Addams bucks up to return surveillance cameras
By Mona Mattei
RCMP regained possession of camera cards containing images from sensitive police files from a surveillance gone wrong.
Staff Sgt. Dan Seibel, operations NCO for the Kootenay Boundary Regional RCMP Detachment, said that he retrieved the government property earlier this week from Dion Nordick, known as Buck Addams, through his lawyer.
“Since this incident occurred a directive has been disseminated to our officers and we believe that it will eliminate the possibility of future similar breaches or losses of sensitive information,” said Seibel. “Only new memory cards will be utilized in instances where surveillance equipment is being installed in locations where there might be an opportunity for someone other than the RCMP to come in possession of the installed cameras.”
Addams, a 33-year-old graphic artist, seized the cameras and flash cards when he found them tied to trees outside his home in Grand Forks last June. RCMP at the local detachment put Addams’ home under surveillance as a part of a search warrant for an alleged marijuana grow operation.
While no grow op was found, police did find spray paint and stencils, which Adams said are used for his work in making signs, and confiscated them as possible evidence in another open case of graffiti vandalism.
But Addams found the cameras and, not aware of the surveillance, looked at the cards to see what they contained. He was shocked to find images from several serious police files ranging from corpses to domestic violence – files that should not be available to the public.
Seibel explained that the RCMP are reviewing the images on the cards to identify the people in past investigations contained on them. They will then be contacting the individuals involved to advise them of the breach in security.
Addams held on to the cameras and cards while his lawyer attempted to find out if a valid search warrant for the surveillance was in fact in place, but has not received an answer to that question yet.
“There definitely will be civil action – that’s 110 percent,” said Addams who feels his rights have been violated. “Trespass will be one, and it may cost for a survey of the location of the cameras. We’re thinking about character defamation. There’ll be four charges for sure.”
Since publication of his case, Addams has attained a certain mixed notoriety in his new hometown of Nelson, B.C.
“I get quite a few calls a day about it still and I’m surprised,” Addams commented. “Actually I’m being treated very weirdly in some cases in the public. To some people I’m the evil graffiti artist bogey man and in other cases people give me high fives.”
An art gallery in Nelson has even been in touch to talk about a possible show of Addams work.
At this time Seibel indicated that there will be no charges against Addams for either the marijuana grow operation or the investigation into graffiti vandalism in Grand Forks.
