Saskatoon police near 'mutiny' over Stonechild

[maplesyrup]

Saskatoon police near 'mutiny' over Stonechild report

I knew this would catch your attention.

Until Canada's police forces learn to diversify their forces to represent all the cultures and all the visible minorities in society we will continue to have these probelms in our police departments. How long must we in Canada be subjected to this police state mentality similiar to the former South Africa?

[maplesyrup]

Is it time to disband the Saskatoon police force?

[maplesyrup]

"In essence, the police chief has a mutiny on his hands," said Colin Boyd, an ethics professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

"They're violating their oath of loyalty," said Boyd. "And their oath of loyalty means that they'll subordinate their personal interests for the common good."

Saskatchewan Justice Minister Frank Quennell said Saskatoon police need to act quickly, but he rejects calls to disband the police force.

"I think some of the discussion made by some commentators about substituting a different police force is premature," said Quennell.

This has really rolled out of control but where is the outrage from the public, from the right wing, over this major abuse of position and power by the police?

[August1991]

From the CBC article linked above:

Union leaders have made veiled threats of some sorts of "action" if the two officers are fired.

Is this perhaps the problem? The union in effect runs the Saskatoon police department.

We have an organization with access to the public purse that is a law unto itself. It doesn't even have to answer to voters in an election.

Without knowing all the details of the case, I'd say fire the two police officers and then if other police officers take "action", fire them too for breach of contract.

That's what Ronald Reagan did with air traffic controllers in the US in the early 1980s. As he said famously, "I didn't fire them. They quit!"

[maplesyrup]

Let's hold the police officers responsible who are prepared to withhold their allegiance to their oath.

I better question might be:

Are police unions damaging the image of the union movement? My answer would be yes they are, and perhaps major unions might want to consider disaffiliating from them.

I personally think they should disband the entire police force and only hire back those officers who are prepared to enrol in some serious sensitivity training. and no more hiring of "whitey male" until the force is representive of the community.

[maplesyrup]

Policing the modern city, Part 1

John Sewell, a former mayor of Toronto and author of a book called Urban Policing in Canada, says the problem starts with how we define the job of our police. Prevention of crime, he says, should be the responsibility of social agencies that deal with poverty, addiction, homelessness, domestic abuse and so on. Instead, we've made the police a catch-all agency to handle societal problems instead of leaving them to deal strictly with criminal acts.

Sewell is onto something here. We are asking police to do work they are ill equipped to do, with the least effective tool for these situations - a gun!

[maplesyrup]

Now that the police officers have been fired, what is next for this troubled police force?

Saskatoon officers fired over native teen's death

No charges were ever laid in those cases and inquests couldn't determine the circumstances surrounding the deaths

[August1991]

Now that the police officers have been fired, what is next for this troubled police force?

Good question, MS.

I did not follow carefully this enquiry but I was aware of it. It cost a fortune, I gather. But IMV, the benefit is greater. (It may be true that "justice" was served and people got "closure". From what I understand, the enquiry was thorough and detailed. Am I wrong?)

The benefit in fact arises elsewhere:

Finally, we are going to get due process," said association president Stan Goertzen. "We went to our membership the other day and we laid out the history of this. They told us that we will be supporting Larry and Brad."

They can appeal. But in fact, the message is already out to the cops. "Avoid the hassle."

No police officer in Saskatchewan will treat a drunk Indian in such a manner in the future. That's the benefit.

[Cartman]

Are people in other parts of the country not aware of "starlight tours"?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/aborigin...lighttours.html

Rather than going through the trouble of jailing members of First Nations, Sask. police believe they should leave them at the edge of cities to "walk it off". Racism is the problem, but the police blame bureaucracy.

[maplesyrup]

Every police force in Canada probably has serious problems. I mean think about who would be attracted to this kind of work in the first place? Secondly police forces don't represent the societies in which they live i.e. most are still while men. And third policing has changed a lot, police don't walk the beat and get to know the people in the community they way they used to.

But in spite of all their problems they are still all we have got to protect us. So we don't want to kick the baby out with the bath water.

It would be interesting to do scientific surveys with people who have had experiences with the police to see what they say. I am not talking about the criminal elements in society but the law abiding citizens if there are any, that is.

[Stoker]

Every police force in Canada probably has serious problems.

Whats that statement based on?

I mean think about who would be attracted to this kind of work in the first place?

Whats that supposed to mean? When you go to work, how often are you threatend, sweared at, spat on, faced with the possablitiy of being injured or killed......and my personal favorite, the possablitiy of being poked with a dirty rig.

Damn those people eh

Secondly police forces don't represent the societies in which they live i.e. most are still while men.

Whats that based on? I live in a town of about 12-13 thousand people, an educated guess would lead me to believe that over 90% are white, 9% native, and 1% other.

Are RCMP detachement is made up of 15 members. The Staff Sergeant is a female, we have three other females (one being of Muslim origin), a Chinese officer, and a Indo Canadian. Of the rest of the "White Men".......half are from Quebec!!!!!!

Now for the sake of argument, that assume that the vast majority of police officers in Canada are white.....how many non-white males have been turned away? Of every person that applies to join a force, how many are white, and how many are colored?

And third policing has changed a lot, police don't walk the beat and get to know the people in the community they way they used to.

Says who? Mind you, I don't blame the VPD out of Main and Hastings for not "getting to know the people"......

But in spite of all their problems they are still all we have got to protect us. So we don't want to kick the baby out with the bath water.

What problem?

How many police officers are there in Canada? How many where involved in this case?

[maplesyrup]

You want to know about Police Force problems in Canada?

Ever hear about:

Toronto Police

Vancouver Police

RCMP

Reveal evidence, RCMP told

What are we developing here in Canada, a police state?

/60

[maplesyrup]

We don't want to end up like New Zealand, do we?

5 cops escorting New Zealand prime minister to airport busted for speeding

   

WELLINGTON, N.Z. (AP) - Five New Zealand police officers were charged with dangerous driving Friday for being part of a high-speed motorcade that whisked New Zealand's prime minister to an airport so she could catch a plane to watch a rugby match.

[Stoker]

You want to know about Police Force problems in Canada?

Ever hear about:

Toronto Police

Vancouver Police

RCMP

How many members where involved in those instances? How many total police officers are there in Canada?

[maplesyrup]

Maybe they should let security officers take over police work, eh!

It would be a lot cheaper.

Man Opens Fire at Eiffel Tower; 3 Wounded