AN EXAMPLE OF WHY THE PUBLIC DISTRUSTS THE POLICE,
We too often see police involved in civilian deaths, writes Darryl T. Davies.
In criminal justice, it’s been said, there is the good, the bad and the ugly. The news that the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is charging an Ottawa police officer with manslaughter in the death of Abdirahman Abdi last July encompasses all of those elements.
The public wants and expects a justice system that operates fairly and impartially for everyone. Each citizen has a right to feel safe in a democracy. When the public loses trust in the police, to the point that people are afraid to call them, everyone loses.
As the matter is before the courts, I can’t comment on the specific circumstances that led to Mr. Abdi’s death or whether the officer’s actions were or were not of a criminal nature. The final arbiters in the criminal justice system are our courts of law. The foundation of our justice system, as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is the presumption of innocence. Had Mr. Abdi been taken into custody in a non-violent manner, he might well have been charged and had his day in court. Equally, any police officer who is charged with a crime must be afforded equal protection under the law.
We have seen case after case where citizens have died at the hands of police and the officers involved have not been charged. Robert Dziekanski’s Tasering death by the RCMP at Vancouver International Airport in 2007 shocked the world. It brought attention to the fact some police officers are using force that clearly is unwarranted and illegal. Until a video provided by a private citizen came to light and showed what happened, the B.C. government defended the actions of the RCMP officers. When the truth surfaced, the reputation of the RCMP was irreparably tarnished in the eyes of Canadians. RCMP Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre, who was directed to read an RCMP news release following Dziekanski’s death, committed suicide on July 13, 2013.
The casualties of a justice system polluted with corruption, cover-ups, perjury and vacuous government talking points result in a public that does not trust the justice system, and particularly police. While the family and friends of Abdirahman Abdi had to wait more than seven months to find out if any charges were going to be laid against the Ottawa police officers involved in his death, imagine how the family of Peter de Groot must feel.
Two years ago, with de Groot in an emaciated state of poor health, the RCMP shot and killed him in an abandoned cabin in the middle of the woods. De Groot, a graduate of Carleton University, had no criminal record or history of violence. Two years later, the de Groot family is waiting for the results of an investigation by the B.C. watchdog as to whether charges will be laid against the RCMP officers who killed him. In frustration, they finally launched a lawsuit against the RCMP.
This is a tragedy because it shows the extent to which government officials and politicians fail to hold police officers accountable for their actions. We have had many cases like this in Canada; it’s no wonder people have lost confidence in our justice system and have such little respect for politicians.
Monday, Commissioner of the RCMP Bob Paulson announced he is retiring on June 30. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale immediately tweeted his thanks to Paulson for his decades of service and his dedication to protecting the safety of Canadians. This is a commissioner who leaves behind a legacy of bungled policing unprecedented in the RCMP’s history.
Under Paulson’s watch, the RCMP has become the focus of a class-action lawsuit by hundreds of women claiming sexual harassment from within the force; people running around naked at the RCMP Police College; reprisals by the RCMP against individuals such as psychologist Mike Webster who claimed if you work for the RCMP the organization will make you sick; officers killed because they were not provided adequate equipment to perform their duties (leading to four charges against the RCMP by Labour Canada). All of this occurred since Bob Paulson was appointed commissioner. Fine, dedicated public service, indeed?
We have a serious problem when it comes to policing, regardless of whether it’s at the federal or provincial level. Something needs to change — now.