Pubdate: Wed, 05 Jul 2006 Source: Vancouver Courier (CN BC) Copyright: 2006 Vancouver Courier Contact: http://www.vancourier.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/474 Author: Mike Howell, Staff writer Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Marijuana - Canada) COPS WILL GET LOOK AT ELECTRICITY LIST The city department that oversees the Vancouver Police Department's Growbusters marijuana team is working with B.C. Hydro to identify city properties with unusually high consumption rates of electricity. Carlene Robbins, the city's manager of bylaw administration, said the information will likely translate to more leads for Growbusters. Theft of electricity is often associated with marijuana growing operations, or grow ops. Robbins said how the information will be retrieved is still being worked out with B.C. Hydro. But she believes the city will receive a weekly or monthly report with all addresses in the city with high consumption levels of electricity. "Our electrical inspectors know, on the average, what consumption an average single-family house consumes over a month," Robbins said. "So if your consumption is three times the normal rate, then that could indicate that something's going on, most likely a grow op." Though Robbins said the reports will be another tool for the city to find grow ops, she pointed out the police will still need to conduct regular investigation to gather enough grounds to obtain a search warrant. If police don't suspect the property contains a grow op, Robbins said, the city will still investigate the property to determine why so much power is being used. An electrical hazard could exist, she added. A recent amendment to the provincial Safety Standards Act allows municipalities to request reports of high consumption rates of electricity. The amendment was enacted in May and driven by public safety concerns over grow ops in neighbourhoods. Previously, B.C. Hydro wouldn't disclose such comprehensive lists to municipalities because of privacy legislation. In 2005, Growbusters shut down 210 properties in the city containing grow ops. As of June 29, the team busted 80 properties this year. Sgt. Tom Cork, the officer in charge of the team, said the amendment to the Act will help police build a bigger list of potential grow ops. Cork said the police get 15 to 20 tips a week through various sources. Prior to the amendment to the Act, police could only obtain information on a single property after filing a request with B.C. Hydro under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The amendment appears to be a roundabout way of police getting the information. But Cork said police have to abide by the Act that is written. "It's the Safety Standards Act, it's for electrical hazards and we're not electricians, we're a police department." The Growbusters team comprises six police officers, two city electrical inspectors, two firefighters and a representative from B.C. Hydro. The team has discovered marijuana in dilapidated houses, million-dollar mansions, warehouses and condominiums. Cork said the average power consumption in a single-family home in Vancouver is about 1000 to 1,500 kilowatt hours over two months. A grow op may use three to 10 times the power of an average home. Many of the 221,780 residential B.C. Hydro customers in Vancouver have or will receive an insert this month about grow ops with their B.C. Hydro bills. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake