Pubdate: Wed, 19 Oct 2005 Source: Sudbury Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 The Sudbury Star Contact: http://www.thesudburystar.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/608 WHERE THE DRUGS ARE In The End, The Law Is Stacked Against Law-Abiding Tenants Carmen Bechard, a grandmother who chased drug dealers out a Kathleen Street apartment building she manages, is both a hero and a cautionary tale. As a community, we can gain confidence from her heroic actions; as a society we need to learn from and act on the risks she took and why she took them. Bechard is a stickler for the rules, and has proven she will go to great lengths to abide by them and assure her tenants do the same. Bechard doesn't allow "illegal acts or business" to be carried out on the property, including "trafficking of drugs," and makes tenants sign waivers to this effect before they move in. This summer, she suspected a couple that had just moved into the apartment next to hers were trafficking drugs. Guests coming and going at all hours of the day and night, the noise, stragglers lurking outside the building and the tell-tale smell all suggested to Bechard that this couple was using the apartment as a base for selling drugs. This, of course, cast a pall over the building and its other tenants. It only takes one bad neighbour to ruin it for everyone else. Realizing this, Bechard took matters into her own hands. First, she approached the couple and told them their behaviour was not welcome, and continued to deliver that message over a period of time. Second, she approached the authorities to deal with the couple. Neither Greater Sudbury Police nor the Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal, however, proved to be much help. The police told Bechard her suspicions were likely correct -- the couple was already known to them. But they also told her there was nothing they could do to this couple until enough evidence had been gathered to apply for a search warrant. Without a search warrant, however, whatever was going on in that apartment would likely remain a secret. The criteria for obtaining a search warrant in Ontario, Greater Sudbury Police Sgt. Peter Orsino told The Star, have become more difficult to meet than in years past. All the police could advise Bechard to do was watch the couple closely, keep track of the people and the licence plates of vehicles that come and go and report loud music and threatening behaviour to the police. In the end, the law is stacked against law-abiding tenants. For suspected drug dealers, a basic understanding of the law is all that is needed to stay ahead of it. Bechard, however, would not be deterred. She continued to pester the couple by watching them, knocking on their door in the middle of the night and staying in touch with the police and, in the end, was able to wear them down. The couple finally grew tired of the attention -- anonymity is preferred in that line of work -- and left on their own. So, while Bechard appeared to win, really no one did: This couple simply moved to another apartment and is likely carrying on as before. Police can still do little more than watch them, and the attendant problems of drug trafficking have been passed on to a new set of neighbours. While Bechard's tenacity and courage are to be applauded, it's clear that until police have the tools to help citizens who care as much as her, drug traffickers will continue to thrive.