A scraggly-bearded man, sporting a tattoo, a baseball cap and a black T-shirt, takes another puff of his cigarette.
Talking to cops made him nervous that much was clear in his first exchange with the officer about 30 minutes earlier.
He shuffled about on the dark sidewalk, where two friends huddled around him, waiting. To pass the time, the trio gossiped about the two handcuffed teenagers standing several metres away.
It was getting late about 11 p.m. on Saturday and the group would not be leaving until a little detective work confirmed the officers suspicions. But that is jumping ahead.
Several hours earlier, Const. Jaison Kunnamkudath clocked in at Richmond RCMP headquarters for Saturday nights long weekend shift.
With his uniform on and a pistol at his hip, Kunnamkudath who is called Special K by colleagues strode out to his police car, settled in to his home-away-from-home, and buckled up.
He was on traffic patrol, referred to by the RCMP as the Enhanced Road Safety Enforcement Initiative (ERSEI).
Priorities for those enforcing the initiative include reducing incidences of impaired, aggressive and distracted driving, and improving intersection safety and seatbelt usage.
As Special K drove towards Steveston Highway, his eyes scanned the road for traffic offences.
Fifty four, he said, confirming his visual check with a glance at the in-car radar unit. Three years of experience with the RCMP meant he was nearly spot-on with his estimates.
But that wasnt good enough for court evidence. He also conducted a self-check and a tuning fork check on the radar unit every day, to ensure the accuracy of its readings.
The car veered onto a side street, partially hidden by tall trees. Special K hopped out, gripped his laser speed gun and tiptoed stealthily toward a light pole, trying to hide behind it, though his large frame and yellow police vest hardly cooperated.
He pointed the radar gun at an oncoming car. It confirmed, again, his speed estimate. Ninety, ninety one and his car would be towed, he said.
Special K leapt off of the sidewalk and into traffic, signaling for the speeding driver to pull over.
Im so sorry, I know I was speeding, pleaded the driver, spilling a story involving his kids and work and stress.
Moments later, with licence and insurance information in-hand, Special K scrolls through the drivers previous traffic violations.
There were nine in the last five years, and the driver was about to bank a tenth.
After a few more apologies, the driver was on his way with a $196 ticket.
Its not about how many tickets you write, its about the safety, remarked Special K.
Next, it was time for one of his favourite part of the day coffee break.
Four officers and one auxiliary RCMP member piled into a nearby Tim Hortons, using the break as a chance to debate their next move.
Several votes were cast for opposing plans in a judicial manner curiously reflective of official RCMP conduct.
Then, it was roadblock launch-time.
A convoy of police cars descended upon the south end of the No. 2 Road Bridge. Officers rummaged the trunks of their cars for LED lights and orange cones to block off three lanes of road.
A few minutes later and the operation was on.
Special K approached the first car, and after the drivers window slid down. He poked his head inside.
Where are you coming from? he asked, peering closely at the drivers facial expressions. How many drinks have you had?
Those brief seconds gave Special K all the time he needed to check for signs of impaired driving, lack of seatbelt usage and other potential violations. The driver was free to go.
Several minutes later, though, another driver was less fortunate.
His admission of drinking albeit only one drink meant he would be read his rights, then asked to submit a breath sample.
