And think a bit on this -- if the truth only came out because of a bystander's video camera what about a similar situation where there was no video available?
If the RCMP were prepared to mislead the public here, why should we assume they don't try to mislead Courts and make up evidence?
And if the RCMP are like this what about other police services?
Now, perhaps this was an extreme case -- and the fact there are crooked lawyers does not prove lawyers are crooks.
But I am appalled at the story unfolding.
RCMP deliberately misled public on Taser death: inquiry Suzanne Fournier, National Post
VANCOUVER -- An RCMP spokesman said Wednesday that top police brass made a deliberate decision not to correct misinformation the Mounties had told the media about Robert Dziekanski's death, and also admitted the RCMP didn't want a damning bystander video of the Tasering released.
As well, no criminal investigation appeared to be under way when Cpl. Dale Carr attended a meeting of a dozen homicide investigators just hours after Dziekanski died, he said. Cpl. Carr told the inquiry investigating the death that just hours after the incident -- where the Polish immigrant died after being Tasered and restrained by four Mounties at the Vancouver International Airport -- he spoke to investigators, watched the video twice and then told RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre what he could tell the media.
Cpl. Carr agreed that he gave Sgt. Lemaitre all the information the spokesman released, including inaccuracies such as Dziekanski being violent after police arrived, that "chairs went flying ... and a computer was thrown," that Dziekanski didn't hit the floor with the first Taser blast and that he continued to be violent and combative after he was on the ground.
Cpl. Carr, the spokesman for B.C.'s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which investigates all in-custody deaths, stood beside Sgt. Lemaitre at the airport as he gave media inaccurate information about the case, but didn't correct him. "I wasn't paying attention to what he said," said Cpl. Carr. "I had no spokesperson role at that time."
Two days later, Cpl. Carr took over the job from Sgt. Lemaitre as media spokesman on the Dziekanski case, but was told by his boss Supt. Wayne Rideout that the misinformation about Dziekanski wouldn't be corrected until the file was closed.
Cpl. Carr, a trained homicide investigator as well as media spokesman, agreed the IHIT briefing didn't look like a criminal investigation of the officer in charge of the Dziekanski case, Cpl. Benjamin (Monty) Robinson, of Const. Kwesi Millington, who deployed the Taser, or the two other officers.
"My recollection is that Cpl. Robinson came into the room, spoke to one of the officers, but I'm not certain what was said at that time," said Cpl. Carr, who admitted it was even possible that Robinson himself briefed homicide investigators. "I've tried for hours and hours to recall for the commission before coming here, but I just can't recall."
Cpl. Robinson, as the supervisor of the other three Mounties present at Dziekanski's death, would have been regarded as a suspect if IHIT had treated the scene as a proper criminal investigation.
Cpl. Carr admitted to lawyer Walter Kosteckyj, who is representing Dziekanski's mother Zofia Cisowski, that the meeting of the homicide officers, who were tasked with determining if any officers used undue force or broke the law in handling Dziekanski, did not appear in any way to consider the four officers suspects. "In my mind, it was not a criminal investigation," testified Cpl. Carr.
IHIT had the benefit of the bystander video, which contradicts many of the statements put forward by the four officers involved, but did not recommend any charges be laid. In December, the B.C. Criminal Justice Branch announced no charges would be laid against the officers.
On the same day, RCMP Commissioner Al Macintyre held a news conference, where it was revealed that the Taser was deployed five times, not two, that Dziekanski had no drugs or alcohol in his system, and that the Taser may have been a contributing factor to the stress that caused Dziekanski's cardiac arrest. RCMP senior media spokesman Sgt. Tim Shields surprised the inquiry Tuesday, by issuing an apology.
"Some information was provided and made public that was not accurate, and for those inaccuracies, we apologize."
The inquiry continues into the death of Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant who had been en route to Canada for 30 hours when he was Tasered, restrained and died on Oct. 14, 2007. Vancouver Province
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
416 225 2777
1 comment:
"If the RCMP were prepared to mislead the public here, why should we assume they don't try to mislead Courts and make up evidence?
And if the RCMP are like this what about other police services?"
James,
There is no doubt in my mind that this is common practice & has been for some time & is worsening. It appears we are becoming more & more of a police state as they seem to have more & more power & we have less & less. They can say & do anything they like & as long as their actions are not video/audio-taped, as in this case, & they can lie, hide evidence, change the truth, etc. as much as they like. I know of a few incidents in the area I live in where the OPP have been dishonest in their accounts of some events & have done harm to innocent people. It's a mess. They have far too much power, no accountability, & we are helpless against it.
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