Pubdate: Tue, 01 Apr 2008 Source: Richmond News (CN BC) Copyright: 2008, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc. Contact: http://www.richmond-news.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244 Author: Lisa Smedman INSPECTORS COME, GROW-OPS GO Evidence Of Former Or Current Grow-Op Found In 50% Of Inspections A pilot program in which fire and electric inspectors target residences with unusually high electrical consumption is forcing marijuana "grow-ops" to pack up and move on, according to a report that sums up the program's first six months. Whether the grow-ops are actually seeking greener pastures in municipalities that don't have an Electrical and Fire Safety Inspection Program remains to be seen, however. It's possible that the grow-ops are relocating to commercial or industrial buildings - which aren't subject to inspections under the program - or to homes in Richmond that aren't showing up on B.C. Hydro's high-consumption list because those setting up the new grow-ops have learned to bypass electrical meters. On Tuesday (March 25) a report by Kim Howell, deputy chief of Richmond Fire and Rescue, came before Richmond city council. The report detailed EFSIP operations from August 2007 to January 2008. Over that time, EFSIP teams conducted 126 inspections (an average of 21 per month). In 64 of the residences, inspectors uncovered evidence that a marijuana grow-operation had been in place at some point. In some cases, said Howell, the grow-op had likely just moved on, based on the fresh paint and recent repairs inspectors spotted. The remainder of the residences - fully half of those inspected - showed no evidence of a grow-op. Instead, the high electrical consumption turned out to be due to normal usage, including cases where there were an "unusually high number of major appliances" in the home, typically because the building included an illegal suite. The bad news for those property owners was that a report of the illegal suite was turned over to the city's community bylaw department. Under the program, residences red-flagged by B.C. Hydro as having unusually high electrical consumption rates are visited by a fire inspector and RCMP officer. On the first visit, a notice is posted, warning residents that an inspection is required within 48 hours. The inspection typically takes place a day or two after the notice was posted. By the time the second team - consisting of a fire inspector, electrical inspector and two RCMP officers - returns, the grow-ops typically have been dismantled. Of the 64 residences in which evidence of a past grow-op was found, 30 were declared unsafe and were posted with "do not occupy" notices. At the remaining 34 residences, inspectors ordered owners to make the necessary electrical repairs within seven days. Two-thirds of the former grow-op residences were single-family homes, while the remainder were multi-family dwellings. None appear to have been converted back into grow-ops after the inspectors left. Not one of the 64 residences appeared a second time on Hydro's list of abnormally high electrical consumers, said Howell. The former grow-op residences ranged from "old run-down" homes to "something where you go in and it's absolutely spotless," said Howell. She noted that the number of high-consumption Richmond addresses being provided by B.C. Hydro is already declining, just six months into the program. This is also the case, she added, in the other cities that have EFSIP teams. Those growing marijuana, however, are using new tactics to combat monitoring by B.C. Hydro. Bypassing the hydro meter, for example. "We've noticed we're investigating more thefts of electricity over the past several months," said Richmond RCMP Corporal Nycki Basra. "So that may account for Hydro's claims that their high-consumption rates in residential areas are decreasing." EFSIP teams are currently operating in Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Langley Township, Pitt Meadows and Surrey, which was the first to launch its program in April 2005. Teams are also being launched this year in Chilliwack, Langley City, Mission and Port Coquitlam. In Surrey, where two teams average 28 inspections per month, RCMP last fall noted a 39 per cent drop in grow-op complaints for 2007, as compared to the previous year. Here in Richmond, RCMP "take down" one to two grow-ops each week, said Basra. Richmond has a five-officer "green team" specifically dedicated to investigating marijuana grow-operations. Basra said grow-ops can be found in any type of building imaginable - single-family homes, apartments, and commercial or industrial buildings. But 90 per cent of the grow-ops uncovered by police in Richmond are in residences. "There's no particular pattern or neighbourhood that they're going to be in," said Basra. "We've seen them everywhere." One recent example, she said, was particularly worrying - a grow-op with more than 1,000 plants that had been set up in a vacant office above an autobody shop in central Richmond. "It was just a fire waiting to happen - a total hazard," said Basra. "Especially with the chemicals and flammables the autobody had right underneath them." The biggest risk of a grow-op, she added, is the fire hazard it poses, but violent "grow rips" by criminals trying to steal from grow-operations can endanger neighbours as well. "They're armed, they'll use violence," said Basra. Richmond's EFSIP program is being paid for, in part, by billing the cost of the inspections back to the owners of residences in which evidence of a past grow-op was found. A total of 58 invoices for $3,500 were sent out; 43 of these had been paid by the time Howell drafted her report. In the case of those who didn't pay within the 30 days allowed, the $3,500 fee was added to their property taxes. In a handful of cases, owners were able to get the fee waived by proving that they'd only recently purchased the property. They successfully argued they shouldn't be liable for criminal activity that occurred on the property prior to them owning it. Owners of properties that were not former grow-ops are not charged the inspection fee. The Electrical and Fire Safety Inspection Program will be evaluated again at the end of its one-year pilot period. - --- MAP posted-by: Derek