“Shock”

and awe comes to town

Police add a new weapon |

POLICE OFFICERS here
now have a non-lethal high
tech weapon to subdue and
immobilize people.

’ The M-26 advanced ta-
sers are light-weight,
black, pistol-shaped tools
that emit a pulsating elec-
trical current which can
result in complete loss in
motor control, -

They are used mosily to
subdue emotionally dis-
turbed people, people who
are in a.drug-induced state
or people who are violent.

The tasers are an alter-
native to using lethal force
such as a firearm in speci-
Tic situations.

“We used to have a gap
in our use of force
options,” explains Terrace
RCMP Cpl. Kevin Schur,
who is. instructing others
on the use of the three new
tasers, :
Al one end of the spec-
tram officers have pepper
spray, ASP batons and
special: wrestling-like
holds they can apply to
subdue people.

Those methods can be
ineffective for a number of
reasons including the need
for officers to be very:
close to the individual to
use them.

Al the other end of the
Spectrum are firearms,
which can cause serious
bodily harm or death.

“Now we have an in-

. CORPORAL Kevin Schur displays the Terrace

advanced taser.

It’s used to subdue and immoabo-

lize people. SARAH A. ZIMMERMAN PHOTO.

RCMP detachment's newest acquisition — an M-26°

“Strument to fill that gap,”
Cpl. Schur says.

The taser has two pri-
mary settings — a touch
setting where the device is

applied directly to a per-:

son’s skin, causing pain.
The second setting al-
lows officers to fire two
probes attached to wires
from a single-use cartridge.
When both probes hit
the target an electrical
current travels between the
two darts which cuts off

motor control. .

The darts are like small
needles with a hook on
them. .

_ The hooks allow the
probes to latch onto cloth-
ing so that if they do not
penetrate the skin, electri-

cal current continues. to’

flow.

“I've experienced both
modes,” says Cpl. Schur,
adding the touch setting ts
feels like putting a finger
in an electrical socket.

The probe setting, he |

says, is not necessarily
.painful. but very uncom-
fortable and the effect is
immediate,

He says when a persen
is struck by the probes
they immediately fall to
the ground with a oud
-grunt immobilizing them
until the current stops.

But Cpl. Schur says the
taser’s most effective fea-
ture doesn’t involve touch-
ing a person at all. -

That’s the setting which
allows. an electrical cur-
rent to pass through two
metal points at the tip af

the device when the air

cartridge is removed. ;

It makes -a loud crack-
ling sound and a bright
blue. arc of energy is vis-:
ible.

“T think this is going: »-to
affect more people than
anything. else,” he said.

“It's very noisy and very

intimidating.”

Jobs created to ease nurse shortage

MILLS MEMORIAL Hospital officials have
created two new positions they hope will an-
swer criticisms about how nurses are hired.
The criticism concerns casual positions —
jobs that don’t have regularly scheduled full or
part time hours and which don’t come with

benefits.
. Casuals are called on for
or other immediate needs.

.. “There is a need for casuals,” says Cholly
Boland of the Northern Health Authority which

tuns Mills Memorial.

“And some nurses-don’t want to work full or

part time and prefer casual
other reasons,” he said.

But because of the general nursing short-
age, hospitals and other facilities come to rely ~
mére and more on casuals to fill the gaps.

Often, a casual can work as many hours as

she or he wants.

last minute fill-ins

their own nursing shortages,

work for family or

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The criticism is that health care administra-
tors prefer casual nurses because they don’t
pay benefits and are cheaper to maintain on
the payroll.

The lack of regular hours and benefits can
then make it difficult to hire nurses as casuals,
particularly in smaller centres such as Terrace
where the pool ‘of nurses is limited.

It means administrators try to recruit outside
of the area, putting them in competition with
every other health authority secking to ease

“You just can’t,” said Boland of the diffi-
culty of filling casual positions from outside
the area.

“You ca say a nurse can work as much as
‘they Want, “DOT YOu cant puaratitee that" Brads” Fro Northwest ‘Cominiinity

So hospital officials here have shifted away
from the casual option to create two full time
permanent critical care nursing positions.

+

“We'll be using these for vacation relief,’
leaves or for other reasons,” said Boland,
“T can’t say that it is a policy of the North-

ern Health Authority but we'll do it where nee-

ded, where justified,” he said.
The two positions have been posted for
about six weeks now.

There. haven't been any takers yet, but Bo-

time:

land notes that late spring is a prime recruiting

“Families will want to stay. where they are

to finish up the school year," he noted.

nurses shorlage,

Late. last year, Mills hired a ae

_ hew licensed practical nursing roman in’
race, They were assigned some of the duties
registered nurses were performing.

Creating those two new positions is the lat-
est move in Terrace to ease the registered

er

The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, May 28, 2003 - A3

News In Brief

Local Crimestoppers

wins provincial award

TERRACE’S Crimestoppers program has been
given a provincial award recognizing the amount
of tips it received in 2002.

Last year the local volunteer program received
94 tips resulting in eight arrests. Because of those
tips police also seized $2,500 in drugs and reco-
vered another $1,500 in property.

The productivity award was given in the under
20,000 population category taking in all of B.C.

Auto theft here down

WHILE auto theft in B.C. is on the rise ICBC offi-
cials report the amount of stolen cars in the Ter-
race area has gone down this year over last.

“You've actually had a bit of a decrease,” said
ICBC spokesperson Moira Wellwocd. “That's ex-
cellent news for Terrace.

Last year just 17 claims for stolen. vehicles were
filed at the Terrace office. That compares to 21 in
2001. ‘

In 2002 23,670 vehicles insured by the’ Crown
corporation were reported stolen - a seven per cent
increase over 2001. Combined with a 17 ‘per cent
increase in 2001 that amounts to a 25 per cent in-
crease over two years.

Thefts from automobiles have alsa gone done in
the Terrace area, Wellwood says.

In 2002 just 29 reports of thefts from vehicles
were reported t ICBC, That compares to 54 in
2001.

New ICBC head here

THE TERRACE ICBC branch welcomed its new
regional operations manager May 2.

Alan Letourneau replaces Geoff Butler who was
transferred to Williams Lake at the end of April.

Letourneau is responsible for overseeing every-
thing from local programs to monitoring claims in
the northwest region including Kitimat, Prince Ru-
pert, Terrace and the Queen Charlotte Islands.

The new appointment is a promotion for Letour-
neau who transferred from Prince George where he
was aciaims manager for the past 12 years. Before
that he worked for ICBC in Fort St. John for six
years.

“I’m looking forward to getting t to know Terrace
and the community and all that it offers,” Letour-
neau said, adding his wife Laurel and their three
sons aged 10, 12 and 15 are also looking forward to
the move west. They will be moving here next
month.

Jobless rate falls

UNEMPLOYMENT in the northwest declined by

half a percentage point in April to 10.9 per cent.
The drop from 11.4 per cent unemployed in

March came as stats showed full-time job numbers

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