CNN Anchor Caught Off Guard

This CNN Anchor was caught making a funny face and pointing to her ear when the camera returned after an item. My guess is her IFB (ear piece) was feeding her the wrong sound. I love live TV.

Working for the Man

I have worked a lot of overtime in the last week. It’s been mostly small stuff that has been keeping me busy. We’ve had a couple of house fires that got going pretty good. We had a 55 Division Sergeant that crashed on the way to a call. We even had a nice fraud story that included 11Division MCU doing 5 early morning search warrants. They were credit card skimmers who were targeting high end clients of a spa in Yorkville.

It was not a good week for the Jane and Finch neighborhood. Two shootings at 15 Tobermory started things off. Then Peter Bowen, aged 20, was shot and killed at 345 Driftwood. Peter’s death didn’t get much play in the media. It happened on a busy news day and was basically trumped on many newscasts by a shooting on a TTC bus. The victim on the bus sustained non-life threatening injuries but whenever a shooting takes place on a bus it is big news.

I don’t know if the shootings at Jane and Finch are connected at all, but I heard a cop tonight saying that a feud is ongoing between the guys from Tobermory and the guys from Driftwood. This is a very dangerous neighborhood.

Note to Self: If you’re going to get shot … do it on a TTC bus.

Early Start In Scarborough

Homicide 11 Antrim Cres. Man found in Apt 109 with gun shot wound to the chest. Pronounced on scene. I hardly had time to eat that second piece of birthday cake when it was time to hit the road and get to work. I just finished an interview with homicide. They are not saying much. The man was 30 years old and was shot inside the apartment. Three men fled after the shooting. Detectives gave no indication what preceded the shooting. Nothing left to do but wait for the body removal shot. While waiting I heard a call around the corner for a person with a gun. A male had pointed a handgun at the owner of a cafe when he was asked to leave. Police initiated a high risk take down on Ellesmere just west of Kennedy Rd. One replica hand gun was recovered. Two in custody and one vehicle towed. Maybe that fake gun wasn't such a good idea after all.

Gas station robbers are at it again tonight. They hit one on Warden around 9:30pm and then one in York Region around 10:30pm. They must not get much cash from these jobs. They hit a third sation in Etobicoke a little later. Always two or three bandits masked up and brandishing knives. Cops suspect a get away car sits near by. Black males with dark clothes and hoodies brandishing alarge butcher knife.

Who's the good looking guy with the cake?

Another year has gone by and I really can't believe it is my birthday again. This year I would like to save enough money for the whole family to go to Thailand. We are aiming for fall or winter 2009. It's always a nice break from the cold.

Cheers to good friends and a loving family. Happy Birthday to ME!

Sleepy Sunday

Last night was a pretty quiet Sunday night shift. The news business is strange indeed. Two items that I shot on Thursday night didn’t make the show. This is surprising as one was a shooting, which you would just assume would make the cut. The problem is time was very tight and Friday was a busy news day. In comparison, today was a quiet news day, so two smaller item got on the show. The first happened right around midnight when an elderly man was struck by a car on Pape, outside the subway station. He had severe leg injuries and possible head injuries. He was in his late seventies so that is cause for concern.

The second incident was a holdup at an Esso gas bar on St.Clair around Danforth Road. Police think this may have been the work of a duo that have been busy the last couple of weeks. They are usually armed with knives and take the whole cash tray and put it into a laptop style should bag. They are alleged to have hit several gas bars around town. I’m sure these robberies are just terrifying for the poor attendant who gets the knife stuck in his face. They are usually made to lie down while they make an escape. This doesn’t seem to be getting much attention, possibly due to the use of knives versus guns.

Fire and Ice

Good start to the night with a 3rd alarm fire near Sheppard and McCowan. First arriving crews reported heavy flames. It was called in by a neighbor and once inside crews reported it was a grow op. Access was hindered by bars on windows. The fire burned for over three hours and crew will be on scene all night and into the day shift. I actually left then went back later to try for a clip but all crews were still very busy and I couldn't feel my face, hands or feet. I love the summer night shift so much more than the winter night shift, -18 without the wind. No injuries except the frostbite.

Midweek Mayhem in Midtown.

It was a pretty busy night last night. It still amazes me how I sit around and it’s nice and quiet and then boom, it gets really busy and it’s game on. Last night I was sitting in the parking lot of Yorkdale, enjoying a coffee with Tom from CP24 and Jason from Global. We were parked near the 401 side of the mall lot when a hotshot came across the radio for an attempted robbery at Yorkdale subway station. We were on scene in about 20 seconds but the culprits were already long gone. This is the second night in a row that a subway station collector has been robbed at gunpoint. It seems this time they missed the money. I will not get into details but I’m guessing TTC staff was already on alert. The night before bandits had hit the Lawrence subway, just about 1km away. Note to all TTC staff; be on the lookout for shotgun toting visitors. Seems they have found out TTC stops make better targets than gas stations.

I was at the DVP and York Mills when a fire call came in for Spencer Ave. It’s always so hard not to speed on the highway when you find yourself 10-15 minutes out and you hear the first cop on scene say that the fire is a big one. Then he starts closing roads which only makes getting there that much harder. I actually made good time and you could still see flames when I arrived. The Fire Marshall has been called in to investigate the cause and both sides of the semi-detached were damaged extensively.

Hot Times in West End

After numerous fires in the west end, a man has been charged with prowl by night and arson, this after the latest fires early Monday morning. The fires were fairly small but caused a lot of damage to a garage and shed. It seems like only a matter of time before someone gets hurt in this arson spree so residents are hoping police have the right guy. They are asking people to remain vigilant and to clean up any flammable material in and around their property.

Police found some footprints at the scene of the latest fires but it is well known that they are watching several suspects for these fires. Could we have more than one arsonist in the area? Let’s hope not but only time will tell. Police have been all over this and continue to work the case.

It's not guns that kill people. It's those little bullets.

Hi Mom? Listen, I have something to tell you. I was at the movies and when we came out this guy offered to drive us to the subway station. We were in the car and the police tried to stop us. He wouldn't pull over and we were like, pull over, what are you doing? He stopped but he ran away and the police are chasing him. They found some stuff in the car.

The stuff was a handgun under the driver’s seat. The young lady went on to assure her mom that she didn’t know the guy. I have a feeling that her mom didn’t believe her. We got a good laugh listening to her call, although it was probably no laughing matter for her or her friends and the other moms who would get called next.

It just amazes me how many young people seem to feel they have to own a gun. I see this time and time again. The world is surely different from when I grew up. Now the police were hot on the trail of the guy who ran away. He was being tracked by Police Dog Services and the dog had a strong scent.

“I have a guy here who has been shot. Can you get me an ambulance?”

Just a few kilometers away at West Mall and Burnhamthorpe Rd, the call was in for a shooting. We ran for our cars and headed to the scene. I arrived in just enough time to get a shot of the victim being treated in the back of the ambulance. They didn’t waste any time in loading him up and rushing off to the trauma centre.

As we headed back to our original call on Islington near Bloor, the ETF had joined the search with Canine and they continued to track the suspect through back yards. Wouldn’t you know it, after about two hours they got the guy. He looked pretty cold and was shivering like crazy, but after a quick check by Tactical Ambulance he was off to a cozy cell over at 22 division. I think the guy may have actually been glad to get in that warm police cruiser.

It has been a really busy week, bad weather and way too many bitterly cold nights. Thank God it’s Friday.

Loaded 45 Cal

Guns and Gangs Unit executed an early morning wake up call on Lawrence Ave West. One male in custody along with a loaded 45 caliber semi automatic pistol. The serial numbers had been filed off. Also seized was a quantity of cash and narcotics. And so goes life in the big city. Nice catch in -25 weather.

If a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear?

Unless we are there to see these warrants, nobody really sees the great work these undercover guys are doing. They take the guns off the street and save lives. It's that simple. Keep up the good work guys. The guns were actually a shotgun with modified stock and a 303 rifle. Thanks for the show and tell.

Major Crime Unit

Got some info on 31 division Major Crime Unit and ETF doing a warrant on Grandravine. This is the same complex where I shot another warrant recently. In that case they got a loaded 357 magnum. Tonight they got three alleged bad guys and two pieces of hardware. A fully loaded sawed off shotgun and a 22 rifle. The picture is Jeremy from Global. We're waiting for show and tell.

Getting Ready For The Cold

It has been fairly quiet the last few shifts. We had a nice fire and I have posted a picture. The big story right now is the weather. Tomorrow night is supposed to be -21 with a wind chill of -31. That should be fun.

Right now I'm hearing some chatter about ETF and a possible warrant in 41 division. Maybe we will get some action tonight after all. Chasing warrants can be a waste of time but every now and then you figure out where one is being done and it is for a murder or something. It's 2am and all is well.

Update - 2 warrants executed - 2 alleged bad guys off the street.

Have you been drinking tonight sir?

It was a busy night for Emergency Services in York Region. I headed up to Highway 7 and Leslie early in the night. The call was for an accident involving the police. Seems that a driver didn’t see all the flashing lights, as they approached a construction site on Highway 7. They didn’t miss the cruiser though. They ran right into the back of a police car that was directing traffic. It is alleged that the driver may have been drinking.

From there I headed right back down to King and Yonge for a strange one. The call was for a man on fire. I was surprised to hear police confirm that a man was indeed on fire. It seemed to start in the vestibule of a bank, near an ATM. Someone used a fire extinguisher to put the guy out. He was taken to St. Mike’s and is in very serious condition with third degree burns. He may have been a homeless person sleeping at the ATM. Police taped off the scene and called an ambulance for another homeless man sleeping right across the street. We see so many of these sad souls sleeping all over the downtown area. They sleep on to of heating grates to stay warm. It’s sad as many have mental health or substance abuse issues.

Just after 4am it was back to Richmond Hill for a fire in an apartment building. Firefighters rescued many residents climbing out of windows, as thick smoke spread throughout the building. The fire started in the kitchen of a unit on the main floor. The York Regional Police, best known for keeping media further back than the public, really did a great job of helping those who were evacuated into the cold night. A long line of cruisers were brought to the scene and shuttled residents to shelter at a nearby police station. A great action plan by the Yorkies. Metro would have left them waiting for a cold TTC bus to show up, which always seems to take forever. Hats of to the Yorkies on this one!

Details are few

So we finally got a comment from a Duty Inspector on Talwood. He has TSV responding to reconstruct the scene and some tire tracks. Female shooting victim in drivers seat of running car. They are holding a second scene but will not say where.
The gangs all here waiting for more. Pictured are Jason (Global), Bert
(City) and Phil (Stringer).

Suspicious Death in 33 Division

Back at it again at 11 tonight. I responded to a call for a shooting on
Talwood Drive in the Leslie and Lawrence . A female found shot on a
quiet residential street in a nice area. Cops are keeping us back pretty
far.

Happy New Year

It has been some time since I posted to my blog. I was asked to go on a day shift for seven weeks and was operating a live truck for a little while. I’m happy to be working and that I have skills that allow me to move around a little bit. I don’t really mind doing the live truck but I don’t find it to be very creative or exciting. It doesn’t get my juices flowing the way the night shift does.

Things are getting back on schedule now. I’m back on nights and my sleeping is slowly becoming regular again. I usually sleep a little in the morning and then a few more hours before my shift starts. It seems to work well for me and the goal is simply to not be consumed by my sleep patterns. I don’t want to be constantly worrying about how much sleep I’m getting or be getting overly sleepy during my shift.

It has been fairly quiet the last little while. Leading up to Christmas we have had a fatal fire out in Oakville. It’s always sad to cover these events so close to the holidays and for some reason we seem to see more of them this time of year.

Peel Region was first out of the gate in the GTA with a homicide. A young women was killed in a store in Malton, right on Airport Rd. near Derry. Metro followed closely behind with a man shot in the head outside a massage parlour. These rub and tugs attract a lot of scumbags and many times robberies in and around these places go unreported, for obvious reasons.

I’ve been off for a couple of four day stretches over Christmas and New Year and I’m back at it again tomorrow night. Happy Holidays everyone.

The Unreal Toronto!

We sit around a lot. We wait for unfortunate events to take place. We videotape them and they air on the news. That is a simple explanation and it’s not always like that, but that covers ninety percent of the work I do. When a car crashes and someone dies, it is my job to go there. When a fire starts in the middle of the night, I show up. When a gangbanger takes a bullet in the hood, I try to get there fast enough to videotape him going into the ambulance or being covered with a sheet.

We have these intense moments of adrenalin pumping action followed by long hours of waiting. So naturally, we make friends with other night shift workers, camera ops from other stations, tow truck drivers, cops and ambulance attendants. Conversation often turns to social issues and even after twenty years in the business, I still find myself asking why some people choose to live the way thy do. What makes a man choose to carry a gun? What kind of person can pull the trigger? What comes first, poverty or crime? Will we always have people who choose not to take part in what we call a normal way of life? Will we always have those who just take what they need and don’t care how they get it or who gets hurt in the process?

Some of the most crime-ridden areas of the city are government housing projects. Each project has its own hustlers, dealers and gangbangers. Look no further than Youtube.com to get a look at life in the projects. You will find postings from all the troubles areas, Jane and Finch, Driftwood, Scarlettwood, Shoreham, The Grassways etc. etc.

This is what I found when I search Youtube.com. This is no joke. This is life in the hood.

It has been a very busy week. Guns are back in the headlines after we had a real spree of shootings and murders this past week. Seems that the young kid who got shot at school was actually not such an innocent victim after all. In fact, he and his friends were robbing another kid when that kid grabbed for the gun. A struggle led to shots being fired and a bullet struck him, from his own friend’s gun. They should charge them all as adults and send them off to the big house for a few years. The amount of guns in the city is a joke. The only way you will even put a dent in this is to allow drastic measures. I agree with a newspaper writer who says we should give huge rewards for snitches. Money talks with most people. Then anyone who carries an illegal gun should be jailed for a long time. Lastly, allow police more power stop and search vehicles, people and homes.

Running on Empty

It was a quiet night. I already knew that gas prices were about to take a major spike. The word was they would rise 13 cents at midnight. This would happen simultaneously at every gas station in Toronto and across the province. How this was possible without price fixing is beyond me but that it another story.

People were already lined up when I got going for the night. The station on Dundas in Mississauga had cars right out onto the road. I clipped a young man who had filled his car and now was topping off a gas can. He told me he was a student who needed to watch every penny he spent. A few more clips and I’m on my way. On the cruise and listening to the scanners.

It was a fairly quiet night. A street robbery had sent a young man to hospital with stab wounds. I tried to shoot over to Sunnybrook to grab a shot of him arriving in the ambulance but they beat me there by a minute or two. City-tv was there so I say my hellos to Burt and head to the scene to shoot some yellow tape. The cops have sprinkled a liberal does of tape around a driveway on Bathurst south of Steeles, in the north end of the city. A young copper tells me that it’s nothing serious, so I head across the street to Mickey Dee’s for some grub. My damn bank card says I’ve reached my limit for the day. It scares the hell out of me as I haven’t bought a thing today and I know how many people get ripped off by skimmers and identity thieves. I try to sign on to the bank site on my Blackberry. I screw up the password on that little keyboard and lock myself out of my own account. I’ll deal with that in the morning.

I had just dropped off my tapes from the gas station and exited the station parking lot when the call comes across. A wrong way driver on the 403 near Cawthra in Mississauga has hit head on with an oncoming car. As I head down to the Gardiner Expressway I hear the first units arrive. “It’s confirmed dispatcher, we have two code fives on scene. Shut down the highway as soon as we can.” Code five is OPP and Ambulance talk for deceased. A quiet night just got busy, but no need to hurry as I already know by the time I get on scene it will be locked down. I’ll be parking at the on ramp and waiting for permission to enter the scene. That’s how it works. You either get there quickly or you are often at the mercy of others for access. Just as well on this one. I hear later that a City-TV cameraman arrived on scene in minutes, on his way in for the morning shift. He was asked to leave and refused. The cops are all pissed now. Things are sensitive when you have such a serious crash. Everyone is on edge and they don’t need cameras shooting dead bodies.

I sit at the Eglinton on ramp for over an hour. Dave Woodford arrives on scene. He looks after the media. He smoothes things over with the Sergeant, gives us all the mandatory speech about how we need to respect the wishes of on scene Sergeants and then says, He will take us down to the first cruiser on the scene, no closer than that. The victims are covered with a tarp. They will have to be moved with the vehicle and cut out at another location. The car is demolished and also caught fire. It’s a bad one.

I get it done and a day shift camera arrives to take my place. It’s now almost nine so I’m on overtime. I drive the wrong way on the closed lanes of the 403 to exit the scene. TGIF.

Toronto - Ten Months In

Fast forward 10 months. I’ve landed the job I needed to feed the family. It’s a night shift but that’s fine with me. The way I look at it is this. On the days shift you are one of maybe ten shooters. You may be at City Hall or at a Fundraiser and when the big crime story breaks, you might get assigned if you’re close to the scene. The night is mine. I get all the big stories as long as they happen at night. No traffic hassles and no line-up at the drive-thru. Finding a clean washroom can be a bigger challenge.

I think I’ve proven myself to my new employer. I’ve showed up in the morning with the story that matters. The Queen St. fire was huge. I think it made them realize that it was worth having someone out overnight. When the ETF rounded up the gang members from MS-13 I was there. When the Superior Propane factory exploded I was there. When the truck veered off the 401 and into the bridge I was there. If you look up and see me looking at you through my camera, you might be having a bad night.

I often think about how much the city has changed since I last worked here in 1994. The boonies are now the city. The roads are even more congested. The house prices are ridiculous. A cop told me that Brampton is the new Jane and Finch. I’ve been to Brampton too many times since my return. They are having a record year in Peel for murders, but Toronto seems to be doing a pretty good job of keeping up. Too many guns on the street these days. I covered a teenager who was shot in the chest for his bicycle in Scarborough the other night. It didn’t make the news. Too many more serious things happening and there’s an election don’t you know.

I hear the calls every night. Another robbery just occurred. Three young men with guns just robbed the convenience store clerk. Night cashier must be one of the most dangerous jobs in Toronto. Alaskan crab fishermen have nothing on these guys. If you want to experience crime first hand just get a job in a corner store after dark. These stories don’t even make the news anymore. Nobody cares.

The last few nights have been crazy. Monday I started early and went straight to the scene on a murder at Weston Rd. and Finch. A young woman found stabbed to death in her apartment. We had another one of these last week. That one was a Chinese student who was found tied to a chair in her Talara Dr. apartment. She had placed an ad on-line for a roommate. Where they related? Probably not, just strangely similar from this side of the crime tape.

The weeks not over but I’ve been to a few fires, two shootings and two fatal accidents. The day shift guys have been busy too. First they get a bus stop shooting near Keele and Eglinton and the next day a guy gets tossed from a car on the 401 near Keele. They both lived in the same neighbourhood, now they are both gone. Two more young black men dead at the end of a gun.

Back In The Saddle Again!

I roll back into town worried about the future and looking for a job. It’s November of 2007. I’ve been laid off from my hometown gig and I hope I can make a living back up in Toronto. I’ve been here before. I left back in 1994. Now I am full circle some 13 years later. I’m the new kid on the block again.

I make a visit out to Lakeshore Electronics. Some old familiar faces are still at the counter. A few supplies to get my police radios up and running, and I’m back on the street and back on the beat. The first weekend was exciting. I’m cruising up the Don Valley when the radio crackles, “Shots fired. Rush us an ambulance dispatcher, I’ve just shot the suspect.” My heart races as I plug the address into the GPS. It’s go time for me. I get to the scene and get some video. My old employer already has a camera on scene, but a few phone calls and the tape is sold. I’m back in the saddle again.

A few weeks and a few tapes later I stand at the rear of a Scarborough shopping mall. The dead body of a young black man lies on the pavement just steps away. The police are putting the tape up around me. I’m in the perimeter but I know they will not leave me alone for long. Fire up the camera; shoot all you can before they tell you to move. A few hours pass. No need to rush the tape in to the station. It’s after midnight and the newscasts are all put to bed. I stay to see what else I can shoot and what else I can learn about the young man under the orange sheet.

“He was everything to me … No … Please … He was everything to me.” The tears of a young woman can be heard clearly in the quiet of the night. She has just arrived at the scene. I don’t know if she knew before she got there but it’s obvious now that she knows the victim, and as she’s consoled by friends and family I wonder how she fits into the gruesome picture.

I would learn later she was the victim’s sweetheart. They had been together eight years and he was coming to get her from work in the mall. Life has changes for her and the other family members that have arrived on scene. I try to talk to one of them but the reaction is an angry one. Who can blame them? They say that nobody cares about another dead black man. I wish I could tell them that I care. The sounds of the young girl’s tears stick with me all weekend as I make the trek back to my own family three hours away down the 401.

It’s a strange way to make a living but somebody has to do it. Thank God it’s the weekend. I need time to adjust back to life in Toronto.