On Police Violence, Quotable

Ontario Court Justice Lucia Favret, on sentencing Detective Christopher Higgins to 90 days in jail for breaking the arm of a drug suspect in an April 1, 2004 Toronto police interrogation:

“The offence is reprehensible. He failed the institution he is so proud of and he failed the public... Citizens expect police to respect the law, not to be above the law.”

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Videotaping On-Duty Police Officers in America

Radley Balko, senior editor at Reason Magazine summarizes the law on videotaping on-duty police officers in the various American states:

This summer the issue of recording on-duty police officers has received a great deal of media attention. Camera-wielding citizens were arrested in Maryland, Illinois, and Massachusetts under interpretations of state wiretapping laws, while others were arrested in New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon, Florida, and elsewhere based on vaguer charges related to obstructing or interfering with a police officer.

So far Massachusetts is the only state to explicitly uphold a conviction for recording on-duty cops, and Illinois and Massachusetts are the only states where it is clearly illegal. The Illinois law has yet to be considered by the state's Supreme Court, while the Massachusetts law has yet to be upheld by a federal appeals court. Maryland Attorney General Douglas Gansler recently issued an opinion concluding that arrests for recording cops are based on a misreading of the state's wiretapping statute, but that opinion isn't binding on local prosecutors.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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TVO's Steve Paiken on G20 Police Action

"It was a sad, bloody day, I'll tell you that much."

From TRNN.com, TVO's Steve Paiken describes events on the ground at last weekend's Toronto G20 summit:

(via Law is Cool)

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Five Metres of "Evolving" Facts

Impolitical:

Since the facts surrounding the tale of the 5 metre perimeter rule seem to be evolving, this is the latest from the Globe. The police chief who publicly represented, on Friday morning, that there was a 5 metre perimeter zone beyond the fence in which people could be searched received information that afternoon clarifying that this was not actually the case. Notice did not go out to the public regarding the chief's mistaken representation.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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"Suddenly, You Were a Prisoner"

University Of Toronto Professor, Dan Dolderman, via TVO:

If you were there, suddenly, you were a prisoner and there wasn’t a damn thing you could do about it.

...The power of the state is.....wow. In person, it’s unbelievable. When the hammer comes down, the power of individuals to resist it is basically zilch. Might as well go toe to toe with a train.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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"No, But I Was Trying to Keep the Criminals Out."

Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, via CTV News:

Asked Tuesday if there actually was a five-metre rule given the ministry's clarification, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair smiled and said, "No, but I was trying to keep the criminals out."

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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"Terrified Me and Broke My Heart"

Lawrence A. Griden, a Toronto student-at law, via Law is Cool

Preliminary reports of apparent civil rights violations are coming in from all over the city. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association says that these were not isolated incidents.

I saw many with my own eyes. I was in downtown Toronto to take photos of this once-in-a-lifetime event. What I saw terrified me and broke my heart.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

Correction:

The quote above was incorrectly attributed in an earlier version of this post, due to an RSS feed anomaly at the site linked to. This post has been corrected, accordingly.

- GJW

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Ontario To Announce New Taser Guidelies March 30

Canadian Press reports that the Ontario's government is about to announce new guidelines on the use of Taser stun guns by the Province's police forces:

TORONTO — Ontario is poised to revamp its guidelines on the use of stun guns by police, The Canadian Press has learned.

The changes are expected to be made public March 30, sources say, about two years after the governing Liberals launched a review of Taser use in the province.

According to the report, radical change is unlikely. Recommendations that all front line, uniformed police officers be permitted to carry the weapon are not expected to be implemented:

Currently, only tactical officers and supervisors are allowed to carry Tasers in Ontario, but the government is being urged to make them available to all front-line police officers.

It's among the recommendations made by the police standards advisory committee, a group of representatives from police groups and municipalities within the ministry tasked with providing advice to the government about the use of stun guns.

...Government officials wouldn't comment on whether they plan to follow that advice, but hinted that drastic changes are not in the works.

"We have and will continue -- notwithstanding the report -- to have a very measured use of Tasers in the province of Ontario," said Laura Blondeau, a spokeswoman for Community Safety and Corrections Minister Rick Bartolucci.

Progressive Conservative critic Garfield Dunlop said he's planning to re-introduce a resolution in the legislature demanding that all front-line officers carry Tasers.

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Who Will Police the Police?

We are seeing far too many of these kinds of incidents.

Baltimore:

Vancouver Island:

Hillsborough County, Florida:

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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