Thunder Bay residents sign up to fight crime

Around 40 Thunder Bay residents started training to help stop crime in their community. The police launched their new Zone Watch program in hopes that involving citizens will support the officers patrolling the streets building trust between the community and the police. After these citizens complete 12 hours of training over four weeks, they get access to a secure website where they're able to share info with the police working in their neighbourhoods.

More than 80 people (prior to the recent 40) have already applied for the program. Volunteers range in age from 19 to 85 with a fair split between men and women.

This relates to Law 12 because it's a good way to get the community involved with enforcing law and helping maintain the safety in their neighbourhoods. It is a more effective way to get the community to respond by getting them to help rather than being completely authoritative.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/thunder-bay/story/2013/06/05/tby-thunder-bay-police-volunteers-zone-watch-program-training-community.html

Serious assaults drop 52% after police target downtown

Halifax Regional Police claim victory in their campaign to clean up the city's downtown core. They worked for a year (and counting) to reduce violence in the district claiming that serious assaults are down 52 per cent. The officers patrolling downtown wear bright orange traffic vests and interact with patrons in an effort to be more visible.

On average, there used to be 68 serious assaults per year. In 2012, there were 32. The foot patrols will continue in an effort to continue the downward trend in violent crimes.

This relates to Law 12 because we were just comparing crime rates last class :)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/story/2013/06/05/ns-halifax-assaults-decline-night.html

Saskatoon man convicted of manslaughter

Jake Ottertail

A Saskatoon man who beat his roommate to death due to an argument is guilty of manslaughter. Jake Ottertail had been charged with second degree murder for the death of Bert Haverkort on August 7 2010. The defense lawyer states that the argument was fuelled on booze, a threat and racial insult. Haverkort had told Ottertail "to calm down, you're going native on me." while fully aware that Ottertail is aboriginal. With that remark, Jake flipped out and within minutes, Bert was dead.

Ottertail's defense lawyer requested a pre-sentence report requesting that Ottertail's aboriginal background and experiences factored into the sentencing. He returns to court July 16 for sentencing arguments.

This relates to Law 12 because currently, we're talking about factors that could affect sentencing and we also talked about things that could affect the type of offence (booze).

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/story/2013/06/05/saskatoon-manslaughter-conviction-130605.html

Teens, aged 13 and 14, arrested in Skytrain assault

Two teenagers were arrested in connection to a ma who was attacked at the New Westminster Skytrain station. The attack happened on a Saturday evening when the man witnessed a boy and three girls kicking a bike lock at the bus loop. Warning the kids, the young boy came forward with a knife and punched the man in the head stealing his briefcase before running off with the three girls. Later on, two teens, a 14-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl, were arrested in connection to the attack.

One of the police men on the case stated that the 14 year old boy already had more than 50 run-ins with the police while the 13 year old girl had more than 100.

This relates to Law 12 because of what we're currently learning in class and what we've been learning about minors and sentencing.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/06/05/bc-skytrain-assault-teens.html

Survivors describe grief in 'Aftermath of Murder'

A series titled "Aftermath of Murder: Survivor Stories" was produced for the BC Victims of Homicide group. In this series, it featured many people from different stories speaking about their hardships with coping.

Many of the survivors claimed that the difficult part was finding help:
"There are so few people to share our story with, and people who have had a natural death feel that they understand, but in many ways they don't."

"What I wanted more than anything else was to talk to people who can say they understand this. I didn't know anyone else who did, and that was very isolating."

Producer and host Brett Stafford described the video series as "a way of giving back.

This doesn't directly relate to Law 12 because it's more of the exploration of a person who has survived a homicide BUT, we've been talking about homicides and murders in Law 12 so.. that's the connection :)

http://www.bccatholic.ca/the-news/2753-survivors-describe-grief-in-aftermath-of-murder

To kill or not to kill has become a question

Opponents of euthanasia launched a media campaign in Quebec in advance for a May 18 March. The campaign includes a professional televised commercial showing ill patients in the hospital with a label reading: "the most vulnerable need our protection,".

"The Quebec government is working on a bill to legalize 'medical aid in dying' which really amounts to nothing else but euthanasia". The Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) just released a book titled "Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: Urgent Questions" outlining the Catholic teaching on the issue as well as the current state of the law.

There is no separate offence called Euthanasia under the criminal code. It's classified as either first or second degree murder, while assisted suicide has a maximum of a 14-year prison penalty.

This relates to Law 12 because at the moment we're talking about Criminal Law. I've always been pro-life and every person regardless of their health deserves the right to live.

http://www.bccatholic.ca/canadian/2699-to-kill-or-not-to-kill-has-become-a-question

Vancouver police warn of criminal chargers for carrying bear spray in the city

In Vancouver, bear spray is legal to purchase and to possess when hiking up in the mountains. When walking along the busy streets of downtown Vancouver, possession of bear spray is considered illegal. The warning of bear spray possession in the city began to rise when Vancouver policemen began a search for three men who used bear spray as a decoy when stealing from Oakridge mall. Constable Brain Montague, a spokesperson with the Vancouver police says that bear spray is much stronger than pepper spray and lasts 45 minutes longer. It could be very dangerous especially for people experiencing lung problems. The three men attacked a store containing 40 people and five were treated at the scene for inhaling large amounts of the bear spray.

This relates to our Law 12 class because it talks about how you could be faced with criminal charges for possession of bear spray in the city.

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Five+customers+treated+paramedics+after+robbers+bear+spray/8048471/story.html