cred WEST VANE GIVER _ FRIDAY Test drive the Subaru Impreza Automotive: 27 Picasasal February 12, 1993 Distribution 986-1337 92 pages NEWS photo Mike Wakatiald DEREK CORRIGAN, legal counsel for Daniel Possee's family, addresses tho. Policing in 8.C. Commission of inquiry on Weunesday afternoon at West Vancouver's Park Royal Hotel. Possee lawyer blasts search warrant policy Policing commission hearing THE LAWYER hired by the family of a man shot by a West Vancouver police department drug squad member during a raid on a North Vancouver home last year criticized search warrant procedures and police board hearings during a presentation Wednes- day to a provincial commission examining B.C. polic- ing. Derek Corrigan was repre- senting the family of 22-year- old Daniel Possee, who was shot by the police on May 12, 1992, during a drug raid at a North Vancouver basement suite. Appearing before the Polic- ing in B.C. Commission of tn- quiry on Wednesday afternoon at West Vancouver’s Park Royal Hotel, Corrigan con- tended that many justices of the peace do not have the ex- perience, training and support necessary to issue search war- rants. B.C., he said, appoints part-time justices of the peace from non-legal backgrounds to provide services after hours. Corrigan said they are often supplied ‘with nothing more than a one-week training course. He asked inquiry commis- sioner “Mr. Justice Watlace Oppal to review the training of part-time justices of the peace so that public confidence in the ‘process of issuing search war- rants is improved. Corrigan also called for bet- ter training and = stronger guidelines in the police execu- tion of search warrants. “The police, almost in- variably, have their guns drawn in the execution of a. search warrant,"’ he stated. “it is vir- tually a policy decision at the level of the individual officer, REACHING E By A.P. McCredie News Reporter without any policy or rationale from their superiors to justify this approach.”’ Corrigan stated that the drawn-gun mentality prevalent in the U.S.A. is being adopted in B.C. He asked the commission to implement a policy that re- quires officers to file a report each time they remove their yun from its holster. He admitted that guns should be drawn during the ex- ecution of some search war- rants, but distinguished — be- tween ‘‘hard’’ drug searches and ‘soft’? drug searches. Corrigan said a search war- rant policy that treats the search for both hard and soft drugs the same, ‘doesn’t make sense, doesn’t reflect societal norms, and it doesn’t reflect the attitude of the public.” Corrigan was also critical of internal police investigations and police board hearings. The system, Corrigan stated, is stacked against the citizen and biased in favor of the police officer. Officers under investigation, he said, are provided ‘senior counsel by their union, but cit- ens have no choice but to hire a Jawyer to pursue their com- plaint. Boe PBN ice ee dose eee EEA “NEWS photo Torry Peters ret NORTH SHORE Health inspector Brent Kerstiens displays a syringe and a disposal box at Seylynn Park in North Vancouver. Syringes and needles were found in a bush area of the park on Saturday, Feb. 6, during a children's soccer game. Syringes found near soccer tield Girl’s Seylynn Park discovery ‘sign of the times A GIRL acting as a referee for a focal children’s soccer feague Saturday, Feb. 6, stumbled upon several discarded needles and syringes when she went to retrieve a soccer ball kicked out of bounds at Seylynn Park in the Lynnwood area of North Vancouver District. The mother of the 13-year-old wants to warn others of the potential danger. “When they go into the bush to get a soccer ball, they are not thinking about needles. The danger is there, and ! think that SES. By Michael! Becker News Reporter people should talk to their kids. It’s horrible, but it’s a fact of life now,’’ the North Vancouver mother said, A North Vancouver District parks employee removed | the discarded needles and syringes. Said North Vancouver District parks manager Dirk Oostindic, “W's a sign of the time. Certainly up to two or three years ago we may have found maybe one or two here and there, but it’s just over the last year and a half that See Park page 5 See SUS ge cana Ne ee he Lie) Bearer sre OCCA EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE SINCE 1969