Gang squad

[Special Ed]

First let me get this out of the way. I have never been in or am currently in a gang. I have never been charged with a single crime. I am however a middle aged male, tattoos and I lift weights.

What rights do people have that are aggressively approached by this taskforce have?

Some time ago I was surrounded by them at a downtown bar. They interrogated me on the spot about my personals. I felt like I didn't have to speak to them but that if I didn't they would bully me further. Actually I felt like I was being bullied by a bunch of thugs, the same as any gang.

Lately I have been seeing them all over. They even come to conduct investigations where I work.

Last night I was out for dinner and who rolls in... GS. They do a walk by my table and every one of them gives me a good look while I'm sharing a meal with my sister. They walk around the place 'strutting' their stuff before dragging a couple guys out for questioning.

So why should I feel uncomfortable out in public simply because of how I look? What should someone do when they are profiled by these 'officers' and questioned aggressively?

I have no doubt they go after gangsters... But at the expense of guys that have nothing to do with gangs too? Are they adding me to some secret list? I don't really see the difference between GS and gangs. They both walk around in group and bully the public.

Were the police really so incompetent in gang dealings that they were forced to stoop down to the same level? Pretty sad sight in our city to have these thugs in uniform walking around.

If anyone has some positive solution on how to deal with them if the situation should arise, that would be helpful. I'm not interested in being bullied by public servants. At the same time I prefer not to instigate them either.

End of rant

[:D]

I seem to remember a story a couple of months ago that even small interactions (like giving up your ID to the police so they can run it) get logged and attached to your file. And that these incidents on file have repercussions when you have a criminal record check.

As for the IGTF, they hide under a vague jurisdiction (in any group, there could be officers from any city) and use intimidation to get what they want. You can't win because John Q. Public has a kneejerk reaction to news about gangs and think that this group is all that is keeping us safe.

Edit: I'm always getting approached by them when I play in Casinos, and you can tell them to pound sand, but all it takes is one word from them and the owner of any establishment will ask you to leave. They don't take kindly to showing a spine.

[Special Ed]

I seem to remember a story a couple of months ago that even small interactions (like giving up your ID to the police so they can run it) get logged and attached to your file. And that these incidents on file have repercussions when you have a criminal record check.

As for the IGTF, they hide under a vague jurisdiction (in any group, there could be officers from any city) and use intimidation to get what they want. You can't win because John Q. Public has a kneejerk reaction to news about gangs and think that this group is all that is keeping us safe.

Edit: I'm always getting approached by them when I play in Casinos, and you can tell them to pound sand, but all it takes is one word from them and the owner of any establishment will ask you to leave. They don't take kindly to showing a spine.

[Electro Rock]

I've heard that even other local police dislike their attitude...

But that's Lower Mainland police for you, a bunch of fronting cowardly bullies that would be promptly assuming the doggie position if they were ever not in a position of overwhelming advantage.

They're obviously not very effective either, other than maybe keeping certain gang members out of certain establishments.

[Harbinger]

I like threads like this. The thing I always heard was that if you are being bullied by someone you gotta bully them back. perhaps something on the line of "Back off, get your own sandwich." The most effective thing to get them off a persons back is to try to be seen less in high profile expensive cars and secondly throw away any douchebag apparel. I know it sucks to be profiled. But sometimes it is a good thing. It helps bring down crime and catches criminals you might not otherwise know about.

[Special Ed]

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2012/10/24/uniformed-gang-cops-not-welcome-at-vancouver-law-courts/

Last year, when a number of gang cases were going on simultaneously at the Vancouver Law Courts, the uniformed gang squad walked through the hallways and even into a couple of the courtroooms. It was a very visible reminder that the downtown courthouse would not be a good location to continue the many conflicts existing between various gangs, groups and individuals.

Well there are even more gang trials going on right now at the building at 800 Smithe with even more due to begin in the new year. Yet, the uniformed gang squad within the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit is no longer allowed inside the glass-roofed building.

No one from the B.C. government court services was able to comment on this change when I contacted them yesterday. Hopefully they’ll have some answers today. The same anti-gang police were inside Surrey Provincial Court a few weeks back when Glen Sheck’s gun cases was continuing there. So there appears to be a different policy now for Supreme Court than for provincial.

Here’s my story:

B.C. law courts full of gang trials, but anti-gang police few and far between

Even though several gang trials are being held simultaneously in B.C. Supreme Court, anti-gang police have cut back their presence at the Vancouver Law Courts.

Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said Tuesday that members of its uniformed team who were bolstering security at the Vancouver courts have been asked to stay away.

“Our overt uniformed presence has been reduced at the request of the courts and the judiciary since last year. You’d have to ask them why that is,” Houghton said.

He said sheriffs are looking after court security.

“The B.C. Sheriffs have a robust presence there and have the ability to monitor and respond to anything in the court facility as is part of their mandate,” Houghton said.

“We are well aware of the trials and appearances that are currently taking place.”

No one from B.C. Court Services responded to requests for information about the change.

A year ago, when gangster Sukh Dhak had a bail hearing at the Vancouver Law Courts, heavily armed members of the gang task force patrolled throughout the building.

On Tuesday, as Dhak’s drug conspiracy case continued with pre-trial motions, there was no visible police presence.

In fact, at a break in the proceedings, Dhak sat in on a manslaughter case a floor below his own trial, chatting for several minutes at the morning break with one of the accused, Patrick Avery Plowman, before shaking his hand and heading back to his own case.

Dhak was the subject of a police warning in September 2011 during heightened gang tensions. Police said anyone associating with members of the Dhak-Duhre group could be at risk.

The trial for Dhak and his co-accused Baljit Pabla and Neville Rankin is expected to begin this week, but last-minute pre-trial applications are being heard now.

All three accused appeared in the high-security courtroom built for the United Nations gang murder conspiracy case, which is also in pre-trial motions but not sitting this week.

Next door, in courtroom 66, is the murder trial of Michael Bruce Newman, a UN gangster charged with killing Marc Rozen in 2004. Rozen, a lawyer who had given up his practice to work with troubled kids, was stabbed and shot to death in his West End condo after advertising an expensive engagement ring.

And next door to Newman, the murder trial of Dinh Cuong Pham is continuing before a jury. Pham is charged with shooting Em Van Huynh to death outside Vancouver’s Hai Lua restaurant in July 2008. Jurors have heard the tiny pho house at Nanaimo and Broadway was frequented by gangsters.

Plowman and his co-accused — Sebastian Lucas Miazga, Kalum Lather Cain and Nolan Swallow — are on trial a floor below in the Feb. 1, 2009 slaying of Tyson Edwards outside Richards on Richards nightclub.

Members of the public must pass through security gates to be searched by sheriffs for some of the gang trials at the Vancouver Law Courts. But other courtrooms can be entered without any search.

Dean Purdy of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union, which represents sheriffs, said he is concerned if there are few anti-gang police specialists supporting the work of sheriffs at the Vancouver Law Courts.

“I have been informed that the police presence has dropped off and that’s a concern for us because the police and the sheriffs work hand in hand to provide a safe environment at the law courts,” Purdy said.

-

Interesting article I came accross after a quick search.

[Harbinger]

http://blogs.vancouv...ver-law-courts/

Last year, when a number of gang cases were going on simultaneously at the Vancouver Law Courts, the uniformed gang squad walked through the hallways and even into a couple of the courtroooms. It was a very visible reminder that the downtown courthouse would not be a good location to continue the many conflicts existing between various gangs, groups and individuals.

Well there are even more gang trials going on right now at the building at 800 Smithe with even more due to begin in the new year. Yet, the uniformed gang squad within the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit is no longer allowed inside the glass-roofed building.

No one from the B.C. government court services was able to comment on this change when I contacted them yesterday. Hopefully they'll have some answers today. The same anti-gang police were inside Surrey Provincial Court a few weeks back when Glen Sheck's gun cases was continuing there. So there appears to be a different policy now for Supreme Court than for provincial.

Here's my story:

B.C. law courts full of gang trials, but anti-gang police few and far between

Even though several gang trials are being held simultaneously in B.C. Supreme Court, anti-gang police have cut back their presence at the Vancouver Law Courts.

Sgt. Lindsey Houghton of the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit said Tuesday that members of its uniformed team who were bolstering security at the Vancouver courts have been asked to stay away.

"Our overt uniformed presence has been reduced at the request of the courts and the judiciary since last year. You'd have to ask them why that is," Houghton said.

He said sheriffs are looking after court security.

"The B.C. Sheriffs have a robust presence there and have the ability to monitor and respond to anything in the court facility as is part of their mandate," Houghton said.

"We are well aware of the trials and appearances that are currently taking place."

No one from B.C. Court Services responded to requests for information about the change.

A year ago, when gangster Sukh Dhak had a bail hearing at the Vancouver Law Courts, heavily armed members of the gang task force patrolled throughout the building.

On Tuesday, as Dhak's drug conspiracy case continued with pre-trial motions, there was no visible police presence.

In fact, at a break in the proceedings, Dhak sat in on a manslaughter case a floor below his own trial, chatting for several minutes at the morning break with one of the accused, Patrick Avery Plowman, before shaking his hand and heading back to his own case.

Dhak was the subject of a police warning in September 2011 during heightened gang tensions. Police said anyone associating with members of the Dhak-Duhre group could be at risk.

The trial for Dhak and his co-accused Baljit Pabla and Neville Rankin is expected to begin this week, but last-minute pre-trial applications are being heard now.

All three accused appeared in the high-security courtroom built for the United Nations gang murder conspiracy case, which is also in pre-trial motions but not sitting this week.

Next door, in courtroom 66, is the murder trial of Michael Bruce Newman, a UN gangster charged with killing Marc Rozen in 2004. Rozen, a lawyer who had given up his practice to work with troubled kids, was stabbed and shot to death in his West End condo after advertising an expensive engagement ring.

And next door to Newman, the murder trial of Dinh Cuong Pham is continuing before a jury. Pham is charged with shooting Em Van Huynh to death outside Vancouver's Hai Lua restaurant in July 2008. Jurors have heard the tiny pho house at Nanaimo and Broadway was frequented by gangsters.

Plowman and his co-accused — Sebastian Lucas Miazga, Kalum Lather Cain and Nolan Swallow — are on trial a floor below in the Feb. 1, 2009 slaying of Tyson Edwards outside Richards on Richards nightclub.

Members of the public must pass through security gates to be searched by sheriffs for some of the gang trials at the Vancouver Law Courts. But other courtrooms can be entered without any search.

Dean Purdy of the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union, which represents sheriffs, said he is concerned if there are few anti-gang police specialists supporting the work of sheriffs at the Vancouver Law Courts.

"I have been informed that the police presence has dropped off and that's a concern for us because the police and the sheriffs work hand in hand to provide a safe environment at the law courts," Purdy said.

-

Interesting article I came accross after a quick search.

[Electro Rock]

They don't do much aside from going after blatantly obvious, lower ranking gang members, never mind the Triad guys and others who don't fit the profile of a stereotypical Lower Mainland gang member.

[Harbinger]

They don't do much aside from going after blatantly obvious, lower ranking gang members, never mind the Triad guys and others who don't fit the profile of a stereotypical Lower Mainland gang member.

[Special Ed]

You have to start somewhere.

[Harbinger]

So your opinion is that innocent Canadians enjoying a family dinner who are then intimidated by police is a neccesary evil? That their freedom to be protected from intimidation or harassment is acceptable for a few criminals to be captured? Why are the regular officers unable to perform this duty?

[73 Percent]

ok I'm not from Vancouve, very far away actually. can someone explain what a gangster squad is and what their purpose is. because I have no idea what he's talking about.

[Harbinger]

ok I'm not from Vancouve, very far away actually. can someone explain what a gangster squad is and what their purpose is. because I have no idea what he's talking about.

[Electro Rock]

You have to start somewhere.

[73 Percent]

so there is a group appointed by the law to disrupt gang wars and dismantle gangs in Vancouver. ...wow. do they have any qualifications at all?

[Wetcoaster]

These sorts of incidents can have a huge impact on your life and future employment prospects as was discussed in earlier threads.

/topic/334271-do-investigations-show-up-on-your-criminal-record/">http://forum.canucks...riminal-record/

It has been alleged that the checks are a result of racial profiling. In one case reported it involved a person who was acting chair of British Columbia's multicultural advisory council and a high profile award winning cultural advocate who had just been named a national award winner for his work..

Vancouver Arts Advocate and self-described cultural navigator Mo Dhaliwal has been named this year's winner of the Arnold Edinborough Award from Business for the Arts.

Dhaliwal is long-time director of the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration, co-vice president of the Alliance for Arts and Culture, member of the PuSh Festival's leaders council, and former president of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society.

http://www.straight....d-business-arts

When Dhaliwal asked for their badge numbers he was handcuffed and detained.

Gang squad accused of racial profiling

High-profile member of Indo-Canadian community says he felt targeted

By Douglas Quan, Postmedia News September 14, 2012

The acting chair of British Columbia's multicultural advisory council says he was made to feel like a second-class citizen when members of a multi-agency gang task force abruptly ordered him out of an Abbots-ford restaurant and then temporarily detained him in hand-cuffs when he asked for each of the officers' names.

Later, when he and his cousins decided to hit up another venue, they ran into the same officers, one of whom allegedly told him he was "not welcome" there either.

Mo Dhaliwal, 34, who works in digital marketing and is a high-profile member of the Indo-Canadian community, told Postmedia News he decided to go public with his account of the June 2 incident because it left him wondering why he was targeted, whether he was racially profiled and why police acted like "thugs."

"These guys seemed like they were on - I wouldn't say war path - but they were there to clean house one way or the other. When they addressed me, I sensed there was a latent aggression there," he said.

Dhaliwal, who denies any gang associations, said he is trying to arrange a meeting with the officers he encountered that day to discuss his concerns.

"I've never had any run-in with the cops that would make me think ill of them at all."

Postmedia News sent the Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit, which oversees the uniformed Gang Enforcement Team, an email outlining Dhaliwal's accusations.

A spokeswoman said Supt. John Grywinski, who oversees the team, plans to meet with Dhaliwal on Sunday and would hold off on commenting on the incident until he talks to him.

Grywinski did provide a general statement saying the presence of anti-gang officers at restaurants and bars has helped disrupt the activities of gang members and prevent violent outbreaks.

Under the Bar Watch pro-gram, businesses consent to police entering establishments and removing known gang members and their associates or people who have a record of serious violent or drug-related crime.

"Section 41 of the Criminal Code of Canada gives us the authority to remove someone who is unwanted from a property or establishment at the request of the owner and/or manager," Grywinski said.

He added: "While we do check gang members, we are often called upon to deal with other police issues and that can be anything from patrons refusing to pay a bill or patrons causing a fight."

In a five-page account of the incident, Dhaliwal says he spent the afternoon of June 2 at Surrey's Celebrate the Harvest festival put on by the Vancouver International Bhangra Celebration Society, which he founded.

Later that evening, he joined some cousins and friends at the Cactus Club in Abbotsford. At one point, he left his table to go chat with some female friends near the bar and joined them in having a shot. One of the women in the group was visibly intoxicated, he said.

Gang task force officers - who Dhaliwal later learned were Abbotsford police Sgt. Mark Jordan, RCMP Const. Joel Shoihet, West Vancouver police Const. David Taylor and RCMP Const. Shawn Courto-rielle - approached the group and asked the women to leave.

Dhaliwal says he was then ordered to leave as well, even though he had not received any complaints from staff.

Outside, Dhaliwal says he was told the whole party had been removed for being there too long.

Dhaliwal says when he asked the officers for their business cards and badge numbers, they handcuffed him and put him in the back of a police car and told him he was being arrested for trespassing. He was detained for about 10 minutes, he says.

Later that evening, Dhaliwal and his cousins went to a pub where they ran into the same officers. One of them, according to Dhaliwal, told him, "You're not welcome here either," and they left.

"Part of the reason I do what I do in life is because I want to bring people together, create understanding," he said.

"This was yet another reminder of just how far away we are from where we need to be."

http://www.vancouver...l#ixzz2H83cGEfO

And these sort of checks where you surrender you ID can have an adverse effect on your life including your employment prospects.

There are two major databases.

Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) - this is a Canada wide system which is operated by the RCMP under the stewardship of National Police Services, on behalf of the Canadian law enforcement community. When other agencies are granted access to the CPIC system they agree to comply with the policies and procedures on the use of the system. These polices and procedures are governed by federal legislation, ministerial directives, and federal government policies. The RCMP periodically audits police services and federal agencies to ensure that they adhere to the policies and procedures. CPIC is quite tightly controlled and monitored and there are specific guidelines for data entry on individuals. There are some ongoing issues with CPIC criminal records checks they can be monitored and addressed because of the governing legislation, policy and guidelines.

http://www.cpic-cipc...glish/crfaq.cfm

PRIME-BC - The real issue is with a made in BC database that has grown by leaps and bounds in the last ten years with little in the way of oversight with no real policy or guidelines on data entry. This database is the Police Records Information Management Environment (PRIME-BC). PRIME-BC is an initiative, sponsored by the Ministry of the Solicitor General, in the Province of British Columbia, legislating all police forces to use the same occurrence records management system. The RCMP “E” Division (British Columbia) has partnered with other municipal police agencies and the B.C. provincial government in the acquisition of a common information system.

Employers in both the public and private sector have been able to access PRIME-BC for criminal record checks and the problem is that an individual's name may appear with no criminal charges, convictions or even a criminal investigation. The BC Civil Liberties Association has expressed concerns and there have been newspaper reports of negative impacts on people.

Here is what the BCCLA had to say on this on March 22, 2011:

The B.C. Civil Liberties Association has discovered that as many as 85% of British Columbia‟s adult population have “master name records” in the PRIME-BC police database. This database is used by police to prepare criminal record checks, including the controversial “negative police contact” section of those checks that can restrict access to jobs or volunteer opportunities. The BCCLA has written the Solicitor General to ask her to investigate.

“With more than eight out of every ten B.C. adults in this database, we‟re wondering if people know what the police are writing about them,” said Robert Holmes, Q.C., President of the BCCLA. “These notes by police officers can prevent people from getting jobs, schooling and training, and it is difficult if not impossible to remove or alter incorrect information.”

The most recent annual report for PRIMECorp, the crown corporation that administers the database, indicates that the database has 4,452,165 master name records, and B.C.‟s entire population as of October 1, 2010 older than 15 years of age, was estimated by BC Stats to be 3,844,531. Even if as many as a quarter of master name records are duplicates due to aliases, misspellings or out-of-province residence, 86% of the adult population of B.C. would still be recorded in the database.

While PRIME-BC was introduced in the Legislature as a way to better combat serial killers, sexual offenders, and career criminals, it would seem that minor traffic violations are enough to land B.C. residents in the police database, indefinitely. There is little in the way of protocol guiding how entries are made, how long information is kept, and the BCCLA frequently receives complaints about incorrect information being impossible to alter.

“What is disturbing is that some information is being recorded as „negative contact‟,” said Holmes. “Employers assume that if you have „negative contact‟, you have done something wrong, but it‟s just as likely that you insisted on your basic rights or that the information is incorrect. This is not some kind of philosophical objection, this misinformation is wrongfully keeping people from economic opportunities.”

[Harbinger]

Who says that the effort to combat organized crime is anything other than a PR stunt? This is an area that has the reputation of being "open for business" as far as dirty money is concerned.

I mean at a time when even places like Montreal are managing to put away many of their big notables, we got Vancouver area police police managing to nail only the most obvious heatbags in between beating up pizza delivery guys and otherwise acting like thugs towards ordinary citizens.

[Special Ed]

It's only about getting gangsters. This reminds me of women who dress provocatively and then complain about guys hitting on them. The same goes for people who dress or try to portray that gangster image. If you want to look like one then don't act all surprised when people think you could be one.

[TOMapleLaughs]

It's tough to just have the cops sit on their hands instead.

I was living in Langley during the time of the pre-Olympic shootings and it was scary. Esp. the one at the IGA parking lot. Anyone could've caught one there.

I have to admit, the streets in Vancouver have gotten a lot cleaner since the mid-90's. It may have just been buried into backrooms, but the 'streets' are cleaner.

But what hasn't gotten better obviously is the gang crap. Enter gang squads?

What i don't get is why the cops are rolling around all 'anti-gang' these days when they've been in bed with the Hells Angels for decades? Hip-hop-hypocrisy?

[Harbinger]

Well I wear pretty plain dress shirts. The style of my hair is gelled straight back. The only thing I can think of is I'm fairly big with tattoos. So I can't wear a nice watch? Please tell me how I 'should' dress according to your standards of not being harassed.

Other than that, any young male with tattoos and a fit body should be subject to such treatment by their own doing?

Just doesnt make sense to me.