-confessed drug addict living in the Downtown Eastside
- -by convincing him to help sell pot on the streets.

"He was in the business of trafficking for profit . . . and he was in
it for the long haul," Bellows said.

Hodson was arrested in April 2010 after an in-depth investigation by
both RCMP and VPD officers -including the set-up of 10 drug-money
transactions with the help of Pappas.

During the final transaction on April 15, 2010, Hodson met with an
undercover cop, who he thought was a potential client, and agreed to
sell the cop a half-pound of pot every Friday for $1,500.

"As long as you need it, I can get it to you," Hodson was reported saying.

By the time he was arrested on April 21, Hodson had peddled about 28
ounces of marijuana, with a street value of $7,900, Bellows said. He
was 31 years old at the time and had been working as an officer for
less than five years.

In a statement issued the day of his arrest, Chief Constable Jim Chu
called Hodson a "rogue" officer who breached his trust as an officer.

On Thursday afternoon, a stonyfaced Hodson listened as the Crown
spoke about his extra-marital affairs, his "narcissistic tendencies"
and how he showed little remorse for his behaviour when he was arrested.

Rideout said he was concerned about Hodson's abuse of his position as
an officer. He also expressed worry that Hodson put colleagues and
the community at risk by bringing drugs into a vulnerable area of the city.

Hodson's lawyer, Vincent Michaels, said he is looking for a
conditional sentence -to serve in the community rather than in custody.

"We want to bring this to a conclusion as soon as possible," Michaels
said outside the courthouse, calling the last year a "traumatic time"
for Hodson.