To Serve and Protect...........WHAT?

Why police are so often their own worst enemy

Canadian Press Jan 23/09

VANCOUVER, B.C. - The delivery truck driver who says he was beaten and robbed by three off-duty Vancouver-area police officers claims he was warned about a Taser, and had a racial comment shouted at him.

Feroz (Phil) Khan described the harrowing incident for reporters Friday. Khan said he was first attacked by one man, who was then joined by the other two. "They kicked me in my head, kicked my back, legs, everywhere," Khan said.

                                    Vancouver Sun photo

"When I asked for help, they told me 'we are the police, you don't need help. If you don't behave, we have a Taser."'

Khan said he told them to go right ahead and use it.

"I told them that I'm half-dead anyways, after you guys beat me up so badly, so you might as well use the Taser and then kill me."

During the attack, Khan claims the men, who allegedly took $200 from him, said, "We don't like brown people."

A Vancouver Police spokesman wasn't immediately available for comment.

Furor over the arrest of three officers forced Vancouver's police chief to issue a statement earlier Friday.

Chief Const. Jim Chu admitted that it's unusual to speak about an ongoing investigation but - for the sake of preserving the public's respect - he wanted to reassure people about the integrity of the process.

"We normally reserve any comments out of respect for the process and a reluctance to say or do anything that might influence the outcome," he said.

Chu said the public needs to know the investigation is being pursued aggressively and fully.

"We are in the process of interviewing witnesses and examining evidence, including any video that may have been recorded. We are asking publicly that any witnesses with information about the incident please call us," his statement said.

The chief said his fellow chiefs in the pertinent jurisdictions are also taking the matter very seriously.

The officers, all from different Vancouver-area police departments, were arrested Wednesday near a downtown hotel.

Two officers, from the Delta and West Vancouver departments, have been reassigned to desk duties while a constable from New Westminster Police has been suspended with pay.

No decision has been made on whether to lay charges in the incident.

B.C.'s Police Complaints Commissioner is conducting a separate investigation into the allegations.

Or maybe this one

Toronto Star WHEELS section, Jan 24/09 letter to the editor

The curious case of the cruising OPP SUV

On New Year's Eve day, I was driving home from Pittsburgh.

Shortly after leaving Niagara Falls on the Toronto-bound QEW, an OPP vehicle entered the highway and went to the extreme left lane.

The driver proceeded to cruise in that lane at about 110 km/h. (it should be noted the speed limit in that section is 100 km/h or about 62 MPH - LEDFUT)

The vehicle was one of the new SUVs not easily recognizable as a police vehicle until you were close enough to it.

Since he set the speed at 110 km/h, vehicles would aggressively approach from behind until realizing it was OPP and then fall back as nobody wanted to pass him.

I drove in the centre lane about two car lengths back and chuckled to myself as vehicles would speed up on either side of me thinking they were going to get to their destinations in record time, only to be stifled by the black and white cruising at 110 km/h.

Since nobody wanted to pass the cruiser, it created quite a backlog of vehicles all trying to keep pace and, in retrospect, creating a potentially dangerous situation.

One vehicle in particular came speeding up on my right (the slow lane) and, realizing the OPP was there, he immediately slowed down and moved to the centre lane. He continued to keep pace with the police vehicle at 110 km/h and drove parallel, nose-to-nose for about 10 km.

Then the OPP officer slowed down and moved behind him to the centre lane and turned on the red and blues and pulled him over.

What I can't figure out is why he was pulled over.

Is there a law whereby driving side by side with another vehicle for an extended period of time is considered dangerous driving?

R. Tracz, Mississauga