Jun

2

2009

RCMP apologises for death of Robert Dziekanski, pulls old Taser model

Author: Jesse Lobdell

Commissioner William Elliott yesterday offered his apology for Robert Dziekanski’s death on behalf of the RCMP.  The apology comes more than a year and a half after Mr. Dziekanski’s death in custody.

Along with an apology, Elliott addressed BC’s order to the RCMP to pull the old M-26 Taser model from service after tests have shown them to be unreliable.  The failure rate is approximately 80%.  Elliott responded by recalling all M-26 models across Canada, which amounts to approximately 1500 units.  The models will be put back in service when they are independently tested, repaired and retested.

The BC Civil Liberties Association has called for a moratorium on Taser use until all in-service units have been independently tested for safety and reliability and national policy has been developed on their use.

Check out the story in The Province.

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3 Responses to “RCMP apologises for death of Robert Dziekanski, pulls old Taser model”

  1. Norman Farrell Says:
    June 2nd, 2009 at 8:30 pm

    Check any sudden in-custody deaths and note that police spokespersons seldom offer anything more than a conditional apology and an insincere offer to learn from the circumstances to prevent reoccurrence.

    Imagine if the airline industry conducted itself this way. Instead, operators, manufacturers and regulators work diligently to identify problems and implement fixes. In fact, they don’t wait for problems to occur, they anticipate them and train on methods of recovery. The airplane in the Hudson River was an example. A well trained crew of 5 performed flawlessly, making difficult decisions under extraordinary pressure. Think for comparison of the RCMP claiming there was no time to do anything different when confronting Dziekanski. They were under pressure? What, a table might have been broken? Compare that pressure to that facing the US Airways crew faced.

    See my take on Commissioner Elliott’s apology at
    http://northerninsights.blogspot.com/

  2. Jesse Lobdell Says:
    June 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am

    I watched the spokespersons testify at Braidwood, and during a break, I watched a local reporter ream out the new RCMP spokesperson. One of the main issues the reporter raised was whether the RCMP spokespersons could be trusted by the press. The spokesperson was speaking in a lower tone, so it was difficult to catch the response.

    Have a read of the Investigation Report on the in-custody death of Donald Lewis: http://rightscity.org/wp-content/polcomp/Lewis.pdf. Without judging the actions of the officer involved, it is definitely a different reaction under pressure.

  3. Norman Farrell Says:
    June 3rd, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    It’s detailed, and I hope they did change the communication and backup policies throughout rural areas. Police need to use time as an ally. Here, there was no crime of violence in progress or citizens under threat. Apparently, a trespass had occurred over several days and there likely had been operation of an unlicensed motorcycle. Minor offenses, so perhaps understandable that a lone officer was dispatched.

    However, when Cst. Brewer confronted Lewis, the subject was immediately uncooperative, agitated and violently resistant. More than two hours had passed from the time of the complaint but within 15 minutes of Brewer’s arrival, the fight and shooting had occurred. Thirty minutes later, backup for the single constable arrived.

    A reasonable person would not argue about a police officer’s right to use lethal force when under a threatening attack. However, a more cautious approach would have had the officer withdraw when he was confronted with a violent subject. Backup was 45 minutes away when Brewer first arrived. Had he withdrawn and returned again when backup was present, the incident probably would have avoided death and injury.

    I think time pressure was not real here but perceived out of the macho cowboy syndrome Dr. Webster talked about in the YVR death, perhaps Mayerthorpe too. The force needs to teach that strategic withdrawal pending reinforcement is smart thinking not fearfulness. One clue here of a macho cowboy is Cst. Brewer’s statement that he “had been in a lot of fights.” I’d venture to guess that experienced, smart police officers are not in a lot of fights. Heck, the guy had only been a cop for 18 months when he said that.

    Note that the common factor in these events is youthful inexperience. Mayerthorpe involved the deaths of four young officers, YVR had three inexperienced constables attending and a fourth who had been recommended for discharge by a supervisor. Brewer had one and a half years experience as a constable when he shot Lewis.

    Plumbers or millwrights apprentice for four years before they can work on their own. Why do we assume that we can send people through a few months of depot training, arm them and send them unsupported into the community. The real scoundrels behind police tragedies like this are the politicians who fail to fund proper training, manpower and equipment. I criticize also the senior officers of the RCMP who should be speaking out publicly, demanding the resources needed to operate properly.

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