Friday, February 05, 2010

About Friggin' Time

The RCMP will cease the policy of investigating their own officers for allegations of wrong doing. Going forward they will refer such cases to outside police forces wherever possible.

The old self investigation model was used in the Ian Bush case and ruled that it was possible to shoot a prisoner in the back of the head in 'self defense'.

The Mounties will cease investigating their own in cases of police-involved death or serious injury, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott has announced.

Civilian oversight bodies, where they exist, will be called in to look at what went wrong and whether to press charges. In provinces where such bodies don't exist, other police forces will be drawn upon. In the Far North, Mounties will have to continue to investigate their colleagues because so few other police forces exist there.

2 comments:

The Mound of Sound said...

Let's be honest about this. After Bush and Dziekanski, Elliot and his political masters had no choice. When it comes to the RCMP, British Columbians have about had enough. Anytime that police force comes up in conversation the tone turns abjectly derisive.

BTW, your Bush comment left out a telling point. His killer (the cop) not only shot Bush in the back of the head but supposedly did it while pinned,face down on the floor, with Bush on his back choking the cop. You have to be Gumby to make that shot which might explain why the cop has refused to show how he did it or to get anyone else to replicate the feat.

Cliff said...

Yeah follow the link to my post on that at the time - I expressed incredulity about that explanation then too. It was always absurd and anybody other than a cop presenting that defense would be in prison right now.

Popular Posts