Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Just 348 more sleeps left for next Christmas.  I keep track. Some Christmas displays stay up year round in my office. I also noted that Cpl. Simpson, while I was away, had some fun at my expense in regard to an accident I had.  Just another frustrated goalie that did not go far with his hockey getting a little revenge.

Over the Christmas period from Dec. 23-Jan. 7th the Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment responded to 100 calls for service. The 24-26^th was relatively quiet with only 13 calls for service.  For 2012 the detachment members responded to 2,886 calls for service. Through the media in the near future, I will be able to elaborate more on how 2012 sized up for the detachment.

New Years gift for lake drunk

At 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 1, Columbia Valley Detachment members responded to a disturbance complaint on the lake.  A 22-year-old male, highly intoxicated with open liquor, was requested to pour out his drink. The male declined our request and when asked a second time to pour it out, the male again declined and drank the liquor in front of the officers.

The officers then extended an invitation to continue the celebration back at the detachment cells. The officers were very generous in nature and absolutely refused to accept “no” for an answer, advising that it was no inconvenience and was not taking the police out of their way to participate in the celebrations. He was even given a New Years Day gift in the form of a ticket to bring in 2013. I remember those days!

Breach of conditions charge

Also on Jan. 1, an alert staff member at the Prestige Inn in Radium Hot Springs contacted the detachment to do a well-being check on a guest, given comments made by a female. On attendance police located a 33-year-old male from Calgary, who was located in the room intoxicated. The male was charged with breaching his condition by consuming alcohol. The female in question was found unharmed.

KNP crash

Columbia Valley Detachment attended to a single vehicle accident on Highway 93 near Kootenay Crossing in Kootenay National Park at 3:30 p.m on Jan. 4. A 2006 Ford SUV ABL was located in the ditch. The 61-year-old driver from Calgary advised his right tire drove into a snow drift causing him to lose control of the vehicle.  The vehicle struck a sign and ended up in the ditch. There were no injuries to the driver and minor damage to the vehicle.

Visitor hits sheep

At 7:50 p.m. on Jan. 5, a 1998 Dodge Dakota pickup, driven by a 30-year-old male from Airdrie, Alta. struck a sheep on Hwy. 93/95. The vehicle was damaged but operational.  The file did not indicate how the sheep made out.

Windermere woman’s license suspended for 90 days

As a result of observing a vehicle drive at a very slow speed and going from side-to-side at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, a Ford Windstar was stopped at the intersection of Athalmer Highway and Hwy. 93/95.  The 39-year-old female from Windermere displayed signs of being impaired. The female also admitted to the officer she should not be driving. An ASD demand was given at which time a fail was registered. The vehicle was impounded for 30 days and her driver’s license suspended for 90 days.

Complacency (at times police officers worse enemy)

Christmas is normally a time where there are thoughts of peace on earth and goodwill to all. You would think that.

Prior to going on holidays the girls in the office dropped off a gift wrapped package for me but would not say who dropped it off. I opened the envelope and lo and behold a card from a Raging Grandma.  Go back in memory; this is the lady who has assaulted me twice, striking me in the shins. Neil kids Grandma, aka raging Grandma.

Two thoughts came to mind.  Nice, she comes bearing gifts in peace and wants to bury the axe, or there’s bomb in there. No ticking noise so I very gently unwrap it. After-thought was I should have X-rayed it at the hospital.  What I found in the box took me right back to the first Godfather movie. There is the scene where the movie mogul wakes up to his prize horse’s severed head in bed with him. Then the time a dead fish is delivered to Sonny to indicate Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes.  Very strong messages delivered one would say. Well, no different from the message I just received in the guise of a Christmas gift. Before my eyes, a pair of hockey shin pads. The message was pretty clear to me.

I will never ever again promote hockey violence and dropping the gloves for seven-year-olds without first checking to see if a Grandmother of one of those kids on the ice is within hearing distance. I was getting very complacent of the threat, but now back on heightened alert.

S/Sgt. Mark Shehovac

Columbia Valley RCMP Detachment

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