Report To Come Out On 11-Year-Old Tasering Victim
Prince George, BC – BC’s Representative for Children and Youth will publicly release a report tomorrow into the life of the 11-year-old Aboriginal boy tasered in Prince George in April of 2011.
Prince George RCMP called in the West Vancouver Police Department to launch an independent investigation into the incident. Seven months later, WPD Chief Constable Pete Lepine released his full reporting detailing the investigation and decision not to recommend charges against the Prince George officers involved. (click here, for previous story)
Within days of the tasering, BC’s Rep for Children and Youth, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, announced she would be conducting her own investigation into the situation. According to a news release issued today, the Representative’s investigation "examined the child’s entire life and full spectrum of services that he and his family received and whether they were appropriate and responsive to his needs", instead of looking at the tasering event in isolation.
Turpel-Lafond is scheduled to hold a news conference to discuss her findings in Victoria tomorrow morning.
Comments
“examined the child’s entire life and full spectrum of services that he and his family received and whether they were appropriate and responsive to his needs”
So as I read it… looking for anyone else to blame but this boy.
…because training at the depot involves disarming boys 9 and under, right?
Call it what it is: A tool of COMPLIANCE. Fail to comply, then risk getting zapped. Rather than a non-lethal use of force, where in the past a firearm would have been drawn.
The kid is lucky because apparently a decade ago he would have been shot instead.
I agree with Styxxx. Tasering may also be preferable to ‘physical’ compliance strategies which would also be seriously questioned by the public.
I think the Taser was the best alternative they could of used for the boy and for protecting themselves, especially when you review the police statement from October 2011.
The police have their report. The BC’s Representative for Children and Youth has another role to play and the rep has to make sure to play that role instead of shutting the door on an event that should not have happened. There are many more parties involved other than the RCMP. For those who are not interested in figure out how to improve the system, will continue to see events such as this repeated.
I, for one, believe we need to understand what happened.
Maybe we should get rid of other programs such as coroner inquiries as well and go back to the wild west.
BC needs it’s own police force If for no other reason to make it’s police force more accountable to the public and to enable females to partisipate in policing our streets and communities. So far the RCMP will not protect their female members by ensuring their own safety from their male members harrassing them.
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