I don't know how much judicial authority a Queens Counsel really has, but I would be a lot more comfortable in knowing he wasn't on the same government's payroll.
The Honourable Thomas R. Braidwood, Q.C. - Braidwood Inquiry
Man dies after Taser shock by police at Vancouver airport
- Thread starter CBC News
- Start date
I don't know how much judicial authority a Queens Counsel really has, but I would be a lot more comfortable in knowing he wasn't on the same government's payroll.
The Honourable Thomas R. Braidwood, Q.C. - Braidwood Inquiry
There's a variety of reasons why it may not be possible for her to go back. Not all of them are even physical.
Genius? :lol:
I'm not entirely sure I trust this judge either. Seems to me that deciding there won't be any criminal charges laid against the 4 cops before the inquiry is over and done with is a little premature.
Crowd vents anger over Taser inquiry
DARRYL DYCK/THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO
Zofia Cisowski, Robert Dziekanski's mother, says the RCMP has "only one thing in mind. They want to blame my son for his death."
Apr 04, 2009 04:30 AM
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/216950Petti Fong
WESTERN CANADA BUREAU CHIEF
VANCOUVER – An angry crowd waited outside the hearing room for the lawyer representing one of the RCMP officers this week at the inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death.
"Shame, shame!" shouted members of the Polish-Canadian community, who have looked on from the public gallery during the probe into the death of the Polish immigrant after he was Tasered by police at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007.
"Have you no shame?" they demanded of lawyer Ravi Hira, who represents Const. Kwesi Millington, the RCMP officer who fired the Taser.
Hira has been asking questions this week along with other lawyers representing the RCMP about the personal life and habits of Dziekanski.
How much did he drink? How much did he smoke? Did he ever throw furniture around? Did Dziekanski have a heart condition? That kind of questioning is disgraceful, said Zygmunt Riddle, a former Polish resident now living in the North Shore who attended the hearing this week. "No relevance."
But Hira defended his actions, telling the irate crowd calmly that "I'm doing my duty regardless of what you think about it."
Friends of Dziekanski, testifying this week from Poland via video or telephone, answered those queries from lawyers for the RCMP with consistency. No one ever saw him angry. Dziekanski had quit smoking just days before coming to Canada and his drinking was negligible.
"You're trying to make a bad person out of him, which means you can kill a bad person but you cannot kill a good person," said Dziekanski's neighbour, Iwona Kosowska, under questioning by Hira.
Robert Dylski, a friend, said he saw Dziekanski drink four times in the eight years he knew the man.
Slightly exasperated, Dylski said he suspected Dziekanski smoked only when he could afford it, which wasn't very often. "In Poland, there is no tradition that you walk around with a glass of whisky in your hand so I cannot tell you how much he drank in a day," he said.
As the inquiry, now heading into its fourth month, winds down, attention has shifted from the RCMP officers to the victim himself.
Dziekanski, 40, was described by friends as a gardener, a chess player and an avid student of geography. He asked a store in his hometown of Gliwice to save any magazines or books about Canada for him.
His life in Poland had its troubles, but nothing out of the ordinary. He had gotten in scraps with authorities when he was 17. He had a life he was easing out of with a former girlfriend and a young boy who looked up to him as a father figure. If Dziekanski was running away from Poland, it was not without hesitation or regrets.
"He was grasping the radiator," Dylski said through a translator, about arriving to drive Dziekanski to the airport. Dylski said he found his friend almost hysterical because Dziekanski was afraid of flying. On the speaker phone, Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, was pleading with her son to get on the plane. He had cancelled an earlier trip, said Dylski.
Maria Kozaryn, who left Poland 20 years ago, has been driving 100 kilometres every day to attend the inquiry as a spectator.
"It's not fair to make the victim the victim twice. I had to come here to support Zofia, to show we care," said Kozaryn.
Cisowski said hearing the questions posed about her son broke her heart again and again.
"The RCMP had only one thing in mind," said Cisowski. "They want to blame my son for his death."
An RCMP investigation into the actions of the four officers present when Dziekanski was Tasered was delivered last year to the province's criminal justice department, which concluded there was not enough evidence to lay charges against the officers.
Cisowski's supporters have started an online petition that has gathered more than 10,000 signatures demanding the investigation be reopened.
The hearing will resume on April 14.
Zofia Cisowski, Robert Dziekanski's mother, says the RCMP has "only one thing in mind. They want to blame my son for his death."
Apr 04, 2009 04:30 AM
http://www.thestar.com/opinion/columnists/216950Petti Fong
WESTERN CANADA BUREAU CHIEF
VANCOUVER – An angry crowd waited outside the hearing room for the lawyer representing one of the RCMP officers this week at the inquiry into Robert Dziekanski's death.
"Shame, shame!" shouted members of the Polish-Canadian community, who have looked on from the public gallery during the probe into the death of the Polish immigrant after he was Tasered by police at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007.
"Have you no shame?" they demanded of lawyer Ravi Hira, who represents Const. Kwesi Millington, the RCMP officer who fired the Taser.
Hira has been asking questions this week along with other lawyers representing the RCMP about the personal life and habits of Dziekanski.
How much did he drink? How much did he smoke? Did he ever throw furniture around? Did Dziekanski have a heart condition? That kind of questioning is disgraceful, said Zygmunt Riddle, a former Polish resident now living in the North Shore who attended the hearing this week. "No relevance."
But Hira defended his actions, telling the irate crowd calmly that "I'm doing my duty regardless of what you think about it."
Friends of Dziekanski, testifying this week from Poland via video or telephone, answered those queries from lawyers for the RCMP with consistency. No one ever saw him angry. Dziekanski had quit smoking just days before coming to Canada and his drinking was negligible.
"You're trying to make a bad person out of him, which means you can kill a bad person but you cannot kill a good person," said Dziekanski's neighbour, Iwona Kosowska, under questioning by Hira.
Robert Dylski, a friend, said he saw Dziekanski drink four times in the eight years he knew the man.
Slightly exasperated, Dylski said he suspected Dziekanski smoked only when he could afford it, which wasn't very often. "In Poland, there is no tradition that you walk around with a glass of whisky in your hand so I cannot tell you how much he drank in a day," he said.
As the inquiry, now heading into its fourth month, winds down, attention has shifted from the RCMP officers to the victim himself.
Dziekanski, 40, was described by friends as a gardener, a chess player and an avid student of geography. He asked a store in his hometown of Gliwice to save any magazines or books about Canada for him.
His life in Poland had its troubles, but nothing out of the ordinary. He had gotten in scraps with authorities when he was 17. He had a life he was easing out of with a former girlfriend and a young boy who looked up to him as a father figure. If Dziekanski was running away from Poland, it was not without hesitation or regrets.
"He was grasping the radiator," Dylski said through a translator, about arriving to drive Dziekanski to the airport. Dylski said he found his friend almost hysterical because Dziekanski was afraid of flying. On the speaker phone, Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, was pleading with her son to get on the plane. He had cancelled an earlier trip, said Dylski.
Maria Kozaryn, who left Poland 20 years ago, has been driving 100 kilometres every day to attend the inquiry as a spectator.
"It's not fair to make the victim the victim twice. I had to come here to support Zofia, to show we care," said Kozaryn.
Cisowski said hearing the questions posed about her son broke her heart again and again.
"The RCMP had only one thing in mind," said Cisowski. "They want to blame my son for his death."
An RCMP investigation into the actions of the four officers present when Dziekanski was Tasered was delivered last year to the province's criminal justice department, which concluded there was not enough evidence to lay charges against the officers.
Cisowski's supporters have started an online petition that has gathered more than 10,000 signatures demanding the investigation be reopened.
The hearing will resume on April 14.
Everyone has been in an uproar (rightly so) about the shameful behaviour of the four officers, but the lawyers that defend them have to be even bigger slimeballs, if that's possible.
If you think judges are in collusion with the RCMP, you don't know many cops. Cops and judges aren't the best of friends just because they both get a government cheque
Moderator Edit: Removed Entire Newspaper except for the applicable news story.
Moderator Edit: Removed three identical, yet consecutive American Express Ads.
BRAIDWOOD INQUIRY
Friend details Dziekanski's fear of flying
Man tasered by Mounties at Vancouver airport had 'hysterical reaction' prior to leaving Poland, hearing told
IAN BAILEY
April 3, 2009
VANCOUVER -- For 20 desperate minutes, Robert Dziekanski's friends and even his mother - talking on a speaker phone - tried to persuade him to let go of a radiator in his apartment in Poland to take a ride to the airport and a flight to a new life in Canada.
The Braidwood inquiry into Mr. Dziekanski's death was told yesterday of the dramatic scene by the friend who was supposed to drive him to the airport. Mr. Dziekanski died after being tasered at Vancouver airport in a confrontation with four Mounties.
The flight from Poland was early in the morning of Oct. 13, 2007, and he simply didn't want to go.
"He never flew a plane and he was afraid of flying in a plane. Everything he was talking about was related to his fear of flying," Robert Dylski told the inquiry, speaking by an audio link from the city of Gliwice where he and Mr. Dziekanski were friends for about eight years.
Mr. Dylski told the story to RCMP investigators who travelled to Poland last year to look for background information, and the story was repeated yesterday.
He said Mr. Dziekanski, who had not widely travelled and only spoke Polish, had a panic attack at about 4 a.m. when Mr. Dylski was supposed to take him to the airport.
They were in Mr. Dziekanski's apartment where he had previously lived with his mother before she moved to Canada. Zofia Cisowski was living in Kamloops, and the plan was for her son to join her there and begin a new life.
"He was grasping the radiator tightly. We weren't able to make him let go. It was a kind of hysterical reaction," Mr. Dylski said in the statement to RCMP investigators that a lawyer read before the inquiry. Mr. Dylski confirmed the statement and added further testimony.
"As far as I can tell, it was a panic attack because he was afraid of flying."
He said Ms. Cisowski was on a speaker phone, trying to get her 40-year-old son to get up and go, telling him the tickets could not be rebooked or returned.
"I am not sure if it was really impossible or was just a ploy to convince him to come to Canada," he said.
Eventually, Mr. Dziekanski "just stood up and left," said Mr. Dylski, but he told the inquiry his friend was in rough shape because he had not slept for two nights nor eaten.
After a flight of about 20 hours, and another 10 hours lost at Vancouver's airport where he was supposed to meet with his mother, Mr. Dziekanski began acting erratically, and throwing furniture around. Police were called, and Mr. Dziekanski was tasered and tackled after picking up a stapler the officers say he held out in a combative manner. He died of cardiac arrest.
Ms. Cisowski told reporters, during a break in the hearing, that she had spoken to him by phone that morning, but that the cost of airfare was never an issue.
She said she thought her son had made a decision to come to Canada, noting they had a "very short discussion" about the matter.
"I never said, 'You must; you have to go,' " she said.
She said her son was "absolutely not" afraid about coming to Canada and had, in fact, tutored himself on aspects of his new country, including, ironically, the RCMP.
She last saw him in May, 2007, in Poland during a two-month visit in which they visited family and "spent some beautiful time together."
Ms. Cisowski, in a prepared statement, urged B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal and the Premier to appoint a special prosecutor to review the case of her son's death after the Crown earlier ruled out charges against the four Mounties involved in the confrontation with Mr. Dziekanski.
Mr. Oppal, in an interview, didn't rule it out, but said he would wait until the end of the inquiry and the release of the resulting report by the head of the proceedings, former judge Thomas Braidwood, before making any decisions on the matter.
Also yesterday, Mr. Braidwood rejected a bid by one of the Mounties' lawyers to access Mr. Dziekanski's juvenile criminal record from Poland, saying the material was not relevant to the case.
Moderator Edit: Removed three identical, yet consecutive American Express Ads.
BRAIDWOOD INQUIRY
Friend details Dziekanski's fear of flying
Man tasered by Mounties at Vancouver airport had 'hysterical reaction' prior to leaving Poland, hearing told
IAN BAILEY
April 3, 2009
VANCOUVER -- For 20 desperate minutes, Robert Dziekanski's friends and even his mother - talking on a speaker phone - tried to persuade him to let go of a radiator in his apartment in Poland to take a ride to the airport and a flight to a new life in Canada.
The Braidwood inquiry into Mr. Dziekanski's death was told yesterday of the dramatic scene by the friend who was supposed to drive him to the airport. Mr. Dziekanski died after being tasered at Vancouver airport in a confrontation with four Mounties.
The flight from Poland was early in the morning of Oct. 13, 2007, and he simply didn't want to go.
"He never flew a plane and he was afraid of flying in a plane. Everything he was talking about was related to his fear of flying," Robert Dylski told the inquiry, speaking by an audio link from the city of Gliwice where he and Mr. Dziekanski were friends for about eight years.
Mr. Dylski told the story to RCMP investigators who travelled to Poland last year to look for background information, and the story was repeated yesterday.
He said Mr. Dziekanski, who had not widely travelled and only spoke Polish, had a panic attack at about 4 a.m. when Mr. Dylski was supposed to take him to the airport.
They were in Mr. Dziekanski's apartment where he had previously lived with his mother before she moved to Canada. Zofia Cisowski was living in Kamloops, and the plan was for her son to join her there and begin a new life.
"He was grasping the radiator tightly. We weren't able to make him let go. It was a kind of hysterical reaction," Mr. Dylski said in the statement to RCMP investigators that a lawyer read before the inquiry. Mr. Dylski confirmed the statement and added further testimony.
"As far as I can tell, it was a panic attack because he was afraid of flying."
He said Ms. Cisowski was on a speaker phone, trying to get her 40-year-old son to get up and go, telling him the tickets could not be rebooked or returned.
"I am not sure if it was really impossible or was just a ploy to convince him to come to Canada," he said.
Eventually, Mr. Dziekanski "just stood up and left," said Mr. Dylski, but he told the inquiry his friend was in rough shape because he had not slept for two nights nor eaten.
After a flight of about 20 hours, and another 10 hours lost at Vancouver's airport where he was supposed to meet with his mother, Mr. Dziekanski began acting erratically, and throwing furniture around. Police were called, and Mr. Dziekanski was tasered and tackled after picking up a stapler the officers say he held out in a combative manner. He died of cardiac arrest.
Ms. Cisowski told reporters, during a break in the hearing, that she had spoken to him by phone that morning, but that the cost of airfare was never an issue.
She said she thought her son had made a decision to come to Canada, noting they had a "very short discussion" about the matter.
"I never said, 'You must; you have to go,' " she said.
She said her son was "absolutely not" afraid about coming to Canada and had, in fact, tutored himself on aspects of his new country, including, ironically, the RCMP.
She last saw him in May, 2007, in Poland during a two-month visit in which they visited family and "spent some beautiful time together."
Ms. Cisowski, in a prepared statement, urged B.C. Attorney-General Wally Oppal and the Premier to appoint a special prosecutor to review the case of her son's death after the Crown earlier ruled out charges against the four Mounties involved in the confrontation with Mr. Dziekanski.
Mr. Oppal, in an interview, didn't rule it out, but said he would wait until the end of the inquiry and the release of the resulting report by the head of the proceedings, former judge Thomas Braidwood, before making any decisions on the matter.
Also yesterday, Mr. Braidwood rejected a bid by one of the Mounties' lawyers to access Mr. Dziekanski's juvenile criminal record from Poland, saying the material was not relevant to the case.
Last edited by a moderator:
The RCMP want to recreate a new and bogus reality, in spite of obvious evidence to the contrary. How can we let them?
Following procedure from a manual just seems inadequate here. It can't be a shield for terrible judgement.
Representatives of the Canadian state have too much freedom to use lethal force and some accountability is required. If we don't demand accountability from our government, then we don't have the democracy that we think we have. This state within a state needs to be cracked.
A special prosecutor is necessary in this case to do justice.
Following procedure from a manual just seems inadequate here. It can't be a shield for terrible judgement.
Representatives of the Canadian state have too much freedom to use lethal force and some accountability is required. If we don't demand accountability from our government, then we don't have the democracy that we think we have. This state within a state needs to be cracked.
A special prosecutor is necessary in this case to do justice.
Tasers don't kill animals, people kill animals. Or something like that.
Seems like the users of tasers are getting this "excited delirium" syndrome in greater and greater numbers and it causes ever larger denial.
Seems like the users of tasers are getting this "excited delirium" syndrome in greater and greater numbers and it causes ever larger denial.
You are right dump themonarc . I 'd like to take the liberty of starting a knew thread using your post .I hope that Canadians realize the seriousness of this matter .
officer
By Suzanne Fournier, Canwest News ServiceMarch 7, 2009
VANCOUVER- The stark contradictions between the videotape of Robert Dziekanski's death in RCMP custody - after he was repeatedly Tasered at Vancouver International Airport - and key parts of RCMP officers' evidence at the Braidwood inquiry could have serious repercussions once the inquiry ends.
The four officers may have gone into the inquiry believing they would never face criminal charges - as decided by the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch last Dec. 12 - but that decision could change, ``especially given the public outcry at evidence from the inquiry,'' notes Robert Gordon, head of Simon Fraser University's criminology department.
``I don't think anyone in my network, or in most comments I hear, is convinced the officers are telling the truth.''
Gordon says the officers could still face criminal charges, ``and it looks increasingly like the RCMP should proceed with internal discipline. Does the RCMP have the stomach for that? It looks now like they don't have a choice.''
But Gordon says it would be ``much easier and quicker to proceed with civil litigation'' against the RCMP, or even other government or corporate agencies that harmed Dziekanski, failed to assist him, or failed to act to save his life.
``As in the O.J. Simpson case, the burden of proof is far less, and a civil suit could provide Mr. Dziekanski's mother with more comfort and compensation, '' said Gordon.
Gordon says ``the public may call for its pound of flesh'' but said he doesn't think, ``with all due respect to the Dziekanski family, that there is much to be gained by dragging the four officers through the criminal courts.''
The RCMP have been ``terribly damaged'' by the inquiry, said Gordon, but ``they've already dug their own grave by insisting their officers acted appropriately. They refused to acknowledge problems in how their officers responded and handled Mr. Dziekanski. As a former police officer myself, I can confidently say it was atrocious police work.''
Walter Kosteckyj, lawyer for Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, has confirmed that his client will consider civil litigation, but said the federal government, which is responsible for the RCMP, the airport, and the Canada Border Services Agency, has rebuffed a bid to get Cisowski an apology and compensation, in lieu of a painful civil trial.
Kosteckyj notes Dziekanski's mother, a Kamloops janitor, ``has suffered terribly and is enduring a significant loss; he was her only son and would have been the mainstay of her life. . . . She's unable to work.
``The people of Canada expect that it is time for sanity to prevail. Our national government did not treat this man in a fair manner at all, nor have they been fair to Zofia Cisowski.''
Kosteckyj said compensation and an apology by Ottawa is preferable to ``dragging my client through a civil trial.''
The Braidwood inquiry is to resume March 23 for two more weeks, with testimony from pathology and medical witnesses, Cisowski herself, and the fourth officer, RCMP Cpl. Benjamin Monty Robinson.
Commissioner Tom Braidwood, a former judge, is to report to B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal by June 30.
Neil MacKenzie, Crown counsel spokesman, said the decision last Dec. 12 not to charge the officers was based on the police investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
``It's always open to us to have the matter reviewed and resubmitted,'' said MacKenzie, noting, ``It's not uncommon for us to return a file to police.''
Gordon noted that, because the IHIT had the benefit of the Pritchard video to compare with the officers' statements, yet didn't recommend charges, it might be necessary to get a special prosecutor or independent police investigation, all of which would be time-consuming and costly.
``Certainly, if the Criminal Justice Branch felt criminal offences were committed and they lacked confidence that IHIT was able to do a thorough investigation, they are able (after the Braidwood inquiry) to request another investigation,'' said Gordon.
``A special prosecutor could be appointed if it's decided that an independent decision is required . . . and that's always the prerogative of the attorney general.''
Vancouver Province
By Suzanne Fournier, Canwest News ServiceMarch 7, 2009
VANCOUVER- The stark contradictions between the videotape of Robert Dziekanski's death in RCMP custody - after he was repeatedly Tasered at Vancouver International Airport - and key parts of RCMP officers' evidence at the Braidwood inquiry could have serious repercussions once the inquiry ends.
The four officers may have gone into the inquiry believing they would never face criminal charges - as decided by the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch last Dec. 12 - but that decision could change, ``especially given the public outcry at evidence from the inquiry,'' notes Robert Gordon, head of Simon Fraser University's criminology department.
``I don't think anyone in my network, or in most comments I hear, is convinced the officers are telling the truth.''
Gordon says the officers could still face criminal charges, ``and it looks increasingly like the RCMP should proceed with internal discipline. Does the RCMP have the stomach for that? It looks now like they don't have a choice.''
But Gordon says it would be ``much easier and quicker to proceed with civil litigation'' against the RCMP, or even other government or corporate agencies that harmed Dziekanski, failed to assist him, or failed to act to save his life.
``As in the O.J. Simpson case, the burden of proof is far less, and a civil suit could provide Mr. Dziekanski's mother with more comfort and compensation, '' said Gordon.
Gordon says ``the public may call for its pound of flesh'' but said he doesn't think, ``with all due respect to the Dziekanski family, that there is much to be gained by dragging the four officers through the criminal courts.''
The RCMP have been ``terribly damaged'' by the inquiry, said Gordon, but ``they've already dug their own grave by insisting their officers acted appropriately. They refused to acknowledge problems in how their officers responded and handled Mr. Dziekanski. As a former police officer myself, I can confidently say it was atrocious police work.''
Walter Kosteckyj, lawyer for Dziekanski's mother, Zofia Cisowski, has confirmed that his client will consider civil litigation, but said the federal government, which is responsible for the RCMP, the airport, and the Canada Border Services Agency, has rebuffed a bid to get Cisowski an apology and compensation, in lieu of a painful civil trial.
Kosteckyj notes Dziekanski's mother, a Kamloops janitor, ``has suffered terribly and is enduring a significant loss; he was her only son and would have been the mainstay of her life. . . . She's unable to work.
``The people of Canada expect that it is time for sanity to prevail. Our national government did not treat this man in a fair manner at all, nor have they been fair to Zofia Cisowski.''
Kosteckyj said compensation and an apology by Ottawa is preferable to ``dragging my client through a civil trial.''
The Braidwood inquiry is to resume March 23 for two more weeks, with testimony from pathology and medical witnesses, Cisowski herself, and the fourth officer, RCMP Cpl. Benjamin Monty Robinson.
Commissioner Tom Braidwood, a former judge, is to report to B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal by June 30.
Neil MacKenzie, Crown counsel spokesman, said the decision last Dec. 12 not to charge the officers was based on the police investigation by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).
``It's always open to us to have the matter reviewed and resubmitted,'' said MacKenzie, noting, ``It's not uncommon for us to return a file to police.''
Gordon noted that, because the IHIT had the benefit of the Pritchard video to compare with the officers' statements, yet didn't recommend charges, it might be necessary to get a special prosecutor or independent police investigation, all of which would be time-consuming and costly.
``Certainly, if the Criminal Justice Branch felt criminal offences were committed and they lacked confidence that IHIT was able to do a thorough investigation, they are able (after the Braidwood inquiry) to request another investigation,'' said Gordon.
``A special prosecutor could be appointed if it's decided that an independent decision is required . . . and that's always the prerogative of the attorney general.''
Vancouver Province
Taser cams would curb reckless use
Taser cams would curb reckless use
By Barbara Yaffe, The Vancouver SunApril 6, 2009Comments (1)
Testimony before the Braidwood inquiry leads to one powerful conclusion: Canada's police officers cannot automatically be trusted with Tasers.
For that reason, if police want to continue using the weapon, technology to record every Tasering incident as it occurs should become mandatory--immediately.
If officers know their actions are being recorded, they're apt to be more responsible when deploying the device.
The Arizona company that manufactures Tasers has the capacity to fit them with Taser Cams, low-cost, compact audio and video equipment that can act as a reliable witness to every zap.
The four RCMP officers involved in the 2007 Tasering and subsequent death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport unwittingly have made an ironclad case for the recording equipment.
Video provided by a bystander's camera reveals the officers immediately developed a bullying or pack mentality upon arriving at the scene.
This is a sad part of human nature, on regular display in schoolyards. If the officers were aware their every action was being recorded, their decorum doubtless would have been different.
Another justification for the cameras relates to police powers of recollection which, in the Dziekanski episode, were shockingly unreliable.
The four officers' testimony about the 31 seconds during which five Taser jolts were delivered did not square with the available video. The officers' descriptions appeared to reflect a co-ordinated attempt at butt-covering.
At one point last week, Vancouver-based lawyer Don Rosenbloom, acting for Poland's government, blew his stack: "This is just beyond the pale. It is unacceptable. There are too many inconsistencies and they are all giving those same erroneous version of events."
The officers told the inquiry Dziekanski, waving an office stapler, had been agitated. In fact he was initially fairly calm upon being approached.
The officers recalled that Dziekanski remained standing after the first Tasering; in fact he'd immediately fallen to the ground.
The officer who applied his knee to Dziekanski's neck when he was on the ground denied applying any pressure. That's not what the video shows.
In short, the officers gave an Alice in Wonderland version of events, one that allowed for zero remorse.
The RCMP might have offered an apology to Zofia Cisowski, Dziekanski's mother. The force might have arranged for a financial settlement.
Instead, the RCMP has adopted a defensive posture wholly lacking in compassion for Cisowski, who lost her son due to the misjudgment and excessive actions of the four men.
Last week, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott had the gall to assert that the outcry following Dziekanski's death has come from people who don't understand the pressures faced by his officers: "I don't believe that most Canadians have an appreciation as to how difficult the situations our officers find themselves in are."
RCMP work is darn tough. Officers take on folks the rest of us cannot and are paid for doing so. They also receive extremely good pensions at a relatively early age.
Elliott contends, even where mistakes are made, "there is a requirement to do a sober, sound examination of the facts. I think the expression 'walk a mile in my shoes' comes to mind."
Dziekanski was an exhausted, disoriented man, lost in a foreign airport. No-body was willing to walk in his shoes the night he died.
Bring on those Taser Cams.
Barbara Yaffe Is A Columnist With The Vancouver Sun.
byaffe@vancouversun.com
Taser cams would curb reckless use
By Barbara Yaffe, The Vancouver SunApril 6, 2009Comments (1)
Testimony before the Braidwood inquiry leads to one powerful conclusion: Canada's police officers cannot automatically be trusted with Tasers.
For that reason, if police want to continue using the weapon, technology to record every Tasering incident as it occurs should become mandatory--immediately.
If officers know their actions are being recorded, they're apt to be more responsible when deploying the device.
The Arizona company that manufactures Tasers has the capacity to fit them with Taser Cams, low-cost, compact audio and video equipment that can act as a reliable witness to every zap.
The four RCMP officers involved in the 2007 Tasering and subsequent death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport unwittingly have made an ironclad case for the recording equipment.
Video provided by a bystander's camera reveals the officers immediately developed a bullying or pack mentality upon arriving at the scene.
This is a sad part of human nature, on regular display in schoolyards. If the officers were aware their every action was being recorded, their decorum doubtless would have been different.
Another justification for the cameras relates to police powers of recollection which, in the Dziekanski episode, were shockingly unreliable.
The four officers' testimony about the 31 seconds during which five Taser jolts were delivered did not square with the available video. The officers' descriptions appeared to reflect a co-ordinated attempt at butt-covering.
At one point last week, Vancouver-based lawyer Don Rosenbloom, acting for Poland's government, blew his stack: "This is just beyond the pale. It is unacceptable. There are too many inconsistencies and they are all giving those same erroneous version of events."
The officers told the inquiry Dziekanski, waving an office stapler, had been agitated. In fact he was initially fairly calm upon being approached.
The officers recalled that Dziekanski remained standing after the first Tasering; in fact he'd immediately fallen to the ground.
The officer who applied his knee to Dziekanski's neck when he was on the ground denied applying any pressure. That's not what the video shows.
In short, the officers gave an Alice in Wonderland version of events, one that allowed for zero remorse.
The RCMP might have offered an apology to Zofia Cisowski, Dziekanski's mother. The force might have arranged for a financial settlement.
Instead, the RCMP has adopted a defensive posture wholly lacking in compassion for Cisowski, who lost her son due to the misjudgment and excessive actions of the four men.
Last week, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott had the gall to assert that the outcry following Dziekanski's death has come from people who don't understand the pressures faced by his officers: "I don't believe that most Canadians have an appreciation as to how difficult the situations our officers find themselves in are."
RCMP work is darn tough. Officers take on folks the rest of us cannot and are paid for doing so. They also receive extremely good pensions at a relatively early age.
Elliott contends, even where mistakes are made, "there is a requirement to do a sober, sound examination of the facts. I think the expression 'walk a mile in my shoes' comes to mind."
Dziekanski was an exhausted, disoriented man, lost in a foreign airport. No-body was willing to walk in his shoes the night he died.
Bring on those Taser Cams.
Barbara Yaffe Is A Columnist With The Vancouver Sun.
byaffe@vancouversun.com
Sort of like the gun sight cameras from WWII Fighters?
It will make a good TruTV show!
"Taser-Cam"
It will make a good TruTV show!
"Taser-Cam"
Hey Cannuck...I watched that video and the cop is busting the guy's... back. But the intentional cut off and road rage... that was a stretch.
I watched part of the video and it was obviously set up to look like the cop is corrupt. It's a phoney video. Many RCMP vehicles are now set up with video cams for the safety of the officers. The City I live in has just passed a motion agreeing to put the video cams in the local police cars (not on the end of Tasers)where all they do will be recorded whether or not any "arms" are included.
Personally I think police should wear hat cameras, its not that expensive. See what they see, hear what they hear, and make police liable for their actions like anyone else.
If that is found to be too restrictive to have law and order, then loosen the rules for everyone.
If that is found to be too restrictive to have law and order, then loosen the rules for everyone.