When reason misfires

Talk about being way off target. Authorities have some explaining to do over the arrest of a Kitchener, Ont., father based on a drawing by his four-yearold daughter of what turned out to be a toy gun.

Incredulously, the school board, police and child welfare officials all say proper procedures were followed. If this is true, it’s time to get better ones.

Jessie Sansone showed up at school last week to pick up his four children, as he does every day, but this time, three police officers were waiting for him. They handcuffed him and took him down to the police station, where he was strip searched and thrown into a cell. He was told he was being arrested for possession of a firearm. Last we checked, possession of a firearm is not a crime in Canada. What a colossal waste of time and money this travesty of justice is. How can so many “professionals” fire so many blanks when it comes to common sense?

The not-so-funny comedy of errors began when Sansone’s four-year-old daughter drew a picture of a gun. The alarmed teacher, instead of calling the parents, brought in Family and Children’s Services. They called police, who, without even looking at the picture, concluded a semi-automatic gun was in the house. they also concluded that the four siblings had access to this weapon, and were even pointing it at each other. Thankfully, a light eventually went on in the minds of investigators, and police figured out the weapon they were dealing with was actually a clear plastic toy gun that shoots foam darts.

Officials must take responsibility and new policies are needed to ensure such nonsense never again escalates so wildly out of control.