Wednesday, August 22, 2007

à la Rodney King

What in the hell is wrong with the Vancouver Police Department as of late? Fatally shooting a bipolar man who was down on his knees, beanbag shooting an innocent guy carrying his cell phone in his hand, having a long time serving officer caught with oodles of kiddy porn in his home…Where do they find these people?? Apparently all you need to do to become a police officer in Vancouver is to have an undergraduate degree in any field. Does having a B.A. in Greek and Roman studies or a B.A. in art history make you better suited to be a beat cop? Computer says no. It’s scary knowing that we are being ‘protected’ by people like this; they have guns for Christ sake! I think we need better psychological testing before giving these people a badge.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perhaps our police department has been sent to train with the LAPD? Or maybe their training videos are COPS and BAD BOYS II?

Although the fact that the bipolar man actually inflicted some harm on the officers definitely doesn't speak in his favour. I mean after all, were they supposed to ask him for his mental health card while he allegedly proceeded to bounce a motorcycle chain off their foreheads?

Anonymous said...

Police officers should be trained to spot mental illness which would come with better training. There was some show about this topic recently...Passionate Eye, Dateline, one of those. Witnesses of the attack tell a very different account of what happened, most have only heard the VPD side which is splashed across the likes of the Vancouver Sun, Province and BCTV.

J.J. said...

Yes, that mentally ill guy was swinging a chain there for a bit but he eventually got down on the ground, to his knees with his hands up. That is when he was shot by a cop w/ 3 years experience. Surely they could have shot him with the taser or beanbag gun first, deadly force seemed hardly necessary especially given the fact that he surrendered.

Anonymous said...

apparantly the police did not have either of those weapons...why could they not shoot him in the legs for example? you would think 7 or shots there would do the job or do they not take target practise?