Public inquiry launched following B.C. taser death

Public inquiry launched following B.C. taser death

www.theglobeandmail.com

The B.C. government will launch a full public inquiry into the death of a Polish man who was killed after being hit with two taser shots at the Vancouver airport.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Following the last week events, a wave of public anger about the death is washing over the RCMP in the Lower Mainland, with upset Canadians berating officers at the airport and at the nearby Richmond detachment – and even throwing eggs at one police cruiser.

Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass, commanding officer for the RCMP in British Columbia, told The Globe and Mail on the weekend that members of the public have been acting “very aggressively” toward officers since Mr. Dziekanski's death a month ago.

I can vouch for that. Canadians are talking it up everywhere. The News is full of the story on a daily basis, in print or on television. it's come up almost everywhere and it's not going away.

IMO, 4 cops should have been able to handle things, sure... but what about airport authorities for the 10 hours of hell this guy went through before they got here. Not much talk about that at all. Maybe the cops are the fall guys here and the airport authorities are getting a mulligan

www.theglobeandmail.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

Good day,

As this debate continues to escalte through out Canadian police services the use of that "taser" is a sound form of self defence for the police officer.

I belive that any police officer who has to draw their persoal fire arm has had the thought for a moment that I may take a life if I pull this trigger. It's human nature. It's also human nature for self defence.

I belive that other methods of subject control can be used effectively with out the use of the "taser" as the first resort. Every officer is issued pepper spray, and if anyone else besides myself has been sprayed they will know just how painful and deblititating that chemcial is. Granted my being sprayed was with in a controled enviroment as a part of training for the our base defence force but regardless, an asp batton and pepper spray is always something that can and should be considered first before the deployment of the "taser" weapon.

I know that some police officers will say that they would prefer not to use the pepper spray due to cross contanmination but one of the factors that must be concerened is that the level of threat that is percieved by the officer is also completly up to the interpertation of the police offficer in that situation. Every person reacts differently under stress no how long and well engrained their training is.

The entire premis of the "taser" was designed to subdue extremly violent and super aggressive people who posed a clear threat to the safety of the police officer and was issued as a option to the use of their personal side arm which could possible escalte into a leathal force issue.

I think that if an officer feels that pepper spray and asp batton are not enough of a threat deterent during an altercation then the use of the "taser" should be considred and employed.

Thank you all for your time,

Arcticnull

It seems like the taser has become the first course of action instead of one of the last. This was about a week after the death at the airport.

The RCMP has launched a number of investigations into the Saturday morning death of Robert Thurston Knipstrom, 36, four days after he was pepper-sprayed, Tasered and hit with a baton in an altercation with police. The incident is now being handled as an in-custody death, RCMP said in a news release.

"Because of the possibility that the police use of force could have been a factor in the individual's medical injuries, the RCMP began the in-custody-related investigative protocols from the very beginning," said the police release.

The death is being investigated by the force's "E" Division major crime section, along with the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team, Abbotsford police, and the Vancouver Island Integrated Major Crime Unit.

www.canada.com...

I hope this outrage and public inquiry puts an end to this insane system in BC which puts the police in charge of investigating themselves.

We seem to have more than our fair share of controversial in-custody deaths out here.

Hmmm well I hope for a full disclosure on the risks of using the Taser.

There are just too many deaths lately.

Just seems every second day I read someone else in the US has died from being tasered. Most of the circumstances more often than not, show the police to be over zealous.

Glad I am not in the US cos I have a mouth and last time I was pulled over for doing 7 k's over the speed limit (I had just overtaken so of course be a wee bit over) I got angry and swore... Gee, I would have taken my life in my own hands if I had swore in the US!!