Bad drivers beware

There's a specialized team of police officers in British Columbia who dedicate themselves to catching prohibited drivers, including those with alcohol and drug violations or repeat unlicensed driving offences. But the team's work is more than about apprehending high-risk traffic offenders.

"There's a criminal element that makes it worthwhile, too," says acting Cpl. John Merryman, who leads the Lower Mainland District Integrated Road Safety Unit's (LMD/IRSU) Prohibited Driver Enforcement Team (PDET). "I think 90 per cent of the criminals out there are prohibited from driving."

RCMP Cst. Rob Claypool has pulled over many dangerous drivers as part of PDET, but he's also witnessed officers take down a prohibited driver, who upon subsequent investigation, had a loaded weapon in his car. Property crimes, drug trafficking and thefts are all conducted using vehicles, Claypool says.

"Drug dealers, because they get prohibited, does that mean they're going to stop driving to commit their crimes?" Claypool asks. "Well, the answer is no."

Off to a good start

The team began as a pilot project in the fall of 2016.

Crime analysts provided two police officers with information about potential targets, addresses and vehicle descriptions. The pair also used an Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) device that reads plate numbers as vehicles pass.

The ALPR scanned more than 45,000 plate numbers during the trial. That information led to dozens of arrests, the laying of 41 criminal charges and the recovery of six stolen vehicles.

"When two members can bring in that much, I think upper management asked themselves what could five or six do," says Merryman, who's been with the Delta Police force for 14 years and working with the six-member PDET since it began operating in January 2017.

Now, Merryman and his PDET colleagues can spend part of their 10-hour shifts parked in unmarked vehicles at various points of interest throughout British Columbia's Lower Mainland monitoring the ALPR. When the device flags a prohibited driver, the rest of the team who are stationed nearby, will be dispatched to make contact with the driver and apprehend the violator where warranted.

Last year, 476,529 licence plates were processed through the ALPR.

As well in 2017, the six-member team made 200 arrests that resulted in 137 Criminal Code charges, laid 202 prohibited driver charges under the province's Motor Vehicle Act, executed 48 arrest warrants and recovered 22 stolen vehicles.

Tracking drivers

The team can also call on the services of the RCMP's Air1 helicopter to locate high-risk suspects.

"We're basically like a patrol car in the sky," says Cst. Steve Burridge, Tactical Flight officer on the Air1 chopper, which provides an added layer of safety for the team and the public.

Decisions to pursue suspects in a police vehicle are rare, and being able to use a police helicopter can eliminate the need for a PDET road pursuit.

"The helicopter allows the member to back off so we can follow the target," says Burridge, who pointed out the video evidence the helicopter records is crucial and often results in guilty pleas from suspects.

Back on the ground, Merryman works the ALPR's touch screen like a pro: filtering through pop-up displays waiting for the one that warrants his focused attention.

It makes a small "bing" as a consistent stream of cars move both ways on the two-lane highway.

The device stores data that's updated regularly from several sources, including the Government of British Columbia and the RCMP-operated Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC). CPIC is used to identify vehicles that are driven by prohibited drivers, are stolen or whose drivers may be operating the vehicle without a licence or insurance.

"When I sit here I'm just focused on the plate," Merryman says on a cool March day.

His effort intensifies when the ALPR alerts him that a passing vehicle is under a "service prohibition notice."

"We have to go," Merryman says as he whips his car around, turns on the lights and within seconds has the driver pulled over. The motorist has had five violations and an unsatisfactory driving record.

"She'll be prohibited as soon as I serve her this document," says Merryman, who admitted that although his work might not seem glamourous it is nonetheless significant. "We believe this is important for public safety and it's a road safety issue too."