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Red Deer man with photographic memory credited by RCMP for helping recover over 400 stolen vehicles!

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This story was sent to Todayville from Red Deer RCMP…

 

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Deer RCMP recognize citizen for hundreds of stolen vehicle tips

In a recent private ceremony, Red Deer RCMP recognized a citizen for his outstanding contribution in helping police locate multiple stolen vehicles each month, sometimes while the criminals were still in them. Over the past two years, it’s estimated that DM (not his real name) has helped police recover more than 400 stolen vehicles.

DM didn’t want to use his real name for this story because it’s the anonymity that allows him to spot and call in so many stolen vehicles. His job requires him to drive throughout the city every day, and that regular presence in every Red Deer neighbourhood grants him a kind of invisibility to criminals who are on the lookout for police. He’s also quick to note that he doesn’t call in the stolen vehicles while he’s driving; as a professional driver, he’s all too aware of the dangers of distracted driving.

DM’s interest in helping police recover stolen vehicles – and in seeing those responsible get arrested – started a few years ago after his own car was stolen when he left it unlocked and running. When he posted about it on social media, he says, “I got raked over the coals for leaving it running with the keys inside. It was a lesson learned.”

That experience prompted DM’s involvement with the Facebook group “Central Alberta Stolen Vehicles,” which currently has about 10,000 followers. It also created a new use for a rare skill he possesses – a photographic memory.

Every morning, DM checks the Central Alberta Stolen Vehicles page and other social media groups focused on stolen vehicles and makes a list of any outstanding stolen vehicles; thanks to his incredible memory for vehicle makes, colours, details and license plates, however, he rarely has to consult his list once he’s compiled it. “If I’ve seen it once, it’s almost guaranteed I’ll find it,” he says. “Often if a vehicle is stolen in the morning, I find it by afternoon.”

That dedication, combined with his photographic memory and his job, make DM an exceptional resource for RCMP and for the community. He sees his contribution as an important complement to the work done by RCMP, and enjoys the feeling of community involvement that comes with connecting online with victims and helping to find their stolen vehicles.

“It’s people’s livelihood – they need to be able to get to work, or get the kids to appointments. When they get their vehicles back it’s such a sense of relief that they don’t have to go out and spend money on another car,” he says. “These groups create a feeling of community – we do communicate with police, and yes, they are looking for these vehicles. I get angry when people put down the police because they don’t see all the work they’re doing. They’re hard working people.”

After his own car was stolen, DM reported it to the RCMP and then started looking for it himself. It didn’t take long for him to find it parked in a retail lot, still occupied by the suspect. He called RCMP and the man behind the wheel was arrested; DM notes that, at the time of the arrest, his car was full of stolen property from a Red Deer business. “Take it from someone who did it,” DM says of leaving his car unlocked and running, “I enabled him to get down to (the store) and clean them out.”

After his car was returned to him, DM notes he spent two days cleaning it. “You have that disgusting feeling – you feel violated. Someone has been in your space and you don’t know what they’ve done in it. I still have ‘what ifs’.”

He enjoys working with the RCMP and the call takers, who have come to recognize his voice and name, and appreciate the courtesy he shows when he’s asked to follow the same call logging procedure each time he calls – which is sometimes several times a day.

“It was a pleasure to see DM recognized for his contribution to our community in locating stolen vehicles, and it was also a great opportunity to let him know how much the call takers appreciate his patience and understanding when we’re taking his information for dispatch,” says one of the call takers who deals with DM regularly. “We’re such a busy detachment, and often he is put on hold while a more urgent call is dispatched or while we answer other incoming calls. He has left an impression on all of us.”

Superintendent Ken Foster, officer in charge at the Red Deer RCMP detachment, describes DM’s contribution as an extraordinary embracing of the police tenet that citizens are the eyes and ears of every community. The ceremony recognizing his contribution was hosted by Superintendent Foster, Inspectors Grobmeier and Lagrange, and former Red Deer RCMP Superintendent Scott Tod. DM was presented with a plaque at a reception in front of attendees including DM’s family, RCMP members, and several call takers who were glad to finally put a face to the voice they’ve come to know so well.

“This one individual has been an active part of the recovery of more than 400 vehicles over the past two years, and about half of those vehicles were occupied by criminals when RCMP arrived,” says Foster. “Not only has DM helped police return many stolen vehicles to their rightful owners, he plays an important role in helping us arrest many career criminals and put them before the courts. We’ve recovered firearms, drugs and large amounts of stolen identity documents from these vehicles. It’s astounding to see the positive impact that one person can have on a community. Red Deer RCMP commend his commitment to crime prevention and reduction and are grateful for his service.”

DM was surprised and touched to be recognized by Red Deer RCMP for the significance of his contribution. “It made me feel great,” he says. “I feel honoured.”

DM has two pieces of advice for citizens, and both come from his experience as a victim of crime and from seeing so many stolen vehicles in the course of his daily travels. First, he stresses the importance of never leaving your vehicle unlocked and running. And second, as a man who knows every inch of Red Deer thanks to driving its streets every day, he has this to say: “Something I want people to do is look out your window. You know your neighbourhood – you need to pay attention to what’s going on. Notice who or what doesn’t belong and report it to the RCMP.”

“Until you’ve been physically affected by (vehicle theft), you can’t relate,” DM says. “I’ve been a victim and I know what it feels like. I would never wish anyone that feeling. Now that I’ve seen it firsthand, I’m going to help as many people as possible.”

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International

Germany launches first permanent foreign troop deployment since WW2

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Quick Hit:

Germany activated a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania — marking its first permanent foreign military deployment since World War II. The move strengthens NATO’s eastern flank amid Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

Key Details:

  • The 45th Armored Brigade was formally launched outside Vilnius on Tuesday.
  • Germany plans for the brigade to be fully operational by 2027 in Rūdninkai, near the Belarus border.
  • The deployment marks a major policy shift for Berlin and a boost for NATO’s deterrence posture.

Diving Deeper:

Germany has officially entered a new era of military engagement, launching its first permanent foreign troop deployment since the end of World War II. The move, announced Tuesday, sees the activation of a 5,000-strong armored brigade in Lithuania as part of a broader NATO strategy to counter the perceived threat from Russia.

The newly formed 45th Armored Brigade was ceremonially inaugurated outside the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius. German Brigadier General Christoph Huber assumed command, overseeing the establishment of a temporary headquarters and unveiling the unit’s crest. “We have a clear mission: to ensure the protection, freedom and security of our Lithuanian allies on NATO’s eastern flank,” Huber said, adding that the unit’s presence also directly contributes to the defense of Germany and NATO as a whole.

The deployment follows a pledge made by Berlin in 2023 — a decision that broke with decades of postwar defense policy rooted in military restraint. German officials had long avoided permanently stationing combat troops abroad. That posture has changed in response to Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has turned the Baltic region into one of NATO’s most vulnerable frontlines.

Germany’s commitment includes more than just fighting forces. The brigade will also feature key support elements, such as a medical center, communications specialists, and command support units dispersed across multiple Lithuanian locations. Troops will initially operate out of temporary facilities, with a permanent base under construction in Rūdninkai, located roughly 30 kilometers south of Vilnius.

Currently, 150 German soldiers are already on the ground in Lithuania. That figure is expected to rise to 500 by the end of the year as the new brigade scales up operations.

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Media

Top Five Huge Stories the Media Buried This Week

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#5 – CNN panel lectures America on military “accountability”… and then melts down when Scott Jennings points out that no one was held accountable for the disaster in Afghanistan or Biden’s open border.

NEERA TANDEN: “The military requires accountability. It’s the most accountable organization. You are supposed to be accountable to higher-ups. Politics isn’t supposed to have to do with any of this, and the fact that that’s happening, that they’re just basically saying nothing to do here, is a big problem, I think, for those who believe in accountability.”

@ScottJenningsKY: “I think Republicans aren’t interested in any lectures on accountability in the military after the Biden administration. I mean, the bar for getting rid of a Secretary of Defense is apparently pretty high. You can get 13 people killed and go AWOL and not tell the commander in chief, and that’s not a fireable offense.”

“But these lectures about accountability and national security after letting 10 million people into the country who raped and murdered and committed violent acts and no remorse or accountability.”

NEERA TANDEN: “What are you talking about? They closed the border.”

#4 – Bill Gates says we won’t need humans “for most things.”

During an appearance on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon asked Gates a pretty direct question: “Will we still need humans?”

Gates responded, “Not for most things. We’ll decide … There will be some things that we reserve for ourselves, but in terms of making things and moving things and growing food, over time those will be basically solved problems.”

VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd

#3 – Rep. Jim Jordan hammers NPR CEO Katherine Maher for three straight minutes over political bias, the Hunter Biden laptop cover-up, and NPR’s 87-to-0 Democrat staff ratio.

REP JORDAN: “Is NPR biased?”

MAHER: “I have never seen any political bias.”

JORDAN: “In the DC area, editorial positions at NPR have 87 registered Democrats and 0 Republicans.”

MAHER: “We do not track the voter registration, but I find that concerning.”

JORDAN: “87-0 and you’re not biased?”

MAHER: “I think that is concerning if those numbers are accurate.”

JORDAN: “October 2020, the NYPost had the Hunter Biden laptop story, and one of those 87 Democrat editors said, ‘We don’t want to waste our readers and listeners’ time on stories that are just pure distractions.’ Was that story a pure distraction?”

Video + Transcript via @Kanekoathegreat

While you’re here, don’t forget to subscribe to this page for more weekly news roundups.

#2 – Utah becomes the first state to officially BAN fluoride in all public drinking water.

For decades, fluoride was accepted as a safe way to prevent tooth decay. Few questioned it.

But last year, in a dramatic legal twist, a federal judge ruled that fluoride may actually lower children’s IQ—and cited evidence that could upend everything we thought we knew.

That ruling sent shockwaves through the public health world.

Judge Edward Chen pointed to scientific studies showing a “high level of certainty” that fluoride exposure “poses a risk” to developing brains.

He ordered the EPA to reexamine its safety standards, warning that the margin for safety may be far too narrow.

At the center of the case: dozens of peer-reviewed studies linking everyday fluoride exposure—even at levels found in U.S. tap water—to reduced intellectual capacity in children.

It wasn’t just one paper. The National Toxicology Program, a branch of the U.S. government, also concluded that higher fluoride levels were “consistently associated” with lower IQ in kids.

They flagged 1.5 mg/L as a risk threshold. Some communities hover right near it.

In response to the growing evidence, Utah passed HB 81, banning all fluoride additives in public water.

The law takes effect May 7. It doesn’t ban fluoride completely. Anyone who wants it can still get it—like any other prescription.

And that’s the point: Utah’s lawmakers say this is about informed consent and personal choice.

This issue is no longer on the fringe. Across the country, cities and towns are quietly rethinking water fluoridation—and some have already pulled out. Utah is the first state to take bold action. It may not be the last.

The conversation surrounding fluoride has shifted from “Is it helpful?” to “Is it safe?” And for the first time in nearly a century, that question is being taken seriously.

VIDEO: @TheChiefNerd

#1 – RFK Jr. Drops Stunning Vaccine Announcement

Kennedy revealed that the CDC is creating a new sub-agency focused entirely on vaccine injuries—a long-overdue shift for patients who’ve spent years searching for answers without any support from the government.

“We’re incorporating an agency within CDC that is going to specialize in vaccine injuries,” Kennedy announced.

“These are priorities for the American people. More and more people are suffering from these injuries, and we are committed to having gold-standard science make sure that we can figure out what the treatments are and that we can deliver the best treatments possible to the American people.”

For years, the vaccine-injured have felt ignored or dismissed, as public health agencies refused to even acknowledge the problem. Now, there’s finally an initiative underway to investigate their injuries and to provide support.

Thanks for reading! This weekly roundup takes time and care to put together—and I do my best to make it your go-to source for the stories that matter most but rarely get the attention they deserve.

If you like my work and want to support me and my family and help keep this page alive, the most powerful thing you can do is sign up for the email list and become a paid subscriber.

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