Pubdate: Wed, 28 Mar 2012
Source: Calgary Herald (CN AB)
Copyright: 2012 Canwest Publishing Inc.
Contact: http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/letters.html
Website: http://www.calgaryherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/66

POLICE SEEK UTILITY COMPANY SUPPORT IN HIGHLIGHTING GROW OP POWER THEFT

POLICING * It's time for utility companies to be more transparent in 
monitoring and reporting power stolen by organized crime groups for 
illegal drug grow operations, the city's police commission says.

The commission plans to bring the issue to the forefront this month 
at the Alberta Association of Police Governance's annual meeting in Canmore.

Calgary's commission wants the Alberta group to urge the province to 
force utility companies to be transparent about how much power is 
being stolen, use current technology to identify utility theft, 
monitor lines for theft, and disclose theft to police in an effort to 
reduce utility theft.

Utility customers are subsidizing organized crime operations each 
month when they pay their utility bills, Ald. Diane Colley Urquhart 
said at Tuesday's commission meeting.

The companies aren't taking the theft of power seriously and turn a 
blind eye, she said.

Marijuana growing operations often see criminals bypassing utility meters.

The lucrative criminal practice is a dangerous one, and several house 
fires have been sparked by tampering.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom