apparently I have to write this post in "edit html" format. so here goes:
Its funny how 2 years ago really does still feel like two months. My
bff said it wasn't "a big deal". This was after the miserable desk cop who I
sought information from treated me like the gum he had just scraped off his shoe.
Why did he treat me like this? Because I inquired about my own arrest. My own arrest that I was told, would never show on my record. Why you wonder? Because I provided some assistance to the drug squad of our fine local police force, in order to stop a crack cooking operation in my then apartment building. I'm not a user nor have I ever been one, nor have I ever been a rat. I simply called our local police forces non
emerg line, several times to make complaints of drug activity in the
basement of my apartment building. The drug squad
undercover van had been parked in the church
parking lot across the street for weeks, yet crack cocaine was still being cooked in the lower unit. Users/dealers were coming in&out constantly while they sat but did nothing. I understand there is a process, they need to build a case, but when more than one resident calls to complain, citing that the
superintend ant of their building is selling, cooking&hiding crack cocaine throughout the building!? How much more bloody evidence do you need?
I was told I would need to physically go in the unit and see for myself, I was told I might be arrested as well. In exchange for those small details, that I would
receive nothing marring my record. Well, they lied. So "no big deal"? No. it's a huge deal.
They arrested and. processed every individual in the unit, as they said "if no one cops to the drugs, all of you are going in". They put my dear gentle giant of a friend on the floor to handcuff him. He was doing nothing wrong, he was being respectful and co-operating. Too bad he is big&black. They asked each of us if we had jobs. Like that has
any hing to do with using or making crack cocaine.
On the way down to the station I was put in a cruiser w a sobbing neighbor, only more annoying was having to listen to the sarcastic antics of one drug squad cop who had a dealers phone, and kept answering it to taunt callers.
Once we were all processed we were all given the standard interview. They already knew I had been just one of the callers to complain about the drug activity. However apparently that
wasn't enough. They wanted me to testify too. I declined.
I spent several hrs in cell, only to be let out to walk home(approx 25min walk from downtown), however the individual who was actually responsible for the drug activity, not only was let out hrs earlier w no charges, but was also called a cab.
Days after my arrest, captain of the squad shows up@ my door requesting info about drug activity
occurring in the same unit. Again I declined the opportunity to "rat out" my neighbor. Could anyone blame me?
Last year I took the stand and I signed as an
assurity for the husband of a good friend of mine. The crown, in an effort to discredit me, brought up the arrest.
I reminded her that question I answered on the
assurity form was still truthful, because I in fact, have never been charged with a crime for which a pardon has not been granted. The judge did not let me explain, more clearly he said "don't answer that. Counsellor, next question."
In this instance my rights were upheld, but clearly the information then is accessible by the justice system in Canada, therefor I do in fact, have a record.
When I went in to the Oshawa Police headquarters seeking more information I was told by both the desk clerk&desk officer that they "
dint know what a municipal arrest record" was, obviously I was a little miffed. To which my response was "how can you not?".
I
explained the incident w the crown and briefly described the incidents that
would be on record. The desk officer irritated, went to sit down at the computer as if to look something up, then offhandedly said "clearly, you were a person of interest", to which I replied of course" I certainly was not, I was essentially an informant that assisted your officers in making an arrest."
"well" he said,
visibly more agitated, promptly ceasing his feeble efforts to
feign typing at the computer, " that's what you pay 60 bucks for", meaning that if I wanted to find out whether or not I had
something on my record I was to pay for a standard police abstract.
Of course my frustration that I was told by the john
Howard society across the street that only the police dept could look into my municipal record. The officer still insisted he
didn't know what I was talking about.
"How is it possible then sir, that I can be
detained in this very location, release on my own recognisance, with no charges, yet you have no way of looking up the record of that
occurrence?". This query
received a turned back, and a quiet joke session with another officer,
Clary of higher rank, also laughing as they both sneered in my direction.
I in my regular fashion expressed my
disappoint in the attitude I was given, to which the front desk admin piped up
with " Well you know there's so much stuff we
don't know, I mean there re so my things to know, we
jut cant learn them all" as if to somehow save face.
She handed me a piece of paper with the number for an information release officer, who apparently
coud "maybe give (me) some better information".
To date I've never
relieved a response to my inquiry.
Walking back to my friends car, I ranted of course. She told me to "let it go". I could, in her defense say, easy for you to say type deal but no, because I would never EVER say that to anyone& I'm certainly not letting this go.
An interesting aside: I realized once driving off in the car, now cooled down sightly, the same officer who had treated me with such
animist, had been the same gentleman who had helped me the year before, when my recent ex had been harassing me. He was more than accommodating then, still sitting behind that desk.
