RCMP Media Relations Officer Testifies in Dziekanski Case

Tuesday, April 21, 2009 03:13 PM

Prince George, B.C- Sergeant Pierre Lemaitre, the RCMP media relations officers who spoke with reporters in the hours after the death of Robert Dziekanski, has testified at the Braidwood inquiry the information he gave reporters about the tragedy had been given to him by Corporal Dale Carr.

Lemaitre has come under criticism because the information he relayed to reporters was inaccurate. He has told the inquiry he beleived the corrections would be released as the investigation progressed and more information could be released

LeMaitre also testified that although he told reporters there was no video of the events, he was referring only to the Airport surveillance video. He confirmed he had viewed about 60 seconds of what has now become known as the Pritchard video. He testified the video he saw showed Dziekanski being tasered and 3 Mounties struggling with him after he fell to the floor.

The lawyer for Dziekanski’s mother pressed that Lemaitre must have wanted to set the record straight about the inaccuracies especially when his own character had been “besmirched”, but LeMaitre responded by saying “As a police officer, you have a thicker skin than that.”

Earlier, Constable Craig Baltzer of Delta Police (the taser expert who analyzed the CEW used on Dziekanski) testified that WorkSafe B.C. rules now forbid demonstrating tasers on officers as part of the police training process.

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Posted on Tuesday, April 21, 2009 03:13 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Andyfreeze on April 21 2009 5:10 PM

Lamaitre is an RCMP spin doctor.
My guess would be that he knew his information was incorrect when he said it.
He will talk in circles and there will be no information whatsoever of any importance coming from him.

Posted by: He spoke on April 21 2009 8:12 PM

I sure remember the good old days, when perjury was a crime.

Posted by: Truth on April 22 2009 2:17 AM

Yah, Lemaitre lied. He admits that he saw the video before he supported the fiction that it took "two" tazer shots to drop Dziekanski. Remember: he thought the RCMP cover up squad would be able to keep the YVR videotape for the "2 years" as Pritchard was told.

Still it took them over 17 months to admit anything. There was no "error." On the right side of this link another link allows you to hear CBC reporter, Terry Mileski blast the RCMP liars.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/04/21/bc-taser-inquiry-lemaitre.html

Posted by: heidi1555 on April 22 2009 7:21 AM

"but LeMaitre responded by saying �As a police officer, you have a thicker skin than that.�"

We'll see what the Judgment Day that really matters says about that...

Lies always come back to get you...but twice/three times as hard.

How do people live with these sort of lies? He's had so much practice with it he can't see right from wrong anymore. He needs to go.

Posted by: downnotout on April 22 2009 11:53 AM

they should just admit that they made a mistake but I think that airport security and the airline that Dziekanski fly in on should be held as much or more at fault than the RCMP. If they would of showen some compassion this would never have happened. Was it too much trouble for one of them to find out why he was sitting there for hours. Yes the RCMP was a bit too much gunho but they were just working on information that airport security and the airline gave them.

Posted by: thereasonableman on April 22 2009 12:46 PM

What Lemaitre is trying to say is that he and Shields are merely puppets, talking heads.

They have no control over what is released to the media, they are told what information to release by their superiors.

Everything they say is cleared/dictated by brass. Lemaitre may have even knew himself that the information is incorrect, but has no ability to do anything but what he was ordered to do.

Brass writes the speech but doesn't dare deliver it. They send the sacrificial lamb.

Posted by: Harbinger on April 22 2009 4:25 PM

Mounties speak "untruths" to the public, and now it seems they speak "untruths" to one another. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Most interesting.

Posted by: heidi1555 on April 22 2009 6:15 PM

He's a worm for choosing to be that puppet.
I couldn't imagine going on tv to tell the public a load of b.s then go home and eat dinner. I'd rather quit and be a poor man.

Speaking of worms.....Happy Earth Day!

:)

Posted by: Truth on April 23 2009 3:19 AM

Cops don't care about lawbreaking among their own. Policing is all about their getting 45 years pay for 25 years work. But aren't we in an election and we the people can put it on the table? Well, Campbell has the cops in his pocket, and vice versa and Carol James' hubby is a retired cop. Injustice reigns.

Posted by: Truth on April 23 2009 3:24 AM

Re regulations that prohibit testing tasers on future users: Taser Int has paid off a dozen cops who were injured during training. The regulation was on their recommendation. However, they also advise that only 1 five second blast be used, except in "extraordinary circumstances." That would likely mean: death or injury to the cop or someone else. Suprisingly, RCMP Commissioner Elliot - former Deputy Solicitor General - dropped limitations, and now permits absolute discretion on use. Why? Cops got away with the YVR killing. That should cause public disgust, and would if the Canwest rags and spewers weren't promoting cops as heroes.