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Off-duty cop tracks 'bad guys' while walking dog at 5 a.m. in North Vancouver

The eagle-eyed cop followed his instincts and spied suspects stashing stolen property inside a bush.
kevin-goodmurphy-dog
West Vancouver Police Cst. Kevin Goodmurphy with his family dog, Abbey. Photo: North Vancouver RCMP

An off-duty cop has given a shout out to North Vancouver RCMP for a quick reaction to a report of suspicious behaviour that helped take a couple of “bad guys” off the streets.

Constable Kevin Goodmurphy, West Vancouver Police Department communications officer, took to Twitter yesterday to commend the RCMP for their swift efforts.

“Shout out to @nvanrcmp who helped me catch bad guys this morning when I was off duty!” he wrote on Twitter to his 2,385 followers.

Goodmurphy said he was out walking his pooch at 5 a.m. when he noticed two people “skulking around someone’s property.”

Following his instincts, Goodmurphy called the RCMP to report the behaviour and they dispatched an officer. Before the RCMP officer arrived, Goodmurphy watched the suspects allegedly “stash a load of stolen property in a bush.”

He said when the officer showed up, he located the suspects allegedly “riding fresh stolen bicycles, and in possession of more stolen property.”

Sgt. Peter DeVries, of the North Vancouver RCMP, " confirmed a patrol officer was dispatched just after 5 a.m. 

"While patrolling the area, the officer located two people, one male and one female, matching the descriptions provided by Cst. Goodmurphy," he said in a release. 

He said the pair were riding two high-end bicycles when they were stopped by the officer, and at least one of the bicycles was later discovered to have been stolen during a burglary in the neighbourhood a few hours earlier. 

DeVries said a 31-year-old man was arrested and held on an outstanding warrant, and charges are being considered for the other offenses.

He thanked Goodmurphy for his efforts to help the RCMP

"Cst. Goodmurphy wasn't in uniform, so he wasn't equipped to safely deal with a pair of burglars the way he would be while on duty," DeVries said. 

"He did exactly what we ask everyone in the community to do when they see something suspicious. He observed and reported what he saw, and he stayed safe."

Meanwhile, Goodmurphy was just happy to do his part to help, taking to Twitter yesterday to commend the North Vancouver RCMP's swift efforts. 

“As a North Vancouver resident, I want to say thank you @nvanrcmp for helping to keep our community safe (Even though I helped a teeny tiny bit with this one),” he wrote.

Elisia Seeber is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.