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BURNABY, BC (CUP)—After receiving harsh criticism from a Simon Fraser University criminologist over their handling of the Robert Pickton investigation, the RCMP’s deputy commissioner threatened to stop funding the department in what some are calling an attack on academic freedom.
SFU Criminology Department Director Robert Gordon told the media that the RCMP’s “arrogance” slowed the investigation of serial killer Robert Pickton’s case. On August 22, RCMP Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass responded in a lengthy e-mail that was later obtained by the Victoria Times Colonist…
…“I would like to suggest that you should be more careful in speaking on issues where you have no direct personal knowledge or where you may not be getting accurate information fed to you,” Bass stated in the email.
The ongoing bias you display against the RCMP in [issues] such as this have caused many of us to ask why we would want to continue to be in that partnership given this apparent lack of support from the head of the department,” threatened Bass, who originally had a hand in creating the program five years ago.
You can read the article here.
I am actually nervous today, writing about this subject. Also in the news, the Calgary PD is suing a critic for libel. From today’s G&M.
Calgary police critic hit with rare libel charges over U.S. website posts
Mounties say man is accused of making false statements about two officers
Story here.
From Mondays Province, we read a story about how much BC taxpayers are currently paying out to RCMP members who are suspended without pay. $1.3 ayear. To pay for officers members currently paid to sit at home for some of the following reasons.
1.) Mountie Trent Richards used his red serge uniform and “hot cop” cachet to entice women into having sex with him while he was on the job. Ordered to resign for engaging in on-duty sex on 15 or 16 occasions, the Vancouver Island officer appealed the ruling. He has been receiving full pay — at least $265,000 so far — since he was suspended from work in January 2007.
2.)The 10 constables, four corporals, one sergeant and one staff-sergeant on paid suspension are costing the public, in total, between $81,000 and $108,000 a month in salaries, or $970,000 to $1.3 million a year, according to pay scales provided by the B.C. RCMP.
3.)Four RCMP officers and three civilian employees at a police jail in B.C. are under investigation for allegedly watching a video feed of two female inmates having sex in a cell and doing nothing to stop the sexual activity. The four officers — a corporal and three constables — face internal code-of-conduct reviews. The City of Kamloops, which employs the three staff members, is also investigating.
From cbc. worth reading the entire article here
Then from Saskatchewan, where two women and two children phoned 911 with a dying cellphone to ask for a tow truck after the car they were travelling in died on a logging road. The dispatcher sounded condescending to her on the phone, his tone impatient.
“Yeah, just hang on there, I’m … don’t be pushing it girl,” the dispatcher said a moment later. “So you don’t know where you are. You’re on the Chitek Road and that’s all you know?”Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2010/09/16/sk-canepotatoe-1009.html#ixzz0zq4jlGJk
“A simple mistake,” Beck said. “The very next moment that this call was dropped, where the cellphone coverage was lost, the next call came in, which was a robbery. His attention was diverted to dealing with the caller on that robbery and subsequently erred in not dispatching.”
Kim,
No need to be nervous about this post. It’s good to see a list all these different accounts of police abuse. It is increasing as more & more power is relegated into their hands. Ther efforts at trying to hide & cover-up mistreatment of the ppl. is becoming harder to do now, though, due to phone cams, etc. & the rapidity of being able to get info out via Twitter & other social media. Good post!
P.S. Sorry for all the typos. Need to rub more sleep out of my eyes.
Thank you penlan, I agree it’s important to examine this issue closely and keep it alive in terms of debate. We really need more civilian checks and balances to contain the paramilitary enthusiasm our police seem to have.
Same goes for the judiciary, I’ll be writing about that soon.
Good Job!