Police Corruption in Canada
Feb 16 2005, 15:47 EST [updated Feb 16 2005, 15:58 EST]
This would be huge news if it happened in the US but it happened in Canada, so feh, eh? The short op-ed version from the Edmonton Sun and a longer news take from the Edmonton Journal. Here is the police version of events
  1. The police received an anonymous tip that someone in a bar was drunk and about to drive
  2. The noble and vigilant police department sends seven officers for a three hour stakeout of the bar
  3. Patron leaves in a cab, crisis averted
The story smells right off the bat, how does the anonymous tipster know that someone in a bar will be drunk and drive three hours later? And do you really need seven officers to look into this? That isn't the scandal, the scandal is that the particular patron is an op-ed columnist for the Edmonton Sun who is frequently harsh on the Edmonton Police Service. If your jaw isn't already on the floor read the linked pieces to find out they have also staked out his house. A concerted conspiracy to put a journalist in Jail. The real gem? no one has been fired.

Choice quotes from the Journal piece:

    ..internal investigation, which concluded the officers had conducted a routine drunk-driving operation and had not used police authority inappropriately.

    From the tapes, it can be determined that the officers waiting outside the bar had people inside the bar who were providing them with specific, detailed information about the actions of both Diotte and Ignasiak. It's also obvious that the police officers are keen to catch either or both of the men and don't want to do anything that might jeopardize their bust.

    At the end of the night, both Diotte and Ignasiak took cabs, but the police were undaunted. "Oh well, we gave it the good old college try," one officer said. "Well, I think we'll be able to tag T1 (Diotte) on another day, another time," another officer replies.

Holy shit, could you imagine the coverage if this was the NYPD?

My chain of discovery was Instapundit => Red Ensign Standard => The Freeway to Serfdom.

0.11 seconds
jackdied.com 2003-2007