To Swerve, Dishonour and Disrespect
I’m not sure what to think about the latest police crimes. In the last ten years, it’s become clear to me that these guys and gals in blue are suffering from some indeterminable stress disorder that is causing them to drink and drive; beat defenseless, law-abiding citizens; go Taser-happy; collect evidence without rhyme or reason; impinge upon citizens unalienable rights; and generally, lose sight of the basic ‘To Serve, Honour and Protect’. I have a good friend who’s a cop. He tells it like it is: They are under-appreciated and overworked. He’s been on his force for thirty years and manages to keep perspective because, as he tells it, he’s “seen it all”.
I wonder what that does to someone though… Aren’t the powers that be in policing astute enough to realize that the world is an increasingly tougher place and that cops will, accordingly, be under increasingly more trying circumstances? Where are the supports? Because if they exist, they’re clearly not working.
Oye vey! What the hell possesses people?
Let’s wait for the facts, yes… He was under stress, yes… We won’t know if this impacts the case for awhile, yes…
But wait a minute…
Here are some issues to be worried about, right here, right now:
1) If no evidence provided by the witness has been presented to the crown for review yet, how do we know that this evidence is not key to the charges against the accused?
2) How was the evidence gathered? What was the motivation of the witness in question for giving said evidence in the first place?
3) How long did the evidence take to gather? Did her alleged affair with the officer named precede the end of her statements to the police? Was he involved in the gathering of her specific statements or the subsequent vetting of those statements?
The accused are on trial for their lives, and while I’d like to see some peace come to the families of the murdered innocents in the Surrey slayings, it would be an absolute travesty for this trial to be tossed because some cop “under stress” had a ‘wandering penis moment’ (or series of them).
Stress is one thing, but not recognizing that your behavior might jeopardize charges against the accused in the most high-profile mass murder trial in B.C. history, is not the act of someone simply under stress. It goes well-beyond that.
Incidentally MAJOR kudos the B.C.’s best reporter, Global’s John Daly, for breaking this story two nights ago on the six o’clock news. Maybe someone at Global read my objections to their creeping softness, while I was breaking the news of Tony Parsons’ departure from their bailiwick. Ever since, they seem to be going back to do the stories that made BCTV famous: Hard-nosed, investigative journalism. Excellent stuff.
Now, can someone let them know that Gordon Campbell is the Premier of British Columbia? And that the Basi-Virk case is going to go to trial… And that the Olympics are being delivered on the backs of the poor, elderly, needy, sick and underprivileged…
Thanks a bunch.
Yes I’m very concerned about what seems to be a downhill slide of the police. Okay maybe “seems” isn’t quite the word. In keeping with the Olympics theme perhaps the it would be better described as a luge or skeleton straight down that icy slope.
One theory is that hiring practices may very be a problem. Years ago when I was in my early 20′s, a friend of mine, a white male, desperately wanted to join the RCMP. He couldn’t as he wasn’t a visible minority. At the time the RCMP were trying to raise the percentages of women, natives, the disabled and people of a different race. White men need not apply.
I don’t know what their practices are today but when I hear on the news that they’re hiring 5000 new officers across the country, it would appear they’ve opened the barn doors and anyone without a criminal record would be welcome.
Obviously, that would bring us to where we are today. Those joining for the power of carrying a gun and the cop-groupies that come with the job, versus someone who genuinely wants a career in law enforcement.
Next I guess we could question their screening policies.
Next we could question their support systems as Alex has done above.
I’ve long held the belief that trouble comes to those looking for it, and that providing I mind my own business I would be okay, but now I’m not so sure anymore.
I have the utmost respect for what the police do in our society, that hasn’t changed, but fighting crime certainly has and it appears we’re not doing a very good job of keeping up with the criminals.
Although it may seem a stretch, we also need to hold the judges accountable for this as well. They’ve been terrible at handing out sentences when the police have done their jobs properly.
All in all there is much weighing down our police that needs to be fixed.
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MAny of your opinions resonate with me, but none more than one last one about weighing down… But is anyone paying attention? Thx for stopping by Glenn.
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Alex,
This is a little off subject, but it does refer to police having to watch as the bad guys (and gals) get away with the crime because of politics and money. Don’t get me wrong, I agree with your concern, but it made me think of a case where the matriarch of the Bronfman family (of liquor fame) whose name was Saidye or Sadie who had abetted a vicious murderer who was, as I recall, the originator of the Earth Day movement. He had butchered his girlfriend and soon disappeared and was found years later in France and was eventually returned to the States to face the music. He had been sent money and support by this woman who believed that he was being wrongfully accused because of his pantheistic beliefs and perhaps his Jewishness. I think his name was Cornfield (Bernie?) or something like that. The charges were dropped against this woman, and to my knowledge it was all hushed up. I found this on the internet some years ago by googling the obvious knowns, but cannot find it now, though it does suggest that a Senator Gaylord Nelson was the originator, and I recall that name in the original search that mentioned the aforementioned martiarch. I understand that Google, like Wikepedia can be changed by anyone wanting to alter the story. Could this be?
Of course this will be seen as a case of anti-Semitism, but of course it is not, my main object was to see the connection between pantheism or naturism and paganism … and need I say, the lies and deceits we have recently witnessed in Copenhagen.
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Larry…almost anything can disappear from the net…the wanting party need only find the way…
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I tire of folks implying that police would be better if only they employed fewer minorities, women and short people and if police training reverted to the good old days when they hired the hulking high school bullies. Maybe, problems rest with the old paramilitary, rank is right, style.
Take for example two recent situations. VPD officers were involved in improper behavior when two plain clothes officers attending the wrong residence beat a man at his doorway for being uncooperative in the middle of the night. The standard procedure went into operation and, without investigation, the media spokesman implied the victim assaulted the police and had to be contained so caused his own injuries.
Chief Jim Chu, within hours, was involved. He dealt with the situation appropriately and I assume in due course, we’ll see changes in the media relations department and the attending officers will be disciplined.
Compare that to the RCMP reaction to the Surrey 6 scandals. On Tuesday, Sgt. Thiessen was going to be sole spokesperson addressing the media. On Wednesday, they pushed forward a recently promoted and new member of the Lower Mainland policing group. Under pressure, Ass’t Commissioner McIntyre finally made a short public statement Thursday morning. That reluctant step is highly unusual.
What a difference: Compare immediate response by Vancouver’s senior police officer to the VPD problem and the history of foot dragging evasion by senior RCMP members when a serious problem presents itself.
As Helen Slinger’s CBC documentary shows, despite an extraordinary “change effort”, the national police force is frozen in a time when they degrade and abuse cadets trying to stamp out individualism and independent thinking. First obedience is owed to the uniform when it should be owed to justice.
Chief Chu and his team have a ways to go but they appear to be working effectively toward modernization of management techniques. I have the opposite opinion of the RCMP but I believe the largest problem to overcome is in Ottawa, in the privy council office. I don’t want politicians involved in directing police but they must step up and fund the infrastructure for effective oversight. The Conservatives and the Liberals before them have failed us seriously.
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No arguments from me Norm. Great comment.
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Norm,
Perhaps you missed my point – it certainly was not implying they employ less visible minorities.
My point was that when you open the gates to 5000 new hires, you’re not going to find people who truly want a career in law enforcement, but rather people who just want or need a job, want to carry a gun, want the cop-groupies that love guy’s in uniform, etc..etc…
That being said, discrimination is discrimination including against white males. I find it reprehensible that policies like this exist or still exist.
Comparatively, you will find many black leaders in the states, including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas who are vehemently opposed to “equal opportunity” hiring laws in the states because as Judge Thomas stated, it furthers a class system of inequality and promotes racism and hatred.
Shall I even touch on Quebec?
I don’t mind when people refute or debate my comments, but you took this portion of my comment entirely out of context.
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Hey easy Glenn… Normie was substantially right on. But you raise some great points too! Thx for stopping by. Good weekend.
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I wasn’t arguing with Norm’s points only his first sentence where he took me out of context.
My apologies if you or Norm, thought otherwise.
I believe though that I do raise a valid point though. By hiring people to fill cop-jobs to make quotas of one sort or another, in most cases is a terrible hiring practice in any organization.
Cheers.
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I agreed! You are correct. I think Norm was more concerned about going too far down such a continuum.
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There will never a foolproof system of policing. Both the RCMP and provincial police as well as municipal forces have had their difficulties. The nature of the job is such that no one can create a manual that will cover every situation a police officer may encounter. To do their job properly, they must be intelligent, a psychic, a psychologist, compassionate, fearless etc.
The problem as I see it is that too many officers have been put into action with too litle training. One can learn the minimal basics in a controled situation, but ultimately experience is the best teacher. How does one gain experience? The best way is for a rookie to be partnered with a veteran. If what I see in the Tricities area, where I reside, that isn’t happening. I see many police cars in my travels and they are all manned by one person. How can a rookie get on the job training if he/she is operating solo? It’s obvious, they can’t, and as such we see the problems we see today.
Dealing with BC only, I suspect that our government today and those that preceded them view policing as nothing more than an expense item rather than a means of maintaining law and order. They want Cadillac service at Lada prices. It ain’t gonna happen.
The few municipal forces complemented by the RCMP in the lower mainland may have been sufficient 30 years ago, but the population growth that has occured since then has made this model impractical. BC needs a provincial force that is answerable to our government and moreso to the citizens of this province. The RCMP does not meet this standard as they are only answerable to Ottawa. This may be a costly venture, but if we continue to travel the path we are currently on, we will continue to be subjected to inadequate policing.
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I don’t think that an affair with a potential/protected witness is anything more than sheer lunacy that should result in nothing less than termination of employment. There are somethings that simply should not be tolerated. Drug trafficking such as in the Toronto Police is another one. I am not convinced that there is not a mechanism to employ to deter and deal with non criminal situations.
Perhaps a list of “offences”, non criminal should be presented to the applicants upon hiring that they agree to terminated for? As you said “schtupping” a witness should be on the list.
Perhaps a cessation of meddling by politicians and the government. Removal of the Commissioner as a Deputy Minister would send a comforting message to me. A scrapping of government driven hiring quotas would also assist my comfort level.
As for John Daley, who gave him the story. Was it not given to him by the police themselves?
As for the immediate VPD response comment, the immediate response was inaccurate, just like the YVR incident. Rather than fawning and fumbling over the issue and being wrong out of the gate, I would prefer some factual information after proper initial examination.
But I fear the contagion is far deeper than the few headlines. You make a valid point AT by raising the specter of support. I would classify that in two areas, one being the judicial lunacy that we read about regularly, and internal supports for the police vis a vis appropriate manpower, resources and training/mentoring. There are demographic reason that affect the latter, but I do not think they are prohibitive.
There is the outmoded model of police per population ratio that is bandied about with reverence. Nowhere will you find the inclusion of the subjective analysis of time per investigation that has increased the length of time it takes to bring a case before the courts. Impaired driving some 500+% increase, drug trafficking more, and the list goes on. Increasingly inane rulings extending the time of investigations is rarely mentioned.
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It just got worse… CBC is confirming she’s pregnant with the cops kid…Geezus…
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That cop should have retained Gordo’s PR apparatus (namely, Canned Waste/Glow Ball and the Public Affairs Bureau before allowing his penis to wander!
As to the fact that Canned Waste/Glow Ball jumped on these incidents being a sign of a crumbling of the wall of ignorance that they have become I disagree. The police have always been a handy target, everybody loves to dump on the “pigs” until they need to call one. Of course in my life that has been so un-productive that it is almost impossible to imagine a situation where I would ever do it again.
I’ve asked various police organizations for assistance three different times for either vehicle theft or break and enter theft. The only times I’ve ever recovered property (my truck) is when I chased it down (tracking it in an early snowfall, early in the morning) and forcefully removed the thief. Even then when I had the perp in custody, and called the so far useless police to pick him up, the police were more pre-occupied with who I was, what I was doing, where I lived, where I worked and my mother’s maiden name than in leaving their warm office to take the perp from my custody. Thus I let him go, returned to work and he stole (and then totalled) yet another vehicle – a classic Camaro – after which he was finally apprehended on foot over twenty miles from the original theft.
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Hi Koot: Yes, I readily agree. I had a similar incident at a Canucks game at GM Place a few months back where I was trying to get into a waiting car and some thug knocks me off my feet thinking it was a free Lincoln or something. So I promptly got up and clocked him. Three cops later and two bike cops…if it wasn’t for my driver attesting to the behavior of the idiot attacking me, I might have been off as well! Imagine…you’re waiting for a driver you regularly use, being responsible not to drink and drive, and some jerk comes along elbows you in the head and knocks you off your feet. I suppose the fact that he both outweighed me and was a little taller didn’t matter…”So what’s a freelance writer do?” “What’s that tattoo on your forearm mean?” “Is this your real address?” No, actually I live to lie to the cops…what an idiot…what rubbish. Another time, we had an attempted break-in at our home…seventeen minutes to get to us…all three kids and wife huddled in the master bathroom, two locked and bolted doors away from me, waiting in the hallway for the perp. If he had a gun, he could have done us all and WALKED away before the police arrived. Then again, there are other times where the police have been superb. I guess it’s hit and miss msotly. But when your life might be on the line, it shouldn’t be–ever. Hope you’re keeping warm up there, Koot. Take care.
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Stress, goes with the territory of, being a police officer. Officers who, are unable to cope with that stress, are in the wrong career. However, some of the crimes of the RCMP, are atrocities, and our government is, deaf, dumb, blind and stupid. One officer that was involved with, the murder of Robert at Vancouver Air Port, went on to commit another murder. This time, he hit a young man off his motorcycle, left the scene of the crime, and, did not assist the guy, This Officer, (edited). Dead men can’t talk, can they? This officer, said he went home and, did his drinking there. He, left the scene, of, an accident, he left the scene of his (edited). Often, the punishment is a year off with pay, or a transfer, to another detachment. Especially, citizens in BC, do not want the RCMP, contract to be renewed (Editor’s note: opinion). Citizens, do not want the RCMP, to be an icon for Canada. The, RCMP, are Canada’s (edited) Shirts. A total disgrace, to this country. The two top reasons, of (edited) in Canada are, our politicians and the RCMP.
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Again, I politely ask those posting comments to respect me and my website. I cannot allow defamatory statements, so please don’t make them. you might think referring to someone as a Nazi is pure opinion, but to that person it may be enough to hire a lawyer. Also, if there is corruption in govt, perceived or real, that’s just fine, but to refer to ALL govts as corrupt or particular parties as corrupt, based on supposition, without one shred of evidence, is not something that will ever be allowed in this blog. Thank you.
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AGT
How dare you criticize me. I know first hand, how the RCMP, in my case were,total jerks, I have not a lick of respect for the Police Officers of whom, victimized me. I didn’t mention, any of your snide remarks, where penis’ go, or swerve and drive, etal. I, say what I mean, and, I mean what I say. My story went to, the Premiers office, MLA’s offices, and several other places. And, you had better, know, they are lying skunks. I, don’t give a dam, what I call them, and they have come to realize that.
A, web site, I believe was called, the corrupt, crazy, moronic police.
So, you can take your nasty comments about me and, put them where the sun don’t shine.
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Darlene/Vivian/Gail, or whatever name you’ve conjured up today: Pay attention. You’re banned from this blog. Along with one cycling nazi who came on here before, only to embarrass himself by insulting one of my daughters. Do not come back here. Do not waste your time posting since I will not accept anymore of your posts. You need to perhaps find a lesser dosage of whatever you’re on. You’re posts are offensive, sometimes defamatory and tasteless. I was not nasty to you, I was simply trying to make you understand that we have some standards around here and everyone else seems to follow them except you.
Bye, bye.
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Oh, and I forgot to mention. You can put your stupid web site, where the sun don’t shine as well.
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I’m letting this one go through as well only to illustrate how it is so very important not to mix prescription drugs. See ya!
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As a point of interest, I tell the RCMP, right to their faces, what my opinion is, every chance i get. They came to my door, and I let them have it both barrels, my neighbor said, the last time she saw them , they were still running over the hills. As, far as a law suit, you, can’t tell me how happy I would be, if they did. I told them that to their face also.
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You must have smoked a lot of dope in your time…
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