Edmonton, Alberta, Canada There isn't a hell of a lot of public sympathy for Kirk Steele - and I don't have much for him myself. He's the guy who nearly died after being shot six times by an Edmonton Police Service (EPS) dog handler. Steele has a long rap sheet and was unlawfully at large from a halfway house when the drama unfolded July 27. While armed with a knife, he scrambled out of a house at 99 Street and 69 Avenue, with city police in hot pursuit. Const. Bruce Edwards released a police dog named Wizzard to take down Steele. During the attempted takedown, Steele stabbed the dog several times and was then shot six times by Edwards. Steele was in critical condition, but - like the police pooch - survived the attack. An EPS statement following the shooting said Steele was shot due to the "level of aggression" he was showing. Many people, including letter writers to the Sun, conclude Steele deserved to be shot, especially since he disobeyed police orders to halt, then stabbed an EPS dog. He'd been on statutory release after being sentenced to seven years for crimes, including robbery and assault. The EPS is doing an internal probe into the shooting. Regardless of Steele's record or actions, this is a case that screams out to be investigated by an outside police agency. Freshman Chief Mike Boyd owes it to Steele, to the officers involved, to the citizens of Edmonton and to everyone on the EPS to call in outside investigators. Under legislation, Boyd has the power to halt the current probe and ask the Edmonton Police Commission or the province's solicitor general to hand it off to an outside agency such as the RCMP. As the old adage goes, justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done. A handoff to the RCMP would allay any suspicions that the probe is biased or not thorough. Those kinds of accusations have been made repeatedly about previous EPS internal investigations. Given that Boyd is trying to rebuild public trust in the EPS by emphasizing community policing, this is a prime opportunity. Boyd has some familiarity with independent agencies handling complaints about police. His own wife was with the Special Investigations Unit in Ontario, an independent body that probes allegations of police misconduct. This probe will deal with the big question: Was there justification to try to kill Steele by pumping six shots into him? Canada's Criminal Code essentially says deadly force can only be used if the persons who uses it have reasonable grounds to believe their lives or someone else's life is threatened or could be subject to "grievous bodily harm." The EPS policies and procedures manual echoes that. Was someone's life in imminent danger when Steele was shot? That's the key question to be answered. Under the circumstances, I think it's one best answered by a full-scale RCMP investigation. Currently, that force is only overseeing the EPS probe and it's unclear what powers it has. Steele's lawyer, Tom Engel, has launched an official complaint against police. "Shooting at a guy running away with a knife is excessive force," said Engel. He worries the internal probe won't be as thorough as a full-scale investigation by an outside police force. He said an outside force would "rigorously" interview witnesses and parties to the shooting separately. Engel said some EPS internal probes have simply asked witnesses and those accused of misconduct to fill out written statements. That creates an environment that's ripe for allowing people to collaborate on one version of a story, he said. Serious police investigations don't work that way, he added. "Chief Boyd should know this more than anyone because he professes to be an expert investigator who worked for years in the homicide unit in Toronto. "When Chief Boyd came to Edmonton there was a lot of optimism things would be different at the EPS." But by Boyd failing to act to turn the probe over to RCMP "it seems like more of the same old, same old," Engel said. University of Alberta criminologist Bill Pitt figures the long-term solution is to set up an independent review committee to probe serious cases involving cops. It's been talked about in Alberta but never instituted. "Unless you have a body like that, there's going to be an impression in the public there's a tainted process," said Pitt. The former RCMP officer and U.S. law enforcement instructor reckons "a detached and distant police oversight body reporting to Alberta's solicitor general" goes hand in hand with EPS moves toward community-based policing. "It's the evolution of policing," said Pitt. "It's the evolution of community policing." We can only hope one day to experience that evolution in Alberta. But for now at least, the RCMP should be appointed to probe this shooting - for everyone's benefit. - kdio...@edmsun.com
E-mail Kerry Diotte at kdio...@edmsun.com. Letters to the editor should be sent to mail...@edmsun.com.
"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~ ___________________________________________________ --
> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada > There isn't a hell of a lot of public sympathy for Kirk Steele - and I > don't have much for him myself.
I don't have any sympathy for this criminal piece of shit. However, I do have sympathy for the Police Officer who shot him, not just for the trauma he's being put though by the shooting itself. But also for the troubles the PC morons and ambulance chasing lawyers will churn up over this type of incident.
>> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada >> There isn't a hell of a lot of public sympathy for Kirk >> Steele - and I don't have much for him myself.
> I don't have any sympathy for this criminal piece of shit.
Chris, you wouldn't have said so about victim of this shooting, if he were your son, brother, father or a grandfather, whom you loved and cared for. Therefore, it's quite natural for perfect strangers to express their sympathy for victim of so brutal murder by extremely savage and heartless pigs.... -- _____________________________________________________
I intend to last long enough to put out of business all COck-suckers and other beneficiaries of the institutionalized slavery and genocide.
"The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~ ___________________________________________________ --
>>> Edmonton, Alberta, Canada >>> There isn't a hell of a lot of public sympathy for Kirk >>> Steele - and I don't have much for him myself.
>> I don't have any sympathy for this criminal piece of shit. > Chris, you wouldn't have said so about victim of > this shooting, if he were your son, brother, father > or a grandfather, whom you loved and cared for. > Therefore, it's quite natural for perfect strangers > to express their sympathy for victim of so brutal > murder by extremely savage and heartless pigs....
_GOD_, you wouldn't have said so about the policeman involved in this shooting, if he were your son, brother, father or a grandfather, whom you loved and cared for. Therefore, it's quite natural for perfect strangers to express their sympathy for criminals who precipitate a violent situation .
> "The army that will defeat terrorism doesn't wear uniforms, or drive > Humvees, or calls in air-strikes. It doesn't have a high command, or > high security, or a high budget. The army that can defeat terrorism > does battle quietly, clearing minefields and vaccinating children. It > undermines military dictatorships and military lobbyists. It subverts > sweatshops and special interests.Where people feel powerless, it > helps them organize for change, and where people are powerful, it > reminds them of their responsibility." ~~~~ Author Unknown ~~~~ > ___________________________________________________ > --
