Nine shots. One dead teen. Something wrong with this picture?

 In the wake of the tragic shooting death of Toronto teen Sammy Yatim, the Green Party of Ontario is calling for more robust civilian oversight of policing through the reform of the SIU (Special Investigations Unit).

 

“We have a two-tiered justice system in Ontario,” said Mark Daye, Toronto Centre Candidate for the GPO. “One for civilians and one for police. The Green Party supports the important work that the police provide, and we want to ensure proper oversight and accountability is in place to maintain public confidence in our police force.” 

 

The SIU, created in 1990 is failing in its mandate to conduct independent investigations. 

In its current form the SIU is made up of 54 investigators, 47 of whom are former police officers.

 

The GPO passed a policy resolution at its Annual General Meeting in June of 2013 calling for more police accountability and oversight. The policy resolution supports the call by the Ontario Ombudsman for the need for substantive reforms to the province’s system of civilian police oversight.

 

“The Liberal government has failed to act on the Ombudsman’s recommendations to reform the SIU,” says Daye. “This is irresponsible, and the Green Party will continue to push the government to implement reforms to the SIU.”

 

According to a recent Toronto Star article, only 16 convictions have resulted from more than 3,400 investigations conducted by the SIU, and only three of those convictions have led to jail time. 

 

The Green Party of Ontario advocates a comprehensive approach to addressing issues of police accountability that acknowledges the social, cultural, and institutional factors that inform police conduct.

- See more at: http://www.gpo.ca/media-release/green-party-calls-reform-siu#sthash.GwNMgos4.dpuf

the Daye. Update for Thursday December 16, 2010

It seems the Toronto Police Service is continuing it's G20 style service of doing nothing when crimes are being committed. The Toronto Star reports that defense lawyer Ehsan Ghebrai alleges that when he noticed his 2004 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle was missing recently he was told by someone at 52 Division that they didn't have the resources and he should ask his condo for surveillance footage.

Earlier this week a massive snowstorm shut down highway 402 in southwestern Ontario. As of yesterday afternoon all the stranded travelers had been rescued and no injuries were reported. Today it was reported that a man's body was found 50 metres from his stranded car on Tuesday afternoon. Once again, I cannot stress how important it is to have an emergency kit in your vehicle, especially during the winter months.

Julian Assange of Wikileaks fame has been released on bail in the UK. According to a report on The Globe & Mail website;

"The 39-year-old Wikileaks founder, and world-renown whistleblower, smiled broadly, punched fists with his lawyer through the rails of the courtroom dock, and gave a “thumbs up” to 200 spectators at London’s High Court Thursday."

The group known as 'Anonymous' which claimed responsibility for hacking MasterCard's website last week released a video on December 14th vowing to defend Assange. Here it is:

How to Avoid Getting Shot by a Police Officer

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Whether or not you have done something wrong, there is no reason to be shot by a police officer -- that is, unless you give them one. Here are some ways to avoid personal harm in situations with a police officer that has their gun drawn. A lot of this advice may seem like common sense, but when there's a gun pointing at you, it's easy to panic and accidentally do something threatening.

  Steps

1. Never flee from police. If the police approach you and speak to you, do not run or even walk away. Regardless of your rights, doing this arouses suspicion and greatly increases the chance of a fatal misunderstanding. If you are innocent, you have nothing to gain by fleeing, but you should also avoid speaking to the police as much as possible as you are not required to by law and could get yourself into trouble. Even if you are guilty of a crime, fleeing will always make things worse.
2. Avoid any sudden movements. No matter what you're doing, stop in that position and try not to move. At this point, any movement you make that is unexpected is one step closer to getting shot...especially any movements you make with your hands.
   
   
   • If you're in a car, don't reach for anything. An officer might assume you're reaching for a weapon or hiding drugs. For more details, see How to Act when the Police Pull You Over.
3. Do what you're told, and do it slowly. The officer will tell you exactly what he or she wants you to do. That typically includes putting your hands on the back of your head, walking backwards toward the sound of their voice, or lying down on the ground. Obey their orders, but do it at a slow enough pace that you don't alarm them.
4. Do not talk. At this point, you've either already broken the law and don't need to make it worse on yourself, or you are the victim of a misunderstanding and need to cooperate to prevent an unfortunate accident. Chances are good that if the officer has drawn their weapon, you will almost certainly be arrested, and there is not much you can say to stop that from happening.  There will be plenty of time to talk once you are in cuffs and no longer considered a threat.
   
   
   • An exception to this may be if the officer tells you to do something that involves moving, it's good to tell him what you are doing, even if it seems redundant. It will keep them feeling safe so they don't shoot you. For example:
     
     
     • Officer: "Let me see your I.D." You: "It's in my glovebox/backseat/sock/etc. I'm going to reach down/over and get it for you, OK?" Then move slowly.
     • Officer: "Lay down on the ground!" You: "I'm going to lay down on the ground, but I have a bad hip/back/knee, so I need to hold on to this pole/fence/wall to get on the ground."
   • It is almost always in your best interest to remain silent. In most countries, you do not have to answer any questions unless you have a lawyer present, although beware - if you are not sure of your rights (being in a foreign country can affect this, or being in a country with a shaky human rights record) then it is best to answer questions politely and give only the bare details away. If you do not speak the local language fluently, however, do not attempt to defend yourself verbally; you may accidentally say something that, when translated, incriminates you in some way.
5. Let yourself be handcuffed. Yes, it may be uncomfortable, but retaliation or struggling is only going to result in serious injury. In many places, it is police protocol to place handcuffs on even the most cooperative of suspects.

  Tips

• Don't brandish a weapon. If you have got a gun or knife in your pocket or waistband, leave it alone. Don't draw it, even to surrender it. The officer would much rather find it on his or her own than have you whip it out and wave it around. If you would prefer to surrender the weapon, clearly speak words to the effect of "I would like to turn over my weapon" and the officer will tell you what to do next.
• Should the circumstances force you to engage in combat with an armed suspect, disengage and retreat the moment the police arrive, or as soon after their arrival as you can. If at all possible, avoid attempting to render first aid until the fight is over.  Also, don't touch any evidence  that may  have been left behind.

  Warnings

• Never shine a laser pointer toward officers. This can very easily be mistaken for a laser sight, a modification commonly affixed to firearms to enhance a weapon's accuracy.

  Related wikiHows

• How to Act when the Police Pull You Over
• How to Deal With Riot Control Agents
• How to Help a Friend Who Gets Arrested in the Middle of the Night
• How to Get a Job With a Criminal Record
• How to Fight a Traffic Ticket
• How to Avoid a Speeding Ticket

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Avoid Getting Shot by a Police Officer.  All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Eyewitness describes Forthton shooting

An Ottawa-area man who was fatally shot in a confrontation with police near here Friday had both hands on his steering wheel when he died, according to a witness who said she watched the incident from her apartment window. 

Julie Young said she saw a police officer fire two shots at the driver’s side of the pickup truck, adding the truck was “boxed in” by Ontario Provincial Police vehicles at the time.

“The vehicle was not moving,” said Young.

Ontario Provincial Police officers shot and killed a man Friday night after he reportedly struck an officer with his pickup truck.

The OPP says two police officers suffered minor injuries in the incident, which resulted from a chase after the man bolted from a routine check for impaired drivers in Brockville. Full Story from Recorder.ca

Detroit police halt pillow fight

Police in Detroit have ruffled some feathers after they cracked down on an organized pillow fight at a downtown park.
The Detroit News newspaper reports police at Campus Martius Park prevented the feathery fight Saturday by disarming pillow-toting participants.
The bout was part of a worldwide event organized on social networking websites.
Michael Davis says police confiscated the 32-year-old man's pillows but returned the cases.
He says he was told he needed a permit.
Scott Harris of Ferndale told the News it's "not illegal to own a pillow."
Detroit police spokesman James Tate says cleanup was the issue.
Source: CBC.CA

I guess Detroit is so safe these days the police have nothing better to do!

Toronto Mounted Police

 

Sri Lankan Attack: God No Where Around.

So, I heard someone on the news today saying that the Pakistani police essentially did nothing during this attack. The police, of course, deny this. However, it reminded me of the Pakistani police officer on the BBC news the other night who said something like this; "the shooting started and I fell to the ground and began to pray". 

Lets hope our police don't start using this praying strategy as their first response, because if they do, in my opinion, we are all in big trouble. You will note that six policemen and two civilians died in this attack.

The following is from Wikipedia:

The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, as a convoy carrying Sri Lankancricketers in a bus was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan.^[1] The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the Pakistani cricket team. Six members of the Sri Lankan cricket team were injured. Six Pakistani policemen and two civilians were killed.

Source: Wikipedia

Street Racing Cop Sets Great Example!

I was surprised that the officer is a female, and am wondering if the car seized was her own? Was she driving a police cruiser? Was it seized?  Is she off work with pay?  You bet she will be, if she is even off work.  The probably stuck her behind a desk and now she's getting a little work vacation.

From 680news:

Brant County OPP say they clocked an OPP officer in her cruiser going 65 kilometres over the speed limit.

The OPP say the alleged incident happened while the Detective Constable was on duty, but her speeding had nothing to do with her work at that moment.

The officer was charged with street racing, her car was seized and her drivers license has been suspended for seven days.