Police must be held accountable

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 29/10/2015 (3689 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The relationship between police and the media is not always an easy one. At times, they operate on different sides. Cops don’t want to say too much publicly for fear of jeopardizing an ongoing investigation, while reporters are always looking for the inside scoop.

This week, the RCMP did little to improve their relationship with the media and, by extension, being accountable to the public when they failed to come clean on their policy regarding the handling of RCMP guns by members who are off-duty.

Here’s the background: 16-year-old Calli Vanderaa was shot in the chest while out with friends Saturday. She survived but remains in hospital. Winnipeg police allege the gun used to shoot Ms. Vanderaa was stolen last Friday from an off-duty RCMP officer’s car. Ms. Vanderaa’s father, quite rightly, is demanding answers.

The Winnipeg Police Service has laid criminal charges against two men in the case and are investigating the break-in of the RCMP officer’s car.

But inquiries to the RCMP to determine exactly what the organization’s policy is in regard to the storage of guns when off-duty have seen them be less than forthcoming.

Robert Cyrenne, director of communications and media relations from RCMP ‘D’ Division, responded to a media request for information on the protocol with this email: “As this theft and subsequent shooting occurred in the city of Winnipeg, the Winnipeg Police Service is the lead agency for all aspects of the investigation. The RCMP thank the WPS for their diligent efforts in quickly tracking and securing the firearm that was stolen from a marked RCMP police vehicle. As the WPS investigation into the matter is ongoing, no further information can be provided at this time.”

But that doesn’t answer the question: how are police officers supposed to store their guns when off-duty?

It’s not just reporters who want to know. The public should be assured there are rules in place for the proper storage of police guns. Secondly, the public needs to be assured the RCMP officer in question has been taken off active duty while an investigation is ongoing.

Again, there was silence from the Winnipeg Police Service on this issue. When contacted, the WPS would only confirm an investigation is ongoing.

Police, in general, have long had an overall public relations problem.

The so-called blue wall of silence has been well-documented, suggesting police officers don’t speak up when they witness or have knowledge of illegal behaviour by a colleague. In the United States, in the wake of police shootings of African-Americans, critics have suggested this silence can no longer be tolerated.

In Canada, the inquiry into the handling of the Robert Pickton case in Vancouver also took aim at police silence. In a lengthy report made public in 2012, inquiry commissioner Wally Oppal recommended improved accountability to the public after determining the Vancouver police department and the RCMP did little to warn women a serial killer was potentially operating in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. There’s no doubt the media could have played a role in assisting with those warnings. But there was silence.

In the case of the recent shooting in Winnipeg, it is not that difficult.

Issue a news release that provides the information about the gun-safety regulations in place. Then tell the public what the status of the RCMP officer is.

As an arm of the state, the actions of police need to be transparent and their actions accountable if they hope to build and maintain public trust. So far, they’re blowing it.