GROW-OPS 'A SCOURGE' FOR POLICE EVERYWHERE

Local police leaders say the killing of four police officers in
Alberta Thursday is an extreme example of how dangerous marijuana grow
operations can be.

"It certainly does hit very close to home, especially here in Leeds
County," said Inspector Jeroen Meinen, the county's OPP detachment
commander. "We've dealt with several grow operations right here in our
own backyard. It just shows the potential for violence in these things.

"These (grow operations) are really a scourge on the communities that
they're in."

Four RCMP officers were shot dead on a northeastern Alberta farm
during a raid related to suspected marijuana grow operations and
stolen property. The man they sought, James Roszko, is believed to
have killed himself.

Meinen said there's no telling if tougher laws or sentences would have
prevented this from happening.

"I don't know," he said. "Are the current laws and sentences that are
on the books tough enough? Are they just not dealt with by the courts
as seriously as they should? I really can't say."

Meinen said it's "frustrating" to see grow operators get house arrest
or community service.

Chief Barry King, of the Brockville Police Service, said pending
federal legislation that would decriminalize possession of small
amounts of pot but come down harder on dealers and growers is a "step
in the right direction." However, he said it would be better if there
were minimum sentences designated for grow operators.

"The last grow op that we had in the Brockville area, the person got a
conditional discharge," King said. "That does not send any kind of a
message when they're making upwards of $600,000 to $1 million a year
and they're involved in an organized crime trade."

Recent sentences for marijuana grow operations include Kemptville's
Mark Brissenden being given a nine-month conditional sentence last
month that included six months of house arrest.

In January, Newboro's Bruce Losier was given a four-month jail
sentence for a grow operation and illegally possessing a shotgun.

In February 2004, Thomas Grant got four months' house arrest for a
grow operation in Prescott. The co-accused Shaun Willett, who had a
previous drug conviction, received a nine-month jail term.

Also in February of last year, Robert Hall of Rideau Lakes was
sentenced to nine months of house arrest for growing marijuana and
having unregistered guns, though the Crown acknowledged most of the
weapons were antiques.

Rob Barr, who was the lawyer in the cases for Brissenden, Losier,
Grant and Willett, said he doesn't believe in minimum sentences
because they would not take into account unique circumstances of each
case.

He said such a provision might not differentiate between someone with
a few plants in a closet and a highly organized operation.

Barr said violence is not common with the grow operations he's been
familiar with.

"Very few offenders, if any, in this jurisdiction are prepared to use
violence to protect their crop," he said.

But King said dealing with grow operations is becoming more dangerous
for officers, as booby traps meant to hurt or kill intruders are
becoming more commonplace.

He added that people often rejig the wiring of houses to get optimal
electrical power for grow operations. This being done by an
unqualified person can be life-threatening to someone who so much as
walks across the property's lawn on a rainy day, King said.

Marijuana advocates argue the legalization of marijuana might have
prevented the deaths of the four officers on Thursday. They say the
illegality of pot makes it a commodity that attracts criminals.

King said he doesn't buy that argument.

"Alcohol is legalized and we still have the criminal element involved
in it," he said. "We only have to look at Cornwall, smuggling, things
of that nature. Cigarettes are still legal."

Inspector Brent Hill, OPP detachment commander for Grenville County,
also dismissed the notion that legalized pot would put a stop to
dangerous grow operations.

"Just look at the underground economy going on right now with people
avoiding the GST and PST by paying cash for things," he said.
"(Marijuana), in my opinion, would go the same route. Who's going to
go into a store and pay $30 for something when you can get it for $15?"