COPS COMBAT GROW-OPS WITH HIGH-TECH

Burnaby RCMP will soon have a better way to put the heat on marijuana grow
operations.

The detachment plans to purchase a high-tech thermal imaging camera that
will essentially allow them to peer into a suspected illegal grow
operation. The camera, worth $17,000, detects high heat signatures such as
the hydroponic lights used in indoor pot farms.

It will be a valuable tool, said Corp. Mark McCutcheon, who heads Burnaby's
Green Team.

The camera can be used in the daytime and at night. Previously the RCMP
were not allowed to use them because of concern over privacy laws. But
recently they were approved, as long as they're used only on suspected grow
operations under active investigation.

"We can't just be out there hunting for them and point them at everyone's
house. As long as we have an investigation we can use it on the residence.
Then we can use that as grounds to get a [search] warrant," said McCutcheon.

"It's going to be a great tool for eliminating houses that people call
about and say, 'Oh, I think there's a grow-op next door.' We can then rule
them out right away," he said. "It will make us more efficient in the way
we do our job."

* The topic of grow operations has become a hot one with four RCMP officers
in Alberta killed while investigating one Thursday. A suspect, believed to
be the grow-op gardner, shot the four members with an rapid fire assault
rifle. He was later found dead.

"We're all in shock over this," said Corp. Pierre Lemaitre, media liaison
officer for the Burnaby detachment.

"This is the sort of thing that can happen anytime, not just because of the
dangers of police work but also dealing with grow-ops and people with
criminal minds," he said. "This reaffirms our resolve to make this a safer
community."