IN ITS continuing series profiling the two North Shore potice departments, the North Shore News takes a look at the opera- tions of the West Vancouver Police Department's detective sec- tion, By Surj Rattan News Reporter A GROUP of West Vancouver break-and-enter artists has got Bob Fontaine’s number, and they know it. But Fontaine, a 37-year-old detective with the West Vancouver Police Department, knows that one day he'll have the goods on the group that will eventually send them to jail. “I know most of the people who are committing break-and- enters and they know me. Once they spray-painted my name somewhere and said to the effect: ‘Try to catch us Fontaine.’ | know who they are, but { can't prove i. ‘ There is one young offender in particular Fontaine has been keeping his eye on and his per- sistence recently paid off when Fontaine was able to have several charges laid against the youth.. “We finally charged him with 33 (counts),’’ he said. ‘‘Those charges were reduced to 18 which were air-tight.’” Fontaine has been with the West Vancouver Police Department for 17 years. He has worked in the detective division for the past two years. Prior to becoming a detective, Fontaine spent 14 years in the police department’s patrol section and one year each in the traffic and target team sections. — He is one of six detectives who make up the West Vancouver Police Department’s detective sec- tion, which investigates all major crimes. “We will do any follow-ups or investigate any major crimes. We will also: do any follow-up in- vestigations outside of the municipality. ‘ “We have a think-tank here (detective room), and we'll ali do different parts of an investiga- tion.” ; Fontaine has worked on several major crime investigations since joining the detective section. He is currently investigating the murder of West Vancouver resi- dent Scott Gordon Kraft, who was found murdered in his parents’ British Properties house on the night of Aug. 3. West Vancouver resident Dale Roger Paterson was_ initially charged with second-degree murder in connection with Kraft's death, but Crown connsel has now laid a first-degree murder charge against Paterson bascd on infor- mation gathered by Fontaine in a follow-up investigation. He also investigated the murder of West Vancouver resident Bar- bara McCune, who was found murdered outside her son Michael Boyd McCune’s house in Febru- NEWS photo Mike Wakelield WEST VANCOUVER Police Det. Bob Fontaine investigates most of the serious crimes in the municipality and has investigated two murders so far this year. He says the best part of the job fer him is interviewing suspects. An investigation by Fontaine and other detectives resulted in a second-degree murder charge be- ing laid against McCune, who is scheduled to face a preliminary hearing this fall. “Since January J have been called out to investigate a date rape. It was a situation’ where a‘ girl got drunk at a party in the British Properties and wakes up with a guy. “Then there was a home-inva- sion robbery where a family of Orientals was tied up and robbed of $4,000 in cash,”’ said Fontaine. Another case assigned to Fon- taine was the suspected abduction of British Properties resident An- drzej_ Lassota-Foksowicz, who claimed he was abducted at gun- point in February, before being released. He went missing again several days later. But an investigation by Fontaine determined that Lassota- Foksowicz had faked his own disapperance. “We did a major investigation on the fellow who said he was ab- ducted at gunpoint. He has not been kidnapped. He’s phoning his family and he’s on the run in the United States,’’ said Fontaine. While he admits that working in the detective division contains a lot more paper work than other Social crashes staged are being filmed for The B.C. Road Test, a 30-minute television program If YOU happen to witness two motor vehicle accidents today at the corner of Lonsdale Avenue and Second. Street in North Vancouver, do not call 9-1-1. A spectacular crash involving a truck and a car will occur at the intersection at 12 p.m. Two hours later, the in- tersection will be the scene of a . second motor vehicle accident, this one involving a car driving into the back of another car. The accidents produced by the Insurance Corp. of B.C. (ICBC). The crashes are being staged to illustrate particular traffic safety issues. Stunt drivers are used for crashes and the vehicles are write-offs provided by an ICBC salvage yard. The program will air on CBC-TV on Saturday, Nov. 6. sections, he said he’s glad to. be off shifi work. Fontaine appreciates his Mon- day-to-Friday schedule even more now that his wife recently gave birth to their first child, a son called Elliot. ; Asked if he named his son after famed crime fighter Elliot Ness, Fontaine said no.' “He was pretty well named Elliot when he was born. It was a hard delivery and he looked like E.T. when he came out so we just named him Elliot, after the boy in the movie,’’ said Fontaine. He was born ‘and raised in the French community of Mallardville near Coquitlam and said he became interested in police work when he was 13. Fontaine admits that he ‘‘was no angel’? when growing up, but hs did keep on the right side of the law. “Interviewing suspects is inter- esting to me. 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