CARLYLE - I must have still been in a good mood, because somehow five minutes back to work after a beach holiday, I agreed to write this week’s police report. Sgt. Dallyn Holmstrom was super busy doing whatever it is detachment commanders do to keep the detachment running smoothly, and the paper’s deadline was fast approaching, so here we are again.
Below are some of the calls that kept your officers busy last week.
A mom was surprised to find officers at her residence. She had not called the police and had no idea why officers were at her home. There were two young children in the home. One of them said he talked to the police earlier. It turned out the youngster was playing with his mom’s phone and accidentally called the police. Members confirmed there were no signs of distress and no emergency.
The phone had pinged to an address that doesn’t exist, so it took some good investigative skills for our officers to locate the actual address of the call.
It’s surprising how many pocket dial phone calls the detachment receives. These are calls where the phone has accidently bumped into something and dialed the police and/or 911. Usually the phone owner is unaware the police have answered a call they inadvertently made and the caller continues his or her conversation, oblivious to the police call taker on the other end of the line. (I’ve gotten an ear full more than a few times).
These calls can be time consuming for our officers because even though it appears to be a pocket dial, each and every time we need to track down the location of the call and physically confirm that everything is okay.
More often than not, police are called to provide assistance when no other resources are available. This was the case when a woman and her roommates got into a disagreement. The woman was arrested for assault and brought to cells. Further investigation determined no charges could be laid. Members called the woman’s family, but no one was willing to take her home from the detachment. A considerable amount of time and police resources were used to find a suitable place for the woman to go.
A son phoned to report a woman hit his dad on his head with a plate. An ambulance was dispatched but got stuck in the snow. Officers were able to get to the call location and transported the man to the hospital. The woman was arrested and released on an undertaking, meaning she has conditions she must follow until her court date. Conditions often include keeping the peace and being of good behaviour, not contacting the victim and sometimes a condition of no alcohol consumption.
Police received a call from a man who said his neighbour came over to his house and told him to phone the police. The neighbour didn’t appear to be injured. The man asked if someone was “blacking out’ from drinking alcohol. The neighbour said yes, and then went back to his house. Police followed up and made sure everyone was safe.
It doesn’t pay not to pay attention. A $580 ticket was issued to someone for driving without due care and attention. The driver will also have four points deducted from his licence.
The RCMP charged one person for not attending the detachment to provide fingerprints. This was one of the conditions of the person’s release.
We attended three business alarm calls. All of them were false alarms. In one case, an alarm went off after an employee was curious about what the button was for, so she pressed it.
At the request of a gun owner, members attended a residence and seized two .22 rifles for destruction.
A community member contacted police regarding concerns she has about the well-being of a senior citizen in town. The caller said the senior citizen appears to have early onset dementia. She was standing in a snowbank during a blizzard without a jacket or other appropriate clothing while trying to dig her car out.
The caller is also concerned about the safety of other drivers on the road with the senior. An SGI review of driving privileges was submitted. Although it is not technically something police related, our officers did agree to periodically check in on the well being of the woman.
A call was received, reporting an intoxicated person at a residence that has a newborn baby in the home. Followup with the complainant determined the intoxicated person had gone to bed and the caller was sober and able to care for the baby.
A woman phoned the police, reporting her boyfriend wouldn’t let her sleep and she has to work in the morning. (Not sure why she thought this is something the police should be called for). Officers attended to the residence and gave the caller a ride to her father’s house.
A renter phoned because her rent is increasing and she said her landlord won’t let her move out. This is a Landlord Tenancy Act matter, not a police matter. The woman said she is just frustrated and wanted someone to talk to.
A call was received reporting the theft of a green garbage bin. The caller said she had two bins in the morning, but one was missing in the afternoon. She thinks she knows who took her garbage can but that person is not answering her phone. The investigation is continuing.
Distracted driving can and did cause a collision. A driver wasn’t paying attention and rear-ended another vehicle as it was turning off of Highway 13 into a town. A substantial amount of damage was done to the truck that was rear ended. The investigation is continuing.
Sixteen speeding tickets were issued. The Heaviest Foot Award went to the driver who was clocked at 120 kilometres an hour in an 80 km/h zone.
Three $175 seatbelt tickets were issued. Three $115 tint tickets were issued. Inspection tickets were issued for not having working headlamps or muffler/exhaust systems. A $100 ticket was issued for not having licence plates secured or visible on a vehicle. A $100 ticket was issued for driving without a valid licence.
That sums up the week. Sgt Holmstrom’s fans will be happy to know he will be back to writing the weekly reports next week.
