RCMP Whitewash Of Dziekanski Killing Started Immediately - Premier Campbell Offered Support To The 4 Mounties
"Documents obtained by CBC News cast doubt on the RCMP's sincerity in vows to get to the bottom of the Taser-related death of Robert Dziekanski, according to a civil rights group and the lawyer for Dziekanski's family. [...] Dziekanski died after being zapped with a stun gun at the Vancouver International Airport on Oct. 14, 2007, by RCMP officers who were called to help deal with the Polish immigrant, who apparently became agitated from spending 10 hours at the airport. From that day, RCMP e-mail exchanges obtained by access to information requests suggest the force moved quickly to create a strategy.
The strategy involved all answers being vetted in Ottawa, including ones described by RCMP Commissioner William Elliott as "tough or dirty questions" from the media. [...]
In another e-mail from Bass, dated Nov. 24, he describes bumping into B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell at the airport, saying the premier also expressed support for the officers and the continued use of Tasers. Campbell said Wednesday that he offered support out of compassion for the officers, not as a signal he was siding with them."
CBC News
More Buckdog on Dziekanski killing ......
Has anyone seen Stockwell Day recently? Or is he "unavailable", yet again?
Where's the minister in a crisis?
Where's the leadership, come to that?
Posted by Anonymous | 1:55 pm, July 17, 2008
Regardless of what Campbell meant by that comment, it was highly inappropriate for him to make it.
Posted by Stephen K | 8:02 pm, July 17, 2008
As it turns out, Elliott, the RCMP Commissioner phoned the 4 mounties and assured them that they were on 'safe ground' ..... huh?
That sounds like a 'done deal' to me - and with all of the delays in bringing this probe forward, it sounds like part of the strategy is to simply stall and delay.
None of this looks good for the force. It especially brings into question the 'police science' that is being taught to the RCMP - is the problem simply that inappropriate application of the methods was used by the officers or is there a flaw in the science itself.
Had Dziekanksi's death at the hands of these 4 RCMP NOT been videotaped, I doubt that we would be having this discussion. The tape shows that the officers started tazing him multiple times after being in contact with him for mere seconds.
Posted by leftdog | 8:52 pm, July 17, 2008