Pubdate: Sat, 05 Mar 2005
Source: Winnipeg Sun (CN MB)
Copyright: 2005 Canoe Limited Partnership
Contact:  http://www.winnipegsun.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/503
Author: Tom Brodbeck
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)

COPS' TACTICS WEAK

RCMP spokesman Const. Wayne Oakes says there's a lot of armchair 
quarterbacking going on after the shooting deaths of four Mounties in 
Mayerthorpe, Alta.

You bet there is. And for good reason. We don't like it when the bad guys 
- -- the scumbags, the scuzzos -- get the upper hand and kill police officers.

We didn't like it when the scumbags got the upper hand in the shooting 
death of Manitoba RCMP Const. Dennis Strongquill in 2001.

And we don't like it now.

RCMP "spokespeople" didn't like the armchair quarterbacking going on after 
the Strongquill shooting, either, such as why Strongquill wasn't wearing 
his body armour and why he and his partner didn't have a shotgun in their 
cruiser.

Despite that, RCMP subsequently made body armour mandatory for all officers.

And in Manitoba it became mandatory for all RCMP cruiser cars to carry 
shotguns. It took Strongquill's death for that to happen. And maybe a 
little armchair quarterbacking.

The shootings in Mayerthorpe had nothing to do with grow ops, dope laws or 
gun control. They had everything to do with police operations.

Calling for tougher sanctions for grow ops may make for good politics but 
it's completely irrelevant in this case. And please spare me the moronic 
claims that if we legalized marijuana, we could avoid these types of cop 
killings.

What's important in this case is that the RCMP were dealing with a very 
dangerous individual who had shot at people before.

James Roszko spent time in prison. He was convicted of sexual assault in 
2000. He was a known police hater. And he was known to have weapons.

Roszko was a bad dude. And police have to take great precautions when 
dealing with bad dudes, period. It doesn't matter if the guy was running a 
grow op or a puppy mill.

What irks me is RCMP spokespeople immediately dismiss the idea that perhaps 
not enough precaution was taken in dealing with Roszko. Should these 
officers have been sent into the property the way they were -- vulnerable 
and open to attack?

Considering the dangerous nature of Roszko, should there not have been 
greater care taken in executing a search of his property? Those are fair 
questions to ask, to which RCMP spokesman Oakes responded yesterday by 
saying: "We have to show people respect."

You show law-abiding citizens respect, not convicted criminals who have a 
propensity to shoot at people on their property.

Make no mistake. The villain in this story is James Roszko.

He shot and killed four police officers.

But the RCMP have to take a good look at their operations and determine 
whether sending rookie cops into a highly volatile and dangerous situation 
without back-up is good policing strategy.

For the RCMP to dismiss out of hand that the execution itself was flawed is 
irresponsible. And, quite frankly, a little arrogant.

RCMP officers wear body armour and all Manitoba Mounties carry shotguns in 
their vehicles because of the Strongquill shooting.

Hopefully, this week's shootings in Mayerthorpe will change how RCMP 
officers execute searches on the properties of known, violent criminals.
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MAP posted-by: Beth