HYDRO ERROR LED TO SEARCH FOR POT IN FAMILY HOME

CAMBRIDGE -- As Fung Han and Shiu Ng work to repair the damage done to
their door and their pride, police and hydro investigators are trying to
figure out what went so wrong.

Police officers broke down the front door of the Ngs' Hilborn Avenue home
in Cambridge Wednesday morning as Fung Han sat eating her breakfast.
Officers put her hands behind her back and told her she was under arrest
for theft of hydro.

Police and hydro investigators believed the family was hiding a marijuana
grow operation inside. But when they searched the home, they found nothing.

Now, they are trying to figure out what went wrong in their investigation.

On Wednesday, Cambridge and North Dumfries Hydro told The Record they were
not the initiators in this case and that police usually contact them for
assistance.

However, the police warrant used to carry out the search showed that the
hydro company contacted police on two occasions.

On July 19, hydro officials told police they had concerns that hydro was
being tampered with at the residence. Then on Tuesday, the hydro company
contacted police and told them a diversion meter, which measures the flow
of electricity to the house before it goes through the hydro meter, was set
up. They told police the diversion meter indicated theft of hydro.

A warrant was obtained and a search completed.

"Apparently there never was and there never has been a marijuana grow
operation" in the home, said Staff Sgt. Brent Thomlison. "We initiated this
because hydro called us."

Barb Shortreed, communications officer with Cambridge and North Dumfries
Hydro, said an internal investigation revealed hydro officials did contact
police in this case. She said a full investigation has been launched to
determine "what caused the abnormality," in the home's hydro reading.

The data recorded from the meter was "very similar to every other proven
diversion we have identified," she said. "There are several factors that we
need to identify. We could not comment as to what the reason is."

In the meantime, Shortreed said the hydro company is very sorry for its
mistake.

"It is very unfortunate. We have apologized to the family," she said. "But
at the same time there is a problem with pot grow operations" in the region.

Thomlison said police have conducted more than 100 theft-of-hydro searches
since the fall of 2000.

In every one, officers found a grow operation inside. However, Thomlison
added, being wrong even once is not acceptable to officers.

"We do everything we can to make sure we are more than confident" a grow
operation will be found, Thomlison said.

When issuing a warrant, police must knock on the door and yell, "Police.
Search warrant," before breaking it down.

Thomlison said police followed this proper procedure Wednesday morning. But
Fung Han Ng, who was sitting in the kitchen of the home at the time, said
she did not hear a knock.

"They yelled, 'Police,' and then they were all in here," she said shortly
after the incident.

Yesterday, the couple said they have accepted the apology of the police but
are still upset with the hydro company. "They are the ones who started it,"
Shiu Ng said. "I'm not convinced they will do the right thing next time."

Their door has been temporarily repaired but will take four to six weeks to
replace. Waterloo regional police have agreed to pay the cost.

"I support what law enforcement (officers) have to do," Shiu Ng said. "As
long as they do the right thing."