Pubdate: Tue, 12 Dec 2006
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2006 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact:  http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Gabrielle Giroday
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/raids.htm (Drug Raids)

SECRECY BY POLICE NO SURPRISE

Experts See Logic Behind Lack Of Public Information

WINNIPEG police are reluctant to reveal details of Thursday's 
shooting of three officers because they fear jeopardizing the court 
process, say law-enforcement experts.

Police have declined to answer repeated media questions, such as:

* Was the shotgun allegedly used to shoot at officers properly registered?

* Did police know before the raid that there were guns inside the house?

* Was one officer wounded by "friendly fire", shots fired by another 
officer at the scene?

* How and why was the suspect wounded? * Was the wounded suspect 
denied pain medication when he was interrogated, as the suspect's 
family and lawyer allege?

* What type of drugs were police seeking when they executed the search warrant?

* What drugs, if any, did they seize?

Criminology experts said yesterday that, by not answering such 
questions, police are trying to protect an ongoing investigation and 
avoid potential public relations pitfalls.

"Obviously, the police will retain information if it's important for 
the investigation that it not get out," said Robert Gordon, director 
of Simon Fraser University's School of Criminology. "I guess they 
also would not want to release information that could paint them in a 
bad light, like any other organization."

He said police across Canada have become more sophisticated in the 
last decade about how they release information.

"The police are much more media-savvy now... they have specific 
people who make all the announcements on their behalf for very 
obvious reasons. It's a consistent message coming from a consistent 
place, or consistent person," he said.

"The members of any organization, whether it be the bank, or the 
police department, or the Winnipeg Free Press... they're going to do 
what they need to do to protect their organization and the 
individuals in it, if they think they're under attack." Another 
criminology expert concurred.

"I think (the Winnipeg Police Service) want to be absolutely careful 
before saying what happened, because they're going to be 
second-guessed from every side on this issue, and I think they just 
want to be really, really careful," said Steven Kohm, assistant 
professor at the University of Winnipeg's Department of Criminal 
Justice. Kohm said the police service's approach wasn't very 
surprising, given the heightened media attention to the incident.
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