RCMP tech used to solve serious crime

Anna Marie D'Angelo

News Reporter adangelo@nsnews.cont

THE North Vancouver RCMP have a high tech fingerprint testing machine that is drawing interest from murder investigators in Canada and the United States.

.. Since September, crime evi- dence from 40 mostly murder - cases has been processed in a : machine called a vacuum metal deposition chamber (VMD). The $140,000 machine was bought by the RCMP in 1989. and used in Ottawa. It was shipped to North Vancouver ‘early ‘ast year. ‘Funding of $40,000 for the “setup and taining came from North Vancouver City, North Vancouver District and the federal RCMP.

. Cpl. John Van Tassel is one of three forensic identification officers in North Vancouver trained to use the VMD. He said Ottawa RCMP

léecided to send the VMD here, in part, because of North Vancouver's new high tech detachment building and Ortawa RCMP’s commitment in other areas

uch as the biohazard investigation unit and a DNA data base. The-VMD is located in a small nar- row. rooin near one. the North couver RCMP headquarter’s park- ing lots ‘off St..Georges Avenue near 14th Street. . Crime ‘ evidence including bloody c’ bags, glass, paper, passports,

Christian Sorensen

wood (board and wooden jewelry box) and cloth, has come from investigations under way by police in Ortawa, the Yukon, Vancouver, several communities in B.C. as well as North Vancouver.

Van Tassel said that police in Toronto asked to use the machine fol- lowing the recent discovery of a young gitl’s dismembered. body in a park. The request was cancelled after Toronto police had a break in the case that led to the childs father and stepmother being

arged.

Van Tassel said the machine was used on evidence from an unsolved

Office;

1973 murder of an elderly woman in 2 North Vancouver convent.

“You have to understand that we handle VMD as usually a last resort technique,” said Van Tassel who has worked 11] years in North Vancouver and 29 years with the RCMP.

The North Vancouver RCMP have had three requests from American police departments including Los Angeles county to process evidence for fingerprints, but testing was not carried out for various reasons.

Van Tassel demonstrated the VMD on Tuesday to the press. The high

‘Contributing Writer

‘NORTH Vancouver-Scymour MLA Daniel Jarvis fears some North Shore landowners may soon find themselves on the wrong end of a $50,000 fine for disturbing a her- itage site... ¢ noo.

The problem is that the provincial government still hasn't registered those “hentage sites” with the Land Registry Office, said Jarvis.

If a landowner renovates, refurbishes or makes an addition to a piece of land — or a building on that land “= ‘earmarked as a heritage site, they can be slapped

th a hefty levy. ‘

The fines can range from $50,000 for individuals to ‘a million dollars for corporations that are deemed to have disturbed or altered such a site.

* Jarvis claims that of the 21,259 sites that were cat- alogued by the government two years ago, only two have. since. been registered with the Land Registry

Katharine Hamer News Reporter khamer@nsnews.com

HREE suicide attempts on the Lions Gate Bridge Sunday kept police on both sides of

Burrard Inlet busy.

A 40-year-old Vancouver woman was spotted just before 6

'm. by a tow truck driver who contacted police.

The woman had climbed outside the bridge’s railings onto construction platform under the south end of the bridge

deck? 2 -

. A Vancouver Police Department negotiator was dispatched to the’scene and managed to convince the woman to return to safety. She was taken to St. Paul’s Hospital and released after a

Ww hours.

"By 2 p.m. she had made her way back to the same spot on

the bridge.

This time the Lions Gate'was closed to traffic for close to four hours as — with fire and rescue crews standing by —

“It’s a very insidious thing,” said

* Jarvis. “This can affect people all over the

North Shore. People don’t seem to understand how bad this can be.”

The original provincial Heritage Conservation Act was passed in 1979. The NDP government in i994 then made over a hundred amendments to the act. Two years later, the government again amended the act, adding the clause on fines.

“Nubody realized that these sites were not registered at the time. We're just dis- covering that now,” said Jarvis.

He is currently attempting to compile a master list of the catalogued properties but said he has already identified many such sites on the North Shore.

_ “[ think every realtor in town should be aware of this when they’re dealing with clients so they can ascer- tain whether the land is designated a heritage site or

police negotiators once more talked the woman down.

MLA Jarvis... “a very insidious thing.”

“ing permit would not

Wednesday, May 31, 2000 — North Shore News - 3

Is evidence

NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

NORTH Vancouver RCMP Cpl. John Van Tassel shows the chamber in which crime evidence receives the ulti- mate search for fingerprints. This vacuum metal deposition chamber machine is one of only four in Canada.

maintenance process uses gold and zinc

’ in a compression chamber. The tech- nique is destructive, meaning evidence usually can’t be tested further. A small amount of almost pure gold is vapor- ized in the chamber and falls onto the evidence. The gold is absorbed in fin- getprint residue. Zinc is then added to the process and covers the gold leaving the fingerprint ridges untouched. This fingerprint search is costly and is only presently used for serious violent crimes such as murders and armed robberies. The VMD was developed in 1976 in Great Britain.

itage designations rankle MLA

not,” he said.

Since the government has not registered the sites, landowners applying for a build- informed of the heritage designation and dius could be later fined for renovations or additions they did not know were in violation of the act.

“It’s very draconian legislation,” said Jarvis, He said the tine system also applies to landowners who have altered buildings

. Of Sites since the amendments to the act

were passed. :

Jarvis wondered how many peaple had purchased sites and have been paying high taxes with the intent of one day rebuilding or renovating the property. “How many people of the twenty-one thousand are sit-

ting on sites where th. value is really not what they

think it is? The site may have been catalogued but they wouldn't know that and the value has been decreased chormously, It’s unfair to put people in this position.”

“From what the guys who were up there told me, she just got cold sitting up there in the wind,” said West Vancouver Fire Department Insp. Jeff Bush.

’ Vancouver police were contemplating charging the woman with mischief. In the end she was not charged but was taken into custody for a 30-day psychiatric assessment.

the incident.

him she was going to jump.

Bridge traffic was rerouted to the Second Narrows during

Around 9:30 p.m. Sunday, meanwhile, West Vancouver police had their own rescue to perform. A 36-year-old Nerth Vancouver woman was heading south on the east sidewalk of the bridge. West Vancouver Police Sgt. Jim Almas said the woman was gripping the railings, and when approached by an officer, told

Almas said the police officer managed to grab the woman just as she was stepping up to a lower railing on the bridge.

She was taken to’ the psychiatric ward of Lions Gate Hospital, where she was admitted for observation.

_ options,

Salmon restock stressed

From page 1

nership groups throughout

Participants in the Lower Mainland Regional Delivery Partner Group include Squamish Nation, North Vancouver-based EVS Environmental Consultants, Wesz Vancouver Streamkeepers, Seymour Salmonid Society, North Vancouver Fish and Game and North Shore Streamkcepers.

“We know some acci- dents are going to happen to these fish,” satd Bell-Irving. He said that having fish in so many streams is new to West Vancouver.

Bell-Irving added thae some people are not aware of how to properly dispose of liquids when draining pools, hot tubs or throwing away paint and other toxic substances.

“People should be ask- ing, ‘Is there a healthier way I can dispose of sub- stances?””

Bill McCuaig, communi- ty forester and stream keep- ers’ liaison for West Vancouver District was involved in investigating the recent pollution in Pound Creek.

According to McCuaig, stream keepers had placed 10,000 to 20,000 fry approximately two months ago into the stream but — “some sort of spill killed most if not all of the fish.”

Said McCuaig, “When you get a ton of fish floating up dead you know. some- thing dramatic has. hap- pened.” :

Two weeks later another 10,000 to 20,000 fry were. placed into the stream and: seem to be doing well despite subsequent pollu- tion, . Although a source often cannot be found for the-’ spills, Bell-Irving hopes that making the community. aware of the problem will. help in the long run... 7

“We would really like people in West Vancouver to-:

realize that you can’t dump ©

into storm drains or creeks.”

Citizens reporting spills, °: incidents of dumping or. wondering .about how to: properly dispose of haz-. ardous’ substances are encouraged to call 1-800- 465-4236 — for. specific.

Three suicide attempts stall Lions Gate Bridge traff

me NEWS photo Paul McGrath

LIONS Gate Bridge was closed to traffic Sunday

afternoon while a possible jumper was talked down.