On December 8, 2009, RCMP Complaints Commissioner, Paul Kennedy, released his report into the RCMP’s fatal 2007 confrontation with Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at the Vancouver Airport. The report concluded that, by failing to make meaningful attempts to de-escalate the situation, or use measured and appropriate response tactics, the responding officers’ conduct fell short of that expected of members of the RCMP. Kennedy did not accept the version of events as presented by the four RCMP officers involved in the incident, which he found to be “sparse in terms of detail” and falling “short of a credible statement of the events as they actually unfolded” in light of the available evidence. The Report makes 16 recommendations, including that the RCMP should review its CEW training in light of the weapon’s “potentially dangerous” nature.
Commissioner Kennedy’s report marks yet another chapter in the tragic story of Robert Dziekanski and again raises the question of when, if ever, it is appropriate for police to use conducted energy weapons (CEWs). The CCLA has long-urged the adoption of strict deployment standards, rigorous training, and thorough independent oversight of CEW use, in the hope of reducing the potential dangers associated with the weapon. These concerns have been further heightened after Taser International recently advised police to stop aiming CEWs at the chest because of a slight risk of cardiac arrest, a risk which had not been previously acknowledged.
To view a copy of Commissioner Kennedy’s Report, click here.
