They called themselves the terrible three. Three dirty Vancouver cops who met during training in the notorious “Class of 1956.”
This story is from Cold Case BC: The stories behind the province’s most sensational murder and missing person cases
Constable Leonard Hogue was one of three rogue cops who supplemented their police paychecks through an escalating series of robberies. It started small. He and partner Joe Percival used their inside knowledge to commit a series of B&Es. But when David Harrison came onboard, they quickly escalated to bigger payoffs. They robbed a Hunter’s Sporting Goods on Kingsway and their haul included 14 guns and ski masks which they put to use in bank robberies.
The first job at the CIBC on Kingsway in Burnaby went off without a hitch, and they escaped with $106,000. In 1964 they knocked over the Simpson Sears on Kingsway. The following January they robbed the Bank of Nova Scotia at Dunbar and West 41st Avenue.
Things started to get really interesting early in 1965 when the gang learned of a $1.2 million shipment of cash scheduled to arrive at the CPR Merchandise service on West Pender Street. The cash was old money taken out of circulation by the banks and on its way to the mint in Ottawa to be destroyed. The robbery was perfectly planned and executed and they had pulled off the biggest heist in Vancouver’s history.
What they didn’t know was that the $1.2 million in cash (about $9.5 million in today’s dollars) had been drilled with three large holes and was virtually worthless. Retired CKNW investigative reporter George Garrett, dubbed it the Holey Money case.
Next: When Cops were Murderers – Part 2 – Episode 29
Show notes:
Sponsors: Forbidden Vancouver Walking Tours and Erin Hakin Jewellery
Music: Andreas Schuld ‘Waiting for You’
Intro and voice over: Mark Dunn
Interviews: George Garrett (CKNW reporter, retired); Leon Bourque, (retired VPD detective)
Buy me a coffee promo: McBride Communications and Media
Source: Cold Case BC: The stories behind the province’s most sensational murder and missing person cases
12 comments on “When Cops Were Robbers Part 1”
I so enjoy reading your take on our mutual history as Vancover residents. Please keep it coming, Eve.
Thanks so much Tom!
Crooked cops did not begin with these three. Remember the disgraced Chief of Police Walter Mulligan who had both hands in the till.
I do. In fact, Walter Mulligan has a role in my podcast (and books)
I came across this article doing some family research. My father was with the VPD with Hogue and I remember this case well and especially the tragic murder of his entire family. My husband‘s grandfather was Alexander McNeill and he was the Chief of Police until 1947. He and several other senior officers were fired by Mayor Gerry McGeer based on his friendship with Walter Mulligan and trumped up accusations made by Mulligan. I remember my mother-in-law telling me about the day her father came home and took off his uniform for the last time. So much has been written about Walter Mulligan and it’s unfortunate that there has been no acknowledgement of those that lost their careers and lived under a shadow of false accusations as a result of Mulligan’s corruption.
Well done!
mans worst trait is greed
A fascinating and interesting piece of history!
Thanks so much Geoff, glad you enjoyed it!
A heads-up on a typo: “three large holds”.
Thanks for the catch Chris!
[…] Hogue arrested him, Pauluzzi narrowly escaped the death penalty and presumably spent the rest of his life in jail. Hogue was the dirtiest of dirty cops and is the subject of two chapters in Cold Case BC and a Cold Case Canada podcast. […]