Cops above the law

[Peepers]

The Toronto Star has posted a very revealing and disturbing study of the "SIU" Special Investigation Unit

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/882189--are-these-cops-above-the-law?bn=1

In the 20 year history of the SIU:

The SIU has investigated 3400 incidents

Of these 3400 incidents they have layed only 95 criminal charges

Of the 95 criminal charges only 16 were convicted

Of the 16 convicted only 3 spent time behind bars!

3 out of 3400 !

The head of the SIU, Ian Scott, defended his agency in an interview with the Star but said, “Police officers get all kinds of breaks in the (criminal justice) system.

WHY DO WE ACCEPT THIS!

 

[wonderboy416]

Not surprising. I was in NY with a friend who is a Toronto cop, he was going a good 30-35mph over the limit. We got pulled over,he placed his badge on his lap... officer walks over to the car, glances in, smiles and says have a nice day.

 

[drone]

I don't think that cops should be above the law,not in the least. I totally support laying charges where they are warranted. The Star Article is rather sensationalistic,as news in my opinion is mostly entertainment. They mix misconduct such as officer receiving oral sex in exchange for being let off a ticket,which is ridiculous,with officers facing somebody with a weapon. The two are not in the same category. I think my thoughts on the matter is that sometimes when you are in a situation where someone is wielding a weapon,at times, adrenaline,self protection and survival and possibly impulsivity result in the worst case scenario...a citizen being harmed. I don't condone this in the least,but, the article didn't list the most common judgement as to why an officer was deemed innocent or had greatly reduced charges. I would think that most of the time it would be deemed a misjudgement under pressure,or response to incredible stress. I think officers have a hard job,and I've worked along side them on my job and wouldn't want to be facing what they face everyday.

 

[archanfel]

And if an agency investigated every single complain against a citizen, I think the incarcerate rate would be even smaller. Can you say you have never ever broken the law? The cops are not above the law, they simply face more scrutiny.

 

[Red October]

I think it depends on the situation and what the "incident" was.
If a cop murdered someone, then yes they should be punished as a citizen would be.. but if a cop breaks a small nothing law, then no.
These guys are out protecting our safety on the streets of the largest city in Canada, they should get a break.

It disgusted me hearing everybody criticize the Toronto police after the G20, saying they used brutality, unnecessary force, etc..
They did what was needed, less actually, they should have walked right in there right away, batons swinging. That is the ONE thing I agree with Rob Ford on.

 

[gabe]

Not surprising. I was in NY with a friend who is a Toronto cop, he was going a good 30-35mph over the limit. We got pulled over,he placed his badge on his lap... officer walks over to the car, glances in, smiles and says have a nice day.

Lucky! My neighbor who i call officer robo cop since he has the personality of a robot, and brags about how many people he pulls over a day for speeding, i guess it makes him feel really important, even if there going 10 over the speed limit!

Remember last year some dumb ass cop parked his squad car in the middle of the road on train tracks and got hit by a freight train!!! he's lucky it wasn't a passenger train! I think they did a good job during the G20, if they came out swinging batons people would say there were too aggressive. its a catch 22

All the good the police do is ignored by the many power tripping officers like "Officer Bubbles" who is a huge youtube star after a video went viral of him threatening to arrest a G20 activist for blowing bubbles during a peaceful protest.

 

[Dilla]

And if an agency investigated every single complain against a citizen, I think the incarcerate rate would be even smaller. Can you say you have never ever broken the law? The cops are not above the law, they simply face more scrutiny.

I can say i know people who beat up other people and went to jail. More scrutiny my ass.

 

[Peepers]

And if an agency investigated every single complain against a citizen, I think the incarcerate rate would be even smaller. Can you say you have never ever broken the law? The cops are not above the law, they simply face more scrutiny.

Keep in mind we are not talking about complaints against cops. The SIU only gets involved in cases where there is death or serious injury.

So in 20 years in the over 3000 cases where a cop has been involved in a Death or serious injury only 3 have gone to prison?

Its hard not to conclude that they are above the law when you look at cold hard facts like this.

 

[archanfel]

I can say i know people who beat up other people and went to jail. More scrutiny my ass.

And your point is?

 

[Dilla]

And your point is?

My point is, cops can be scrutinized all day everyday, but if there's no punishment, it doesn't matter. They still get away with all kinds of behaviour that would land any of us in jail. It seems as though you're very comfortable with the coercive arm of the state being able to dole out punishments indiscriminately, without oversight or consequences.

 

[archanfel]

My point is, cops can be scrutinized all day everyday, but if there's no punishment, it doesn't matter. They still get away with all kinds of behaviour that would land any of us in jail. It seems as though you're very comfortable with the coercive arm of the state being able to dole out punishments indiscriminately, without oversight or consequences.

No, I don't. And I agree that cops should be punished according to the law if they broke the law. However, there's no indication they did. The natural of their jobs means they tend to rough people up and it's up to the law to determine whether such action is reasonable or not. And it seems the law said they were reasonable for the most part.

If you want to change the law, then we have a democratic system that allows you to do just that.

And to Peepers, thanks for pointing that out, I missed that part. I still have confidence in our justice system though. It's not perfect, but that's the best we can come up with.

 

[doug]

but if a cop breaks a small nothing law, then no

So, not only are they above the law, but you're happy with that.

It disgusted me hearing everybody criticize the Toronto police after the G20,

it disgusts me to hear people like you giving cops a pass for breaking the law.

 

[TrickyRicky]

I can't comment on the SIU because I don't understand the system. The police have a difficult job and we should empathize. That said if there is one universal truth it is that people look after their own interests. We should be concerned in cases where the police are using freedom from legal obligations as an expression of "their own interests". I'm not talking about use of excessive or inappropriate force in the heat-of-the-moment on duty. I'm talking about instances where their involvement in an incident is more civilian than professional in nature.

 

[drone]

I agree with you TrickyRicky.

I think we also need to point out as an officer you encounter way more incidents of aggression than the average person on th street,therefore,over time,at some point, it's likely that a cop would eventually have some charges laid,either appropriately or not

 

[cgguy]

So, not only are they above the law, but you're happy with that.




it disgusts me to hear people like you giving cops a pass for breaking the law.

The "policing" over the G20 was an altogether different ball of wax. Those enforcing the summit were made up of officers from all over Ontario, Canada, RCMP and private security forces. Although he was on the receiving end of a lot of public discourse Bill Blair wasn't calling the shots that weekend.

In my experience Metro Toronto cops are some of the fairest and most likable I've ever come across. Stay mad about the G20, but point your finger in the right places.