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Vancouver Sun
a day ago
- Climate
- Vancouver Sun
Cops, crime, creeps and keeping cool in creeks: The summer life of a B.C. police dog
A man plays with his dog in a wooded Coquitlam glen, tossing a ball with a splash into the crystal-clear waters of their top-secret swimming hole. It's a warm summer day, the heat not quite reaching oppressive levels, but the air is still thick and heavy. The dog marks his appreciation for the dip by shaking off a cloud of water right beside his minder. The scene is an idyllic, if common, moment. Man. Dog. Ball. Slobber. Gun. Badge. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The latter two might not be commonplace, but they're what set Const. Ross Findlay and his partner, Kanto, apart. Plus, they're on duty. While some of their fellow officers can cool off in a coffee shop or pull on some striped cargo shorts for a bike patrol, Kanto doesn't have that option. But Findlay's unmarked SUV does have some special features built-in to keep his partner from turning into a hotdog. There are fans built into two rear windows, pulling in strong drafts of air to the rear compartment, plus internal fans that keep it circulating. The heavy-duty air conditioning can run when he's away from his vehicle, as a secure idle system allows the vehicle to remain running to keep the interior cool while maintaining security. There is also a temperature monitoring system for the truck with a dedicated control panel; it will alert Findlay if the car is getting too hot by honking and flashing the lights, or by buzzing a remote he keeps with him if he's out of earshot. The cruiser also has literal buckets of water for Kanto to drink. But nothing beats a splash in the creek. 'They're gonna get out of the truck and a chance to lay in the shade or something a handful of times a day,' said Findlay, 'but in the peak of the summer like this, on day shifts, I'm getting him out once a day for a swim.' The location of their secret spot, close to a major highway, will remain unreported, lest Findlay draw the ire of his fellow dog-handlers who also frequent it — and there are many of them. The Lower Mainland District Integrated Police Dog Service (LMD IPDS) is the largest in Canada, and one of the biggest overall in North America, with 48 pairings that provides 24/7 coverage to five cities and 28 RCMP-policed communities. The joint RCMP and municipal police program answers more than 10,000 calls per year, from the Lower Mainland, to Pemberton, to Boston Bar. Findlay, a member of the IPDS for seven of his 15 years in law enforcement, is with the New Westminster police. He's been paired with Kanto since he was a puppy, his first canine partner. 'It's different. They don't talk as much,' he laughed, when asked the difference between having a canine and a human partner. 'They are good listeners. He listens very well, actually. 'It's a perfect job. We get paid to hang out with a dog all day. And they're our best friend, right?' All of the RCMP's dogs come from the same place — Innisfail, Alta., where they have established a formal breeding program for German shepherds that's now into its 25th year. The Police Dog Service Training Centre (PDSTC) sees 50 per cent of their puppies become working dogs; when they bought puppies before, only one-in-six would make the cut. When Findlay — who was, ironically, studying to be a veterinarian in university before switching to law enforcement — first met Kanto, he was sure he would be one of them. 'My first impression was, 'Well, I've got a lot of work to do, to get him to like me.' Understandable. He was just put on a plane and in a truck, and then came out to me,' he said. 'But I could tell he was … from the second we started doing a little bit of training. I'm like, 'Oh, he's a strong dog. He's gonna be worth it when we get to a good place.' ' Step 1 was just getting used to each other. Findlay would just sit in Kanto's dog run for hours on end, sometimes just reading a book. Then he added in some hand-feeding. And the bond began to grow. 'Animals, they're not machines. They're like us. They need the time to bond and build that trust,' he said. 'Some are quicker than others. He took a while. It was probably a good six, seven, eight months until he started to like me … It's a unique experience. Building that bond can take a long time, a lot of one-on-one time, just immersing yourselves kind of together. They're going to become your best friend and partner. So it just takes time.' Now, they're experts at communicating with each other. A tongue click from Findlay, a verbal command or even body language gets his point across. But some day in the not-too-distant future, Findlay will be starting with a new dog, as Kanto — who turns eight in September — is closing in on retirement age. He's lived with his handler for most of his life, but now will get a new appreciation for the couch and the hearth instead of the back of a black Chevy Tahoe. Findlay says he'll probably still come for rides in a non-working capacity, and fully expects him to be a 'bull in a china shop' — he'll make sure anything of value is put away — for the first few weeks of his retired life before settling in. Then there will be his new role: pet. 'He likes me. He likes my wife. And then my two kids (one and four); it's been a good progression since they were born,' he said. 'Now it's at the point where they can pet him a little bit, and he's fine with it, but you can just tell by his body language, 'Like, why are you touching me?' ' You know, as pesky little siblings can be. 'I think he just sees me as dad. Not an alpha. Not a food source. It's just … 'That's dad,' ' said Findlay, joking that he has better success getting his partner to heed his wishes than his children. 'Kanto knows to listen. You only have to tell him once. Kids, they may take a couple times.' jadams@
CBC
01-03-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Confusion, questions surround new Alberta policing committee obligations
New rules requiring Alberta municipalities to form or join policing committees that oversee RCMP operations are now in effect, but some communities have yet to form them and still have questions about how they will work. The provincial government passed the Police Amendment Act in 2022 and created new regulations for civilian governance bodies. Under the new rules, which came into effect Saturday, RCMP-policed communities with populations of more than 15,000 must form municipal policing committees, which would represent local concerns to RCMP leadership. Mid-size communities — those with populations between 5,000 and 15,000 — join one of four regional committees, which are aligned with the RCMP's eastern, western, central and southern districts. Small communities with less than 5,000 people are represented by a provincial advisory board. Mike Ellis, the minister of public safety and emergency services, has said these new governance bodies give Albertans more say in how the RCMP police their communities. However, multiple mayors and municipal leaders say there are unanswered questions about committee formation, responsibilities and benefits. "There's a little bit of confusion now about where a municipality might lie, what the roles and responsibilities are and how they go about setting that up," said Tyler Gandam, Alberta Municipalities president and mayor of Wetaskiwin. "I think even the province is well aware of this March 1 deadline being kind of a moving target." To join or not to join Some larger cities, like Airdrie, Red Deer and Leduc, have already passed bylaws establishing municipal policing committees. Leduc's mayor, Bob Young, said applications are open for its committee, which will be up and running by the end of the month. A council member, city administrator and RCMP officer will recommend candidates to council, he said. Some mid-size municipalities are struggling to decide whether to join or opt out of regional committees. Opting out requires ministerial approval, and the community must either establish its own municipal policing committee or join one with another municipality. Redcliff, a southern Alberta town northwest of Medicine Hat, plans to create its own committee but it won't meet the March 1 deadline. Mayor Dwight Kilpatrick said southern Alberta is fairly widespread and the town's nearest mid-size neighbours appeared to also want their own policing committees, he said. "The regional idea didn't look like it was going to work," he said. Peace River, on the other hand, has decided to join a regional committee for now but may strike out on its own in the future. Mayor Elaine Manzer said council wants to ensure the regional group pays attention to Peace River's unique characteristics, like its northern location and provincial correctional centre. She said council members don't yet know how much influence the town will have in regional committee meetings. "Like others, we've got many questions as to what these committees are really supposed to do," she said. Communities with municipal and regional policing committees must pay the costs of running them — a concern and unknown quantity for some councils. Young said he expects the committee costs will be minimal; Kilpatrick said he's concerned about any costs associated with a provincially appointed committee member. The minister may appoint people to both municipal and regional policing committees. Arthur Green, press secretary for Public Safety and Emergency Services, said the government recognizes some communities need more time to determine the best approach and pass necessary bylaws. Green said 25 to 35 municipal policing committees are expected to be formed. Once municipalities finish appointing people, the minister may appoint others "to ensure balanced representation and expertise." "Ultimately, this new system strengthens public safety by making policing more responsive to local needs and ensuring that all communities — regardless of size or location — have a say in law enforcement priorities," he said in an emailed statement. Concerns over board Small and rural communities, which will be represented by the new provincial police advisory board, won't have to pay for its operating costs. Rural Municipalities of Alberta president Kara Westerlund said the association is concerned about how a 15-person board will adequately represent more than 300 communities. "I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm going to tell you there is obviously going to be some extreme difficulties making sure that voices ... are heard all the way up," she said. She said RMA has a seat on the board, as does Alberta Municipalities, but municipalities are worried about who the other appointees will be and how they were chosen. Green said the government is balancing expertise, lived experiences and regional representation in making the appointments and the full list of board members will be announced once all positions are confirmed. RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said the organization has a well-established framework for developing policing priorities and the service is happy to include policing committees in it.
