Edmonton Police Service Constable Mike Wasylyshen, the son of former Edmonton Police Chief Bob Wasylyshen, needs to take a serious look in the mirror. He's just sued CBC Television for $100,000 for defamation over their reporting of his illustrious career.
The suit shouldn't last long. Probably ten seconds in front of a judge would be my bet.
Why?
The Truth is a defense against charges of defamation.
Constable Mike Wasylyshen is, just like the CBC reported, a cop with a record for assault. The CBC didn't make it up.
They merely reported the facts of Constable Wasylyshen's own personal history.
In 2002 he tasered a drunken, passed-out teenager 8 times in 68 seconds. Wasylyshen claims it was only 6 times, but according to the agreed statement of evidence in the Law Enforcement Review Board decision, the taser recorded the trigger being pulled 8 times.
He was charged with unnecessary use of force, along with three counts of insubordination for [alleged] violations of police procedure.
Naturally, Constable Wasylyshen maintains it was a legitimate use of force.
Guess that passed-out drunken teenager presented too grave a danger to "officer safety" although for the life me I can't imagine how that's possible.
But hey, I wasn't there and the [alleged] thug with the badge, gun and taser was. He clearly knows better, right? Right.
In 2007 he was charged with three counts of assault and two counts of uttering threats relating to a 2005 incident.
He was finally convicted of assault in 2009 for the "Dec, 18, 2005 off-duty incident on Whyte Avenue where he drunkenly punched a man on crutches he called a 'cripple,' and threatened to burn down the home of a security guard who helped him."
Nice!
Now that sounds like the kind of guy I want on a police force.
The awesome thing about our ongoing double-standard when it comes to cops breaking the law is this:
Constable Wasylyshen never served a day in jail, he's still a cop with a badge, gun and presumably a taser, and all he had to do was pay a fine of $500.
If that had been you or me we'd still be in prison.
NOTE: If you want some interesting reading and insight into the character of Edmonton Police Service Constable Mike Wasylyshen read the Law Enforcement Review Board Decision 025-2009. I found paragraphs 16 thru 19, as well as paragraphs 24, 27, 28 and 29 very... interesting.
Good article Christopher…
The defence of truth is defeated if malice is proven…..just sayin….
Agreed. I fail to see how reporting the truth can be malicious. That’s like saying that I’m being malicious for reporting his record in this article. That’s absurd.
Mocking someone for thinking a drunken, passed-out teenager is in any way a threat is fair comment, don’t you think? Any reasonable person comprehends that an unconscious person poses no threat whatsoever.
Common sense would dictate that anyone behaving like this particular cop has behaved is not someone we want serving on our police forces.
Then again, common sense seems in very short supply, doesn’t it?
Why is Wasylyshen being given a promotion by the EPS?
Since when do we promote police officers for using their tazers 8 times on an unconscious teen, or beating up on a physically challenged person hailing a cab, or further beating up a security guard who came to the aid of that physically challenged person?! Since when does the EPS give promotions to police officers who threaten to burn down people’s homes with their families in them as Wasylyshen threatened the physically challenged man and the security guard? Who in their RIGHT mind at the EPS would give such a person a promotion? If Wasylyshen had ever done what he’s done BEFORE becoming a police officer he would NEVER have been let into the force. BUT now that he’s IN the force it seems to make NO difference HOW he treats Edmontonians! The Police Chief ought to be ashamed of himself for sticking up for a derelict loose cannon who is not worthy of being called a PEACE Officer!!