Unrevising History

A reader, a retired Calgary police officer, wrote to correct something I had said about outgoing Calgary Chief Jack Beaton.

Somehow the word had gotten out in the flurry of news pieces about Beaton announcing his decision not to seek a contract extension, that he had been Calgary's longest serving Chief Constable. I got the information from a column written by the always entertaining Licia Corbella of the Calgary Sun. The information, wherever it came from initially, is inaccurate.

Chief Brian Sawyer, who served from 1973 to 1984 and by all accounts was a good one, served much longer. He came from the Mounties in Victoria to take the top job. It was he who brought in such crime prevention initatives such as Crime Stoppers and Blockwatch. Sawyer retired from the police in 1984 and went on to become the provincial Ombudsman.

But there are a few others who held the office longer than Beaton too. Chief Samual Patterson served for nine years from 1941 - 1950 and Chief Lawrence Partridge served from 1952 to 1964 and probably brought about the most change to the Service than any other before or since. And those are the modern day chiefs who served in the office longer than Beaton.

Thomas English served from 1891 to 1909 as Chief Constable of the fledgling police service. But the longest serving Chief was David Ritchie who held the office from 1919 to 1941. Ritchie was a decorated war hero when he took the top job and held it until his last days when he died having a gall bladder operation. He held the office for 22 years and is claimed to be the father of the modern day Calgary Police Service.

Whatever else history may say about Jack Beaton's tenure as Chief Constable, he was not the longest servicng person in that office. And on that point alone, I stand corrected.

Leo Knight
primetimecrime@gmail.com

The King is Dead. . . Long Live the King

The Chief Constable of the Calgary Police Service, Jack Beaton, has served notice that he will not seek an extension of his contract and will retire as of December this year when his current deal expires.

Big deal.

Jack Beaton has been an ineffectual Chief and his departure announcement underlines that. We now have to bear witness to eight or so months of a lame-duck leadership after seven years of a lame-brained regime.

After several months of Beaton musing out loud, indicating to all who'd listen, that he was open to a contract extension and being deafened by the silence, he has now announced his retirement. But not without talking about his availability for other potential Chief's jobs. Sorry Jack, no takers.

Since being appointed Chief Constable of the Calgary Police Service, Jack Beaton has been a resolute failure in my opinion. He claims successes such as G-8 but frankly that's nonsense. G-8 in Kannaskis was the end result of a lot of pre-planning by the RCMP, CSIS, the Armed Forces, private security and the Calgary Police Service. Yes, CPS had a role, but frankly the role was limited as the main action was an hour west of the city.

Having said that, I did think their tactical, rapid response of CPS members on the 8th Ave. mall at the McDonald's restaurant was poetry in motion. Some of the more radical elements of the looney left tried to do a "takeover" by moving quickly from the main protest group and we're thwarted by the CPS Bike Squad so they were unable to stage their planned inanity. But what, exactly the Chief could claim as his own from that, is negligible, if anything at all.

Just a few days before he announced his delayed but inevitable departure, the Calgary Police Association put out a survey to its members. In and of itself, that's not particularly unusual.

After all, their last survey was a year and a half ago. That survey yielded a staggering 75% disapproval rating in "senior management" of the Calgary Police Service.

But this survey is extraordinary. There are only four questions. The first of which is very telling: "Do you have confidence in Jack Beaton as Chief of Police?"

But what is more telling is the cover letter addressed to the members of the Calgary Police Service. In it, the Association President, Al Koenig writes: "Historically, there have been security issues surrounding the use of internal mail systems and we have been made aware that email sent via the CPS system to CPA offices as having been intercepted and therefore security as well as anonymity could not be guaranteed."

While union rhetoric is expected, this is much more. It is, essentially, an allegation of illegal activity made by way of an instruction to its members. And it is made in such a way as to accept that the illegal activity is de rigeur.

Given that Beaton used an Anton Pillar order (a civil search warrant) to try and find out who was behind a web site critical of his leadership - or lack thereof as the case may be - this distrust is much more than union rhetoric.

So much so, that I asked a Calgary police officer what the mood was like in the department since Beaton's announcement. The response was: "He needs to be gone a lot sooner. Jack can create a lot of carnage in the 8 months or so he has left, and he is vindictive and egotistical enough to do so."

Beaton will have been Chief Constable for seven years when he retires in December, the longest serving Chief in Calgary's history. But that won't be the only thing that defines his legacy. He altered the hand-positioning in the salute offered by members of the Calgary Police Service to superior officers by 90 degrees. Good to know he had some kind of lasting effect.

Beyond that, there's not much. So, why is he hanging around for another eight months?

Leo Knight
primetimecrime@gmail.com

Irony apparently lost on lawyer

Regular Hells Angel lawyer Greg DelBigio is really stretching the bounds of credulity with his latest argument in defense of Ronaldo Lising.

Lising's latest arrest came in the Mountie's Project EPandora. DelBigio has been doing his level best to get the charges against his client tossed. And fair enough, that's his job. But, the irony of his latest tack seems lost on him.

Lising, incidently, is currently serving time for his conspiracy conviction arising out of VPD's Project Nova back in the mid - 90's. He was sentenced back in 2001 for his role in that case and fought his conviction and sentencing at every step until he finally ran out of legal options and had to go to jail.

It was while he was out on bail going thorough his legal gymnastics that he got caught up in EPandora. And now we hear DelBigio trying to get the charges tossed because he claims an agent used by the RCMP put the public in danger. The agent, Michael Plante, infiltrated the Hells Angels and in doing so had to commit crimes.

In closing arguments, DelBigio said, "The police were under a duty to ensure that the community was not endangered through Michael Plante's actions and yet the community was in danger."

Come on Greg. Are you serious? The agent has to commit crimes to get cosy with your client and his pals. What, pray tell, does that suggest about your clients?

The phrase "in defense of the indefensible" comes to mind.

Leo Knight
primetimecrime@gmail.com

Gratuitious violence unnerving

For over 30 years that I've been around policing and crime news, I have become inured to violence and man's inhumanity to his fellow man. I don't like to think that I have become any less caring as a result, but certainly I don't get shocked, for the most part, by the violence inherent in our world today.

Even the daily horrors being described in the trial of Robert "Willy" Pickton haven't managed to shock me. Now, to be fair, we have known for years what to expect out of the Pickton trial just by being able to read between the lines with what has been published since he was arrested five years ago. With all the discussions about the finding of victim DNA we pretty much knew the likelihood of the type of details we are now hearing, so I'm not sure I understand what the current fuss is about in the debate over the way the media is reporting on the trial.

But, having said all of that, I've been following the trial in Edmonton of two men accused of killing 13 year old Nina Louise Courtepatte in the spring of 2005.

Courtepatte's broken, battered and abused body was found on the fourth fairway of the Edmonton Springs golf course in Spruce Grove, Alberta. The official cause of death was blunt force trauma. The autopsy report also noted she was sexually assaulted. Just from that depiction, we knew that nothing good happened that night on the golf course.

But, starting from the agreed upon Statement of Facts introduced on the first day of the trial last week and with each new day listening to new evidence from witnesses as the prosecution paints the picture of what happened to that poor girl, the true horror of her last moments on Earth is becoming known and has even shocked this cynical ex-cop.

The latest account given by a juvenile, female participant in the torture and killing of young Nina, was provided in a story that ran in the Edmonton Sun yesterday under the headline Diary of a Killing. It made my blood run cold.

We have seen many cases over the years where gratuitous teenaged violence has shocked, horrified and grabbed the attention of the nation's media. The tragic case of Reena Virk comes to mind. But, even as horrible as that whole episode was including the many trials of the truly evil Kelly Ellard, to me it doesn't rate for brutality, senseless violence and absolute disdain for human life demonstrated by the killers of Nina Courtepatte.

And for all that, what really surprises me is that the story, so far, has only been predominantly regional. For some reason the national media hasn't picked up on it in spite of the fact the victim was aboriginal which would ordinarily be a magnet. Certainly they are captivated by the trial of an alleged serial killer in Vancouver, but that still doesn't explain the lack of coverage to me.

Is it possible the media brains have decided that Canadians can only stomach so much gruesome news with their evening repast? Possibly, but I wouldn't give them that much credit.

Unfortunately, I believe the average Canadian needs to be shocked out of their stupor when it comes to screaming for something to be done about the crime problem in this country and the need for our politicians to actually get engaged in the debate about the real issues of crime and youth violence. The brutal, senseless killing of an innocent 13 year old girl on a golf course outside of Edmonton has the ability to shock Canadians out of that stupor. Unfortunately, the national media isn't paying attention.

Leo Knight
primetimecrime@gmail.com

Flight path to Haiti blocked by liberal thinking

For a clear example about how screwed up this country is, look no further than the top two stories on today's Prime Time Crime.

The first story is from the Washington Post and tells of a new border security initiative from the Canadian government that will cost $368 million over five years. Well, that's great. Five years after September 11 and someone finally made a decision to improve the security on our porous border.

Yet, right under that good news story, there is a piece from the Globe & Mail that defies all logic.

Canada won't deport a hardened criminal, a gang-banger, pimp and all-around piece of dog crap because something bad "might" happen to him in Haiti. So, Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announces that we are going to invest in protecting our borders but we can't toss out an immigrant who has not led a productive life for a minute since he's been in this country? What's wrong with that picture?

As former Vancouver police officer Bob Cooper said, "What good does it do to spend millions of dollars on new fences and not fix the gaping holes in the existing ones?"

What good indeed?

The saga of Jean-Yves Brutus, a Haitian born immigrant in Montreal, epitomizes the problem with the wolly-headed thinking in this country. Brutus has been a member of a Haitian street gang in Montreal called Crack Down Posse. They engage in drug dealing, pimping, assaults and murder. Nice folks.

He has been back and forth through the revolving door of justice all of his adult life. Four years ago an Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicator finally told Brutus this country had had enough of him. But something calle a "pre-removal risk assessment" put an end to that idea.

Cooper teed off on the subject in an email to me earlier. I'd thought I'd share it with you.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

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Mr. Brutus has been given the opportunity of a lifetime, an opportunity that millions of less fortunate people the world over would risk life and limb for, but never attain. An opportunity to start life over again in a secure, peaceful country with boundless opportunities.

Does he count his blessings, change his ways and perhaps contribute to society by getting a job and paying taxes? Of course not. He leaves that sort of drudgery to suckers like us.

He makes his living off violent crime and the misery of others. He takes our daughters and turns them into whores so he can beat, rape and rob them.

In other words, he spits in Canada’s face and continues to do so every time he is arrested and allowed to stay here. We all stand there like typical liberal dopes, wipe the spit off our face and remind Mr. Brutus that the rules apply to him as well. He is admonished and told that if he keeps getting arrested then one day a judge will become very cross and perhaps send him to jail. Remote chance? Yes, but possible. He’s already learned that no matter what he does, we won’t send him back to Haiti.

Why? Because some reports say that those repatriated with criminal records are often mistreated. I rather suspect that just as often, if not more, they are not.

Given what I know of Haiti, the Jean-Yves Brutus’ of the world do quite well there. Granted, he would face more risks there over the long term than he would from our system here.

And guess what? I know this will sound politically incorrect, but I don’t give a rat’s ass. And you know what else? I’ll bet if Canadians were polled on this right now, the majority couldn’t give a rat’s ass either.

The only pre-removal risk assessment that should be required is a weather check on the flight path to Haiti.

Personally, I wouldn’t care if they blew Mr. Butus’ head off on the tarmac. I, for one, am tired of wiping the spit of the world’s criminals off my face while my taxes support them and pay for their lawyers.

This government has a lot of work to do and this would be a good place to start. And Mr. Day, if the government is a little short on the price of a one-way ticket to Haiti, I’d be glad to help out. Just let me know how much and where to send the cheque.

Bob Cooper.

Richmond, BC

Server problems

Many of you may have noticed that the front page hasn't changed today. Well, that is because our soon to be ex-web hosting service has server problems and seems to feel that 24 hrs is a suitable time frame to have it fixed.

I apologize for their poor service and will endeavour to be back online as soon as possible.

Thank you for your continued support.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Surprise over Israeli attack plans a surprise

The Sunday Times story about Israel having a plan to use low-yield nuclear devices against the Iranian nuclear production facilities generated headlines expressing horror around the world today. But really, wouldn't it surprise you more if Israel didn't have plans to eradicate Iran's nuclear production program?

The former terrorist who is now the President of Iran, has been crowing about their nuclear capability for months now. When he does that in the same breath as he vows the state of Israel should not exist, well, how would anyone expect Israel to react?

Born of war and depending on its ability to fight off those who would rather see its demise, Israel has long said it would take whatever steps it deemed necessary to ensure its survival as a nation state. If that includes a proactive nuclear strike, well then that is precisely what they will do. The only real surprise is that anyone seems shocked by the story.

The mullahs and their devotees have been spoiling for this fight for years. The rocket incursions by Hezbollah last summer were little more than a measuring stick to guage Israel's stomach for a fight and how the observing world would react. Predictably, the mainstream media, the Eurocrats and the UN fell all over themselves to condemn Israel for fighting back.

The mullahs are betting that Israel won't do anything like stage a preemptive attack on their nuclear facilities for fear of again suffering the withering condemnation of western intelligentsia.

I'm not sure I'd make that bet were I them. If nothing else, Israel has shown over the years that it is prepared to go it alone in their struggle to survive and they have the balls to do whatever it takes.

They will in this too.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Hang ‘em high

The biggest story of the day is, without a doubt, the execution of the Beast of Baghdad, Saddam Hussein. Try as I might, I can’t seem to get terribly worked up about it.

In the hours after photos and video of the hanging were rocketing around the internet, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican all issued statements decrying the execution of a man that was directly and indirectly responsible for millions of deaths. I don’t get it.

Ever since they dragged his lice-bitten ass from a rat hole it was clear his days were numbered. The only mystery was why it wasn’t done in the forecourt of one of his former palaces and broadcast on big screens around the country.

Saddam was little more than a bully. Only he took the bullying to violent extremes. Think of Joe Stalin without the finesse.

All the lefties, hand-wringers and anti-American types lined up and in unison began decrying the barbarism of the execution. It’s amazing they don’t get nosebleeds, so high up on the higher moral ground they claim to be perched.

The best one though had to be the American lawyers who had petitioned a US Judge to halt the execution because - wait for it - Saddam still faced a civil suit in America. Perish the thought the Iraqis might hang one of history’s most prolific mass murderers before he could play in the great American pastime.

The media hand-wringers were prominent and fast out of the gate. (Around the World, Unease and Criticism of Penalty – New York Times) (Saddam's hanging stirs death penalty controversy – Reuters)

The only thing missing was another Globe & Mail story invention “raising questions” about the righteousness of Saddam’s execution. (Here’s an example of how the Globe takes a non-story then writes it as though there is really something to it: Questions emerge as Kingsley quits Elections Canada post)

No, this one was simple. Fortunately, the Iraqi legal system didn’t have twenty years of built-in appeals available to the Butcher of Baghdad.

And, no matter what the New York Times wants you to think, the hanging of Saddam Hussein was the right thing to do and the world will not lament his departure.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

No time for boasting

In the days just before Christmas, Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair made headlines (Blair boasts victory over city gun crime - National Post, Dec. 21, 2006) by claiming that his force had achieved a victory in the battle against gun crime. Blair cited rapid response unit tactics as the primary reason that unrelated homicides were down nearly half from the record setting year, 2005. He also brought with him stats that showed the number of shooting occurrences were down from 237 to 198 and the total number of shooting victims were also down from 321 to 276.

He boasted that the Toronto successes were being studied by other police forces seeking to achieve similar results.

Unfortunately, less than 48 hours later, headlines screamed (Guns blaze across city ) that Blair may have been a little premature in his pronouncements. A day before Christmas, in a 24 hour period, one man was shot dead in a dispute and six others were wounded, including two innocent passers-by, in separate incidents.

To be sure, Toronto has improved in 2006 over the previous year that culminated with the Boxing Day gun battle in a downtown mall that resulted in the death of 15 year old Jane Creba.

But realistically, the numbers have declined this year to more traditional levels and seem to show that while in 2005 there was certainly a spike in handgun violence, the problem is far from being solved.

I take no issue with a Chief wishing to do a little personal horn-blowing when things are showing an improvement. But, realistically, things are so bad in Toronto that some housing projects are virtual "no go" areas for anyone who isn't armed to the teeth, and, I include the police in that statement. There are neighbourhoods where Jamaican gangs seem to operate with impunity as family after family mourn the loss of loved ones to the violence that underlines the drug trade.

As an example, check out this video called "Firewar" that was posted to Youtube on Dec 17, 2006. This is a neighbourhood, Jane-Finch, that is out of control and bordering on anarchy. Note the gangsta' chatter as the two sides battle each other with fireworks and bottle rockets. Note also the size and age of some of the participants. Then, picture them a couple of years older with guns in their hands. Then note how long the "battle" goes on and nowhere do we see the police. Why? Largely, I would bet, because no one who lives in that complex would bother to call them. And that speaks volumes.

Bear in mind, that this video is linked on a community web site that ostensibly extols the virtues of their neighbourhood. Some virtue.

There are over 70 identified street gangs in Toronto, the majority of which are comprised of black, inner-city youth that no one seems to want to talk about, succumbing to political correctness. And that statement doesn't even deal with the other aspects of organized crime such as outlaw motorcycle gangs like the Hells Angels, the firmly established Mafia or the Asian organized crime groups that are very prevalent throughout South Western Ontario.

I think, if I were Chief Blair, that I would be very subdued and measured when talking about gun and gang activity in Toronto. At best, Toronto police are barely keeping their head above water. At worst, they are gradually losing control of that city. I wouldn't be boasting.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Jack be nimble

I'm left even more puzzled by the explanation provided by Calgary Police Chief Jack Beaton for his trip last week to the People's Republic of China.

Beaton told Calgary listeners of QR77 that he was amazed that members of the National Police didn't speak English. He said that going over, he expected about half the force would speak English. No, really, he actually said that.

So, what other reason could there be for saying something that blindingly naive?

He says he was over there on behalf of the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. Okay. Who paid? The Chiefs or the taxpayers of Calgary?

The trip was, ostensibly, having to do with "community policing" and Beaton was going to do some recruiting and "spreading the message" while in the most populous communist country on Earth.

Community policing huh? That to me sounds as dubious as recruiting for a Canadian Police Service in a corrupt, communist country with a largely peasant population that is for the most part, uneducated and monolinguistic.

In China, the National Police are the enforcement arm of a totalitarian state whose citizens are not allowed to exercise any of the basic freedoms we cherish in Canada.

Community policing? Give me a break.

So, what is this really all about? I don't know, but it smells a whole lot like a poorly thought-out justification for a public servant globe-trotting on a meaningless junket.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

The Lunatic fringe

While I would never credit the Anti Poverty Committee with any significant ability to engage in any level of critical thinking, they seem do have outdone themselves today for blatent stupidity.

While reading my morning Province newspaper, I came across a newsbrief stating the anti poverty group had planned a march on the downtown office of Vancouver MLA Lorne Mayencourt. According to their website, they are intent on presenting Mayencourt with their "People's Budget." They are demanding that the BC Liberals spend the budget surplus on housing the homeless and raising welfare rates. They are, apparently, planning on "direct action" if Mayencourt doesn't speak to them.

They also said the expect the police to respond in a "violent manner." Given their performance last week in the three hundred block of East Hastings, it would be more accurate to say they will do everything they can to force the police to engage them physically.

Well, I guess they will get what they want then. Mayencourt will, unfortunately, be unable to meet with them when they show up on his doorstep. He is on holiday in Mexico.

Idiots.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Judicial musings right on point

The comments of Calgary Police Constable Shaun Horne have stimulated a lively debate over the problems with the justice system in this country. Horne said the system is a "mockery" and a "joke" and got slapped by the weak-kneed management of his department for his trouble when he was suspended a week without pay.

Lost in the discussion this week were the comments by Court of Queen's Bench Justice Pat Sullivan when sentencing Barrett Darr, 22, for cold-bloodedly leaving his 17 year-old girlfriend to die in a ditch after he rolled a stolen SUV.

When sentencing him to 33 months in prison, Mr. Justice Sullivan said something that speaks to exactly what it was that caused the frustration in Cst. Horne to boil over. In referring to the easy ride Darr had been given in his many previous trips through the revolving door of justice, Sullivan said, "Maybe if we hadn’t been so soft in the beginning, maybe if the judiciary had tightened the harness earlier on, perhaps we wouldn’t be here today."

Almost a throw-away line really in the sentencing hearing, but oh, so terribly telling.

The justice system has been getting softer and softer to the point where it is very hard to do something egregious enough to actually go to jail. Conditional sentences have become all too common in our criminal courts with the advocation of house arrest seen by the chattering classes as a suitable replacement for jail.

Mr. Justice Sullivan got it exactly right in his musings if not in the actual term he gave Darr for his crimes. Cst. Horne's frustration with the system caused his outburst, but it is not without merit and Mr. Justice Sullivan underlined the point.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Cop gets benched for telling the truth

There was a certain inevitability to Calgary Police Service Constable Shaun Horne getting suspended by the department for his outspoken comments after a Justice of the Peace released a career criminal without so much as a "By your leave" to the officer.

Horne called the decision by JP Kristine Robideaux a mockery and a joke, which of course it was. After all, the man in the dock had already amassed 65 criminal convictions plus a great many other arrests in cases that he wasn't charged and convicted given the vagaries of a fundamentally broken system.I should add by the way, that after Robideaux released the man over the objections of Cst. Horne, he didn't abide by his conditions and failed to show for his next court appearance. Yeah, I know, big shock huh?

Well possibly Robideaux was shocked. But, I suspect no one else connected to the justice system was. Robideaux, as an aside, is a lawyer by profession and also doubles as a board member for the Legal Aid Society. Legal Aid Societies across Canada have been plagued by incredible inefficiencies as they struggle to meet their objectives while being abused by lawyers representing major organized crime figures in complex conspiracy cases. (See Legal Aid System is flawed for more on the subject)

Now there's no question that Cst. Horne should not have said publicly what he did. Certainly not in the manner that he did at any rate. That was unprofessional. But the message it sent was bona fide and it is high time that the purveyors of so-called justice heard it. As a side note, Horne's defense team tried to subpoena the good lady JP, but that was quashed by somebody higher up in the administration of the provincial courts. Perish the thought that the officer should be able to mount a mitigating defense against the three discreditable conduct charges levied against him.

As another side note, the presenting officer, Inspector Paul Manuel, is the same fellow who was the duty officer the night members of CPS executed the now-infamous search warrant on the home of Nancy Killian Constant which started her beleagured six-year journey to get justice. An allegation of neglect of duty, following the investigation conducted by Inspector Brian Whitelaw, was levied against Manuel in that case for failing to properly review the warrant before authorizing the officers to enter the home late at night.

And clearly he failed in his oversight duty, as evidenced by the return of the empty warrant and the subsequent revelations about altering of notebooks to support the Information to Obtain. In my opinion, there is no possibility a thorough review of that warrant process, in the manner claimed by Chief Jack Beaton, was conducted, assuming the reviewing officer's competence. As I have said before (Stench from apparent police cover-up won't go away) the grounds in the ITO were thin at best and in other jurisdictions would not have been sufficient for a warrant.

Apparently Constable Horne, while right in his assessment of the justice system, didn't have the friends in high places needed to ensure he paid no penalty for the transgression of telling the truth.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Liberal MP un-spun

A regular reader copied me on a letter sent to Liberal MP Raymond Chan after reading his criticism of Stephen Harper’s government. Here it is, unadulterated, untainted and best of all, uninhibited. Enjoy.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com



“MEAN SPIRITED CONSERVATIVE GOVERNMENT SLASHES $1 BILLION FROM SOCIAL PROGRAMS”

YES!!!! Finally a government that ‘get’s it’. You use the word ‘wasteful’ in your narrative and that’s exactly what most of these programs have been (other than for the purpose of employing friends and advancing the cause of the Liberal Party)

$5 million cut to the Status of Women Canada – Good beginning.

$10 million cut to the Canadian Volunteerism Initiative – ‘Volunteerism’ means exactly that. Not government pork-barreling

$18 million cut to the Literacy Skills Program – I thought we already funded schools?

Canadian Court Challenges Program – Completely cut – Best decision of all

“Beefed up Military presence on the West Coast” – I know that after decades of ruining this country’s once-proud military, this drives you libs mental (I remember your pathetic ad “Troops, on our streets” that probably cost you the last election). Put the combat aspect aside for a moment and just consider what would happen if a natural disaster such as the long-overdue earthquake were to hit the Lower Mainland? Our nearest help (other than Reserve Units) used to be at Chilliwack which was bad enough. Now, thanks to you lot, it’s in Edmonton and would have to come out here by road (if aircraft couldn’t land). Remember how long it took to get the U.S. Army into New Orleans? And they were a lot closer. Without a huge mountain range.

Mr. Chan, I know it’s old-fashioned, but I happen to believe that I can spend my money better than the government can. I want government to provide public safety institutions (police, fire, military, prisons) and to fund them effectively which Liberals never have. I want certain other essentials such as Medical, Dental, Hospitals, Education, and a Basic social safety net that’s designed to be temporary, not for generations to live off. Beyond the essentials, I want nothing but freedom. If enough people in this country feel the Status of Women should exist, then they’ll support it and it will. I want the freedom not to support them because they’re nothing but a politicized special interest group that hates men in general and the United States in particular. Same goes for the rest of these groups. They duplicate, in many cases, the work of privately-funded groups that already exist and the private sector will always do a better job than government in running just about anything.

You say they’ve cut $55.4 million from youth employment programs. Cut $55.4 million????? How much was spent to begin with and what sort of ‘programs’ does it support? If they’re not real jobs then it’s just more welfare. When I was 17 I enrolled in a ‘youth employment program’. It was called the army and the government already funded it. I came out of it a lot better prepared to further my education, get a good (real) job, and pay taxes. The only cheque I’ve ever taken from the government has been a pay cheque.

I spend enough tax money electing governments that pass laws. I don’t feel like throwing good money after bad to pay lawyers for the Court Challenges Program to launch frivolous suits against the government always on behalf of liberal-friendly special interest groups. As a matter of fact, why is it that billions of tax dollars are pumped into the Dept. of Indian Affairs each year and the Auditor-General is not allowed to examine how that money is spent? Please tell me why this is a sacred cow? Can you imagine what could be done if that money were spent properly where it’s needed? Based just on the cuts list above the government could turn around and give each Canadian one million dollars. Think about that. Each person now has one million dollars and good luck to them. No more need for all of the programs the liberals have invented to buy votes and waste our money for decades.

You assert that the Conservative government is demonstrating “blatant political opportunism”. What a statement from a member of the party that invented the practice.

I sincerely hope the photo of you flipping burgers is a portent of the fate of all Liberals after the next election.

Bob Cooper
Richmond, BC

A press release worth reading

Daily I see press releases from various RCMP and municipal agencies. Most are routine and frankly, dull. But every now and then one comes across something, a story of the human condition that is wonderful.

Such is the case with this little missive from of all things a traffic cop, an occupation not ususally blessed with a sense of humour. I was once asked by a Sgt. if I would take a transfer into traffic. I politely declined telling him I simply couldn't because my parents were married.

But, Cst. Chris Noble of Ponoka traffic Section in middle Alberta seems to be a rarity. Allow me to share with you, intact, his press release of earlier this week. No further comment required.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

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On November 24 , 2006 at 1715 hrs Ponoka traffic Services received a complaint of an erratic driver South bound on the QE II near Ponoka.

The complainant stated the brown Oldsmobile cutlass he was following was weaving all over the road, tailgating, and cutting other motorists off.

The complainant supplied a license plate number and a subsequent police records check revealed that the registered owner of the vehicle was wanted by Sylvan Lake RCMP for failing to pay a $2875 fine for not having insurance on his vehicle.

Since the vehicle was not speeding the police asked the complainant if he could remain in visual contact of the vehicle and provide police with a play by play of its location. The complainant was happy to oblige as he would seemly be in his own version "To Serve and Protect" just with out the cameras.

With the assistance of Red Deer Traffic Services the suspect vehicle was located. After it was determined the driver was not impaired he was arrested for the outstanding warrants and whisked off to the Remand center. However not before receiving a ' Follow to Closely" charge and oddly enough another charge of "Operating a Vehicle on a Highway Without Insurance". He will be appearing in Ponoka Provincial court on January 11 and chauffeured in a fully insured, customized, Provincial Sheriffs prisoner van from the remand center to the Ponoka Court House while serving his 60 days in custody for the unpaid fine.

The passengers saw his 24 flat of beer , less what he had consumed, poured out roadside and he received a $287 ticket for consuming in a motor vehicle.


Cst. Chris Noble
Ponoka Traffic Services

Good press for a good cop

It's nice to see VPD Sgt. Keiron McConnell making headlines (Club face-offs cut gun crime - Vancouver Province Nov. 26, 2006) for all the good work he does, instead of the tempest in a media tea cup created by some disgruntled, dickless wonder whingeing about McConnell holding some piece of human excrement's head up for a photo.

McConnell is a good cop and a man's man. In some ways the last of a dying breed. When you see the politically correct in Edmonton creating a talking shop to examine police ethics (Police to tackle ethical practices - Edmonton Journal Nov. 26, 2006) at a time when gun violence has reached unprecedented levels and that city has become the murder capital of Canada, it clearly demonstrates what policing has become.

These days young Mounties, for example, are taught in recruit training that they can "opt out" if they believe a call is too dangerous. Seriously.

But opting out is not in the lexicon for cops like McConnell. Too bad there weren't more like him and fewer happy to sit around talking needlessly about ethics.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Tax man finally shows up in OC battle

The extraordinary announcement of the successful conclusion of Operation Colisee by police in Quebec and Ontario is stunning. Not just because they took down members and associates of the Rizzuto crime family, including patriarch Nicolo “Nick” Rizzuto. Nor is it stunning that they have arrested 73 of them with warrants fro 17 more.

But, largely because this project was done with the full involvement of Revenue Canada investigators and they are actually going to seize assets of the mobsters.

For years the police have been trying to get CCRA to take an interest in organized crime files to little or no avail. Especially when it came to taking on the Hells Angels, the tax guys were conspicuous by their absence. Too scared was what the cops were saying.

Using income tax law to go after organized crime is a tried and true method, dating back to the days of Al Capone. Not so in Canada, at least until this week anyway.

Organized crime may use legitimate fronts for their various endeavours, but make no mistake about it, the vast majority of their money is dirty and untaxed. It’s about bloody time CCRA got engaged in a game they have for too long ignored.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com

Wrong target in Media sights

So yet another firestorm has developed with the ravenous media knee-jerking their way into condeming the Vancouver Police Department based on nothing more than an anonymous email tipster to BCTV on Global. (Click on Internal Investigation to see the video story)

Is there a photograph of five members of VPD posing with a suspect in the jail. Apparently, according to Insp. Rollie Woods in a press conference called late Tuesday afternoon. And?

The officers involved were members of a downtown patrol squad and at least one a Sgt. in the Firearms Interdiction Team. By definition they have a difficult and dangerous job. In practice they go after guns and the bad guys who carry them. When they make a good arrest, they celebrate their efforts. And?

So they took a souvenir photo. And?

The suspect in the photo, as with anyone ever seen with a coat or newspaper they try and hide behind doing the perp walk, isn't too pleased with his situation. Gee, I wonder why? In this case, a 40 year old man and a career criminal with 69 criminal convictions was caught by the police and now stands charged with multiple offences including carrying a concealed weapon.

By the way, that is 69 convictions, not 69 arrests. The number of arrests is much higher.

Despite the 69 convictions and the many more arrests and spending a life that takes from society not contributes to it, the suspect is afforded something the police are not - the presumption of innocence.

Was the suspect assaulted during the arrest? I don't know and neither does the media with their holier-than-thou headlines. The process to investigate this allegation is in motion and we should let it take its course. The rush to judgement of the police is shameful. Moreso, the targetting of a good cop, in this case the Sgt. of the squad was identified but not the others, all the while ignoring the fact that the suspect in that photo should not have even been on the streets to get caught, yet again, by the cops who were actually protecting the rest of us, is all to predictable.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Hypocrites need to move on

The very-public saga of West Vancouver PD Constable Lisa Alford has taken on a life of its own. The smug self-rightousness of the media in the way they have pursued this officer and the Police Department has been filled with their own unique brand of hypocrisy.

Alford was involved in an motor vehicle accident a year ago after consuming alcohol at a social event in the West Vancouver police station. Following the MVA, she was arrested and charged with driving under the influence.

She accepted her responsibility at every step of the way. She pleaded guilty, ready to take whatever punishment was her due. She never sought, nor did the system offer, any slack or preferential treatment. She didn't seek any "alternative measures," adult diversion, a healing circle or claim it wasn't her fault because, Boo-hoo-hoo, she wasn't breast-fed as a child.

No, she made a bad error, admitted it and took her punishment like a man . . .well, so to speak.

Now the Chief Constable is being made to do a Mexican Hat Dance simply because the optics are bad. And, some smug, self-righteous commentators are actually calling for a "full independent inquiry. "

Damn the expense, Man! The cops were drinking!

Now, it needs to be said that the event was a social function and didn't involve on-duty officers. But please, to suggest that we should have a "full independent public inquiry" because there was drinking going within the confines of a police station where many people have their offices and work? Oh please.

To what end? What might we learn from that? That the West Vancouver police sometimes hold parties in the station? Well the Chief has already confirmed that. I'll let you in on something else too. The Vancouver Police have wet messes within their walls too. Lest you think the Mounties are pure, they too have wet messes in many of their facilities including E Division Headquarters. And oddly enough, police officers sometimes have a cocktail or two in those messes when one of their own is retiring or getting promoted. And I have been present when members of the media, lawyers, judges and yes, even the occasional politician were only too happy to partake of the cops' hospitality.

So what?

I have been to a great many receptions at lawyers' offices too. And, God knows, I have been in conferences in news rooms where a bottle of Scotch was pulled out of a desk drawer during the session.

Drinking isn't illegal. Irresponsible drinking is. Constable Lisa Alford made a mistake and unlike much of society these days, she took responsibility for her actions and paid the consequences, putting a blemish on an otherwise pristine record. That should end the matter. And, like anyone else, she should be allowed to get on with her life.

Leo Knight

leo@primetimecrime.com

Connections show no apology deserved

I wonder when the media is going to get off the back of the RCMP in the Mahar Arar affair?

Now it is clear from documents tabled in court (Globe & Mail, Nov.03, 2006) that Arar had a connection to the cadre of Khadrs, our very own Canadian jihadists. We already knew he was connected to Abdullah Almalki, himself trying to gain sympathy as a “torture victim” of Syria.

What is clear to me is that the RCMP had every right – no – every duty to consider Arar a terror suspect and include him in their investigation..

Almalki, according to Khadr the Younger, was connected to Khadr the Elder, also known as “al Kanadi” (The Canadian) to his al Qaeda pals. At the very least, the Mounties had every reason to believe that Arar was a suspect and needed to be investigated. In the days post-9/11, they also had every reason to share information with the US authorities.

I believe that neither the RCMP nor Canada owe Arar an apology for anything. If in fact, he is totally innocent, then perhaps he should be more careful who he associates with. If he is that desperate for an apology, perhaps he should ask the people who actually imprisoned him and allegedly conducted the torture, the country of his birth, Syria.

Leo Knight
leo@primetimecrime.com