Reading Between Lines?

[Twisted Canuck]

So I read this story with interest, and wonder if I'm reading between lines here....

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/...905/story.html

Military ordnance found during routine police call
By Stephane Massinon, Calgary Herald November 17, 2012 Police officers made a surprise discovery in a Lethbridge house during a routine call to check on the well-being of a homeowner who hadn’t been seen by neighbours for some time.

Upon arrival, police discovered a “significant amount” of military ordnance in the home in the 1000 block of 29 St A South.Neighbouring properties were evacuated as a safety precaution and the police bomb squad and technicians from Canadian Forces Base Suffield were called in to determine what military ordnance the police discovered.

“There was a significant amount of material that was either rendered safe or taken away with the technicians from CFB Suffield,” said Lethbridge Staff Sgt. Scott Chadsey

“There’s also enough volume of material in there that the military police are coming down from (Calgary) for the sake of just determining what of that property is lawfully held by that individual and what property may or may not belong to the military itself.”

The individual has been located and is being questioned by police.
CFB Suffield Public Affairs Officer Michelle Hauck said Lethbridge police are leading the investigation and said she can’t specify the quantity or exact type of military ordnance.

Members from CFB Suffield “assisted in the removal of ammunitions and explosive items,” she said.

“The house is now safe due to our ammunition technicians dealing with that,” said Hauck.

Local residents were allowed to return home Saturday.

So, the police are making a 'routine' check on a person because the neighbors haven't seen him for a bit, and 'discover' IN the home, a bunch of munitions...and then later on find the 'missing' individual and question him.

Does this sound like maybe a warrantless search was made, under a pretext? Not that I would ever think the police would do something so devious....

Probably, I'm just being paranoid. I just never heard of the police doing a 'routine' check and entering a premise casually like that, because neighbors hadn't seen the occupant for a while. Sure glad they found him quickly for questioning though......

Anyone else apply the smell test with interesting results?

[Cyclops]

Yea, sounds to me like someone ratted him out and the police just fabricated an accuse to illegally enter his home. Not overly surprising to me.

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Yea, sounds to me like someone ratted him out and the police just fabricated an accuse to illegally enter his home. Not overly surprising to me.

Maybe I should have made this a poll.......

I wonder if Huntinstuff could weigh in and enlighten us about the humanitarian nature of the Lethbridge City Police, doing a routine check to reassure concerned neighbors......LOL.

[Loper]

CBC says the guy was dead inside. I wonder what kind of questions they are asking him?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...-ordnance.html

[Twisted Canuck]

Originally Posted by Loper

CBC says the guy was dead inside. I wonder what kind of questions they are asking him?
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgar...-ordnance.html

Wow, no kidding!? A little discrepancy in the two stories I guess, it puts a different spin on it for sure. Even I don't believe the police killed him during questioning.......Yoiks!

[cranky]

I dont think thats too unusual. Cops knocked on my door recently. Wanted to know when i last saw my neighbor down the road. Found out later someone had called them cause he hadnt been seen in a while, and they knew he had been sick. Anyhow they got into his place and found him dead of natural causes.

[Twisted Canuck]

Amazing the difference in the two stories, how they read. The CBC version wouldn't have made me even blink, the one I posted made my Jaded Cynic Alarms go off.....

[duffy4]

Originally Posted by cranky

I dont think thats too unusual. Cops knocked on my door recently. Wanted to know when i last saw my neighbor down the road. Found out later someone had called them cause he hadnt been seen in a while, and they knew he had been sick. Anyhow they got into his place and found him dead of natural causes.

There you go, it does happen.

Often "reading between the lines" just releases your imagination to fabricate all sorts of "conspiracy theories".

It seems to happen a lot on this board.

[Hunter Trav]

Originally Posted by Twisted Canuck

So, the police are making a 'routine' check on a person because the neighbors haven't seen him for a bit, and 'discover' IN the home, a bunch of munitions...and then later on find the 'missing' individual and question him.

Does this sound like maybe a warrantless search was made, under a pretext? Not that I would ever think the police would do something so devious....

Probably, I'm just being paranoid. I just never heard of the police doing a 'routine' check and entering a premise casually like that, because neighbors hadn't seen the occupant for a while. Sure glad they found him quickly for questioning though......

Anyone else apply the smell test with interesting results?

You sound like your worried about your stash of military munitions...

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by duffy4

Often "reading between the lines" just releases your imagination to fabricate all sorts of "conspiracy theories".

It seems to happen a lot on this board.

FYI - there is a secret society dedicated to ripping up creeks and wetlands with quads.

[Tipperary]

Here comes the tinfoil hat brigade.

Contrary to popular belief, in certain circumstances, police have the authority to enter the house without a warrant. For example, 911 calls, check on welfare type calls (possible deceased person), etc.

If police find something unrelated to the original call, but is criminal in nature (like a grow op), then they usually must get a warrant to process those findings. If no warrant, then they usually have to do a "report to a justice", basically similar to a warrant but after the fact as opposed to before.

"Yea, sounds to me like someone ratted him out and the police just fabricated an accuse to illegally enter his home. Not overly surprising to me. "

... And in some people's eyes the police are never right, are out to screw people over, and will simply make stuff up to get the job done. Believe it or not, they have better things to do.

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by Tipperary

... And in some people's eyes the police are never right, are out to screw people over, and will simply make stuff up to get the job done. Believe it or not, they have better things to do.

Yea for the most part but believe it or not, they're just people and some of them are just out to screw people over. Some of them are drunk with their power and aren't very good people. I speak from personal experience. I do believe those types are a small minority however.

[cranky]

Ill just add even though the OP's post probably dont include this case.

Im getting older and live alone. I wouldnt mind if cops were called and came checking up on me.

[Tipperary]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Yea for the most part but believe it or not, they're just people and some of them are just out to screw people over. Some of them are drunk with their power and aren't very good people. I speak from personal experience. I do believe those types are a small minority however.

I don't disagree with that, and I speak from personal experience as well. It was just difficult to tell from your original post, no problem though.

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by Tipperary

I don't disagree with that, and I speak from personal experience as well. It was just difficult to tell from your original post, no problem though.

You're right, I should have been more clear. The vast majority of police I've dealt with have been decent people just trying to do their job and serve the public.

[Okotokian]

Originally Posted by Cyclops

Yea, sounds to me like someone ratted him out and the police just fabricated an accuse to illegally enter his home. Not overly surprising to me.

How hard would it be for the police to get a warrant if they got a semi-credible tip that the fellow had such munitions? In today's gun-scared society I'd say it would be pretty darn easy.

And if he has any sort of firearms license the police can enter without warrant at pretty much any time to inspect, no?

From the Act:
"102. (1) Subject to section 104, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with this Act and the regulations, an inspector may at any reasonable time enter and inspect any place where the inspector believes on reasonable grounds a business is being carried on or there is a record of a business, any place in which the inspector believes on reasonable grounds there is a gun collection or a record in relation to a gun collection or any place in which the inspector believes on reasonable grounds there is a prohibited firearm or there are more than 10 firearms...".

I think the story is probably factual.

[Cyclops]

Originally Posted by Okotokian

And if he has any sort of firearms license the police can enter without warrant at pretty much any time to inspect, no?

No I don't think police can just enter any house where someone has a firearms license willy nilly although I could be wrong. As far as I know there's a little more to it, like it has to be 'A firearms officer, who is a specially designated police officer, can obtain a warrant to search your home if there is the allegation that ten or more firearms are present'.

http://www.cdnshootingsports.org/no_..._no_entry.html

http://www.cdnshootingsports.org/ins..._warrants.html

[CaberTosser]

Not everyone dies in car accidents and drive-by shootings, some actually perish of natural causes in their sleep or while watching Oprah. I recall having to do a heating repair call for the City of Calgary Public Trustee where the owner of a 6-plex had died in his suite. I primarily had to fix the boiler, but when entering his suite for a minor fix, the section of carpet that was cut out where he had died & leaked out was pretty obvious.

Another public trustee job I had to do was a house in Elbow Park right on the Elbow river. The male owner had died and the trustee had to repair the house to a legally saleable condition after the floods in 2005 or 2006. The house was obviously a tear down in that neighborhood, but I still had to replace all the furnace components that had been submerged. That their were no heirs was rather obvious, as the interior was decorated like Liberace lived there; gawdy chandeliers and golden swan bathtub spouts and all.

With their ordnance score, the explosives techs will have some more stuff to practice disposal on. Even if the stuff was current issue (which I doubt), with chain of custody broken it couldn't possibly be returned to CF inventory.

The fellow would have been good to be friends with in a "Red Dawn" scenario

[Albertadiver]

Originally Posted by CaberTosser

That their were no heirs was rather obvious, as the interior was decorated like Liberace lived there; gawdy chandeliers and golden swan bathtub spouts and all.

Is that the same used tub you sold TreeGuy?

[CaberTosser]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Is that the same used tub you sold TreeGuy?

No, he was adamant that his was shaped like a Spanish Galleon with the associated rigging and mast. I did like the tapped oak sherry casks he had in a rack adjacent the faucets, but the rest was a little gauche