Tuesday, May 03, 2005

What's up Jack?

"A real leader faces the music even when he doesn't like the tune."
- Anon.

I really don't get it.

Calgary's Chief Constable, Jack Beaton, has acted like a petulant schoolboy right from square one in his dogged pursuit of those behind the websites critical of his administration. And even in his hollow victory first announced in this space on Friday, when his pressure tactics finally caused webmistress Jann Vahey to capitulate and make a deal to get out from underneath the potential financial ruin a battle against City Hall might necessitate, he issued a press release saying he wasn't done yet. The witchhunt apparently, is far from over.

In the intervening days, a police constable, Taufiq Shah, has come forward and admitted that he delivered the offending criticisms published by Vahey and in doing so, painted a huge target on his back for a vindictive Chief.

Shah has filed previous complaints against a patrol Sergeant and the Chief for failing to appropriately investigate the matter. He has been on stress leave for far too long as a result. He doesn't want to be, but what choice does he have?

He was subject to racist taunts, called things like "terrorist" and "sand nigger." He even had a service weapon pointed directly at him by a superior officer, I'm told, in the parade room of the station. One hardly wonders why he might not feel entirely comfortable with strapping on a nine mil and going through a door hoping his sergeant has his back.

Shah has a Muslim name and he is brown skinned. But, in reality he is a Morman and travels annually to Utah, to Salt Lake, where the tabernacle of his religion sits. He is a family man, married to the fiercely defensive Rhonda. They have four kids. He worked in patrol and just wanted to do a good job protecting the citizens of his city and providing for his family.

Shah was pronounced fit for duty after being on disability. He tried to go back, but the Service insisted he see the department counselling service who immediately said he wasn't fit for a full return to duty. He was going to regular counselling to deal with the stresses and threats he felt.

Today, according to a police officer I spoke with, one day after he came out publicly, Shah went to his regular counselling session and was sent home.

This is how Jack Beaton defends the hard-working men and women who toil in the mean streets protecting the citizens? Which, I might add, would seem diametrically opposed to the stated "Core Values" of the service itself. But that is all just semantics I suppose.

The real battle now that Shah has clambored out of the closet of fear, comes from Beaton continuing to try and identify the other officers who also contributed to the information pool that Shah wove into the editorial content posted on the internet that drew Beaton's rage. And, so too, I suspect, the four officers who were interviewed by CBC's Rick Boguski in shadow and with their voices altered.

Beaton said he wasn't done in the wake of the Vahey settlement revelations. Shah stood up in front of the assembled media and said, "Enough."

But I fear nothing but full retribution, not "healing" will be enough for Beaton. For whatever his public personnae has been thus far in his reign, the good citizens of Calgary "don't know Jack."

Leo Knight

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, I know "Jack" - and Carl and Jim and Bill and a few more! This good citizen knows exactly what is going on - and is not at all impressed. Seems the Police Commission is not too impressed anymore either - has Beaton got a new contract yet!!?

Anonymous said...

We want to be implicitly clear that at no time did we ever admit to posting "anonymous, malicious, deliberate falsehoods calculated to damage the reputation of the Service" and it deeply concerns us that Chief Beaton is misrepresenting our apology and commitments around the Minutes of Settlement.

We had no reason not to believe in the veracity of the content of the Standfirm Website and I am confident that continuing due diligence will support that belief.

Our beliefs are further upheld by the survey conducted by the Calgary Police Association Survey released in November 2004.

Jann Vahey
jann@rjconsulting.ca

Anonymous said...

The survey was right and the web site was right, but what seems to have happened is there appears to be a total loss of public accountability right up to the offices of the S.G.

Anonymous said...

Bad Jack!

Put the money back into the public coffers. Pay your own bills, play fair and take your shots like a man.

Civilian.

Admin said...

HI PRIME TIME CRIME,
I also found it very interesting to read your perspective on Jack Beaton and the website issues, but would it not seem he sending a message to Bloggers! are the police force in general, do not break the code of silence! Take care

Anonymous said...

I am proud to call Cst.Taufiq Shah a collegue and a brother officer. He is the only one in CPS who had the guts to stand up for what was right and show what "core values" actually are. Taufiq is a GOOD cop who finally blew the whistle on a lot of crap that goes on inside the confines of 3 district and the Andrew Davidson building. Thank God that we have people left like him who have the 'parts' to take on the likes Jack Beaton, Kirk McCallum, Darwin Pearce and the rest of the so called "Dirty Thirty". I wish that other cops would quit being so cowardly and come out in support of one of their fellow police officers. But, with the current blood-purge that is going on at CPS, I can understand to a certain extent why they don't.

Anonymous said...

Amen brother amen..

Anonymous said...

The march of tyranny continues, today in court the Judge that issued the Anton Pillar Order has agreed to release the orders themselves ...BUT not the applications to Obtain the Orders, because it will reveal the Calgary Police Services investigational techniques. If by that they mean that the Chief used one of his old partners to conduct the investigation under his authority as a P.I....hhhmmm makes one wonder how much information this P.I. was given to start with.........given this is it any wonder the members involved do not want to come forward....this is like Jack is 8 yrs, old again playing "whack a mole" at the Calgary Stampede.
I also find it concerning that the issuing Judge has also revealed that his daughter in law is currently a rookie member who is currently going through recruit training at CPS...HHHHMMMMMM..... HHHHMMMMMM..........

Anonymous said...

what's troubling me is that no one has stepped in to stop the the little "8 year old"as we can see he needs much parenting and no one is coming forth to take on that responsibility.........sad POLICE STATE we live in.

i noticed tonight that Al Koenig has finally poked his little head out of his whole.where has he been during all of this.looks like he's ready to turn on the membership once a again hoping to keep his cozy little spot in bed next to Jack.why is Al not defending the anonymous survey he created several months ago where 400 police officers wrote in pretty much the same stuff about the upper management at CPS.way to stand behind the guys Rambo!! or should i say Bimbo!! that can't seem to make up his mind on who he should back.

Someone needs to step forward and tell Stapon that there's no need to make stuff up about what the judge said about the officers who haven't come forward yet.i think the real cowards are the ones hiding behing the rest of the information that the public more than deserves to see.the stuff about who the service used as a PI and what there dirty tactics were to get the warrant.i know the PI's initials begin with Bruce Dunn-what a loser!! he couldn't investigate his way out of a wet paper bag.

doesn't look like the public is too pleased about Jack using tax payer dollars to fund his manhunt.don't tell him though.he may get an anton pillar to come after you if you oppose him!!

Jack has turned this thing into a turf war.i guess the next thing is to do is a line up to see who's got the biggest cahones.

Jack be nimble
Jack be quick
the longer this goes on
the more you look like a dip
Jack won't snarl
jack won't scream
cause Jack got paid back from the ponzi sheme
we know you're mighty
we know you're strong
must be compesating for your tiny little d**g

let it go Jack....you'll never surpass Adolf Hitler's reign of tyranny!

Anonymous said...

HAHAHAHAHHAHA......I'm dieing here....hang on I'm a tax payer...and hang on I'm a cop........I coulda investigated it..and saved the city 80,000+ dollars .......CRAP!!

Anonymous said...

Oh Crap I said I'm a cop ...well I guess I just painted a Bullseye on my back for Jack's P.I./ Secret Police Agent......