On March 18, 2021, the French Senate passed Article 25, a ‘security measure’ allowing off-duty police officers to concealed carry of their police-issue firearms in public. Article 25 also states that police who carry may not be refused access to museums, cinemas, shopping centers and schools - places France deems 'open to the public.' Denis Jacob, Secretary-General of … [Read more...]
Officer Down: Texas State Trooper Chad Walker
When Texas State Trooper Chad Walker pulled over to assist what he thought was a motorist having car trouble on the evening of Friday, March 26, 2021, the thought of a violent encounter was probably the furthest thing from his mind. Yet, before the trooper's patrol vehicle came to a complete stop, the driver of the other car jumped out and shot at Trooper Walker's … [Read more...]
Officer Down: Boulder Police Department Officer Eric Talley
Boulder Police Department Officer Eric Talley is arguably the most high-profile law enforcement death so far this year. On March 22, 2021, 51-year-old Officer Talley was the first officer to respond to an 'active shooter' call at King Sooper grocery store. He was the 10th and final person murdered by 21-year-old Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, a Syrian-born Muslim. Homer Talley, … [Read more...]
American Law Enforcement Line of Duty Deaths in 2020
Last year 264 federal, state, military, tribal, and local law enforcement officers died in the line-of-duty - the highest number of line-of-duty deaths since 1974. The 2020 Law Enforcement Fatalities Report (download PDF) notes COVID is blamed for 145 of those deaths, another 48 police officers were deemed 'firearms-related fatalities' and 44 were killed in traffic incidents … [Read more...]
Officer Down: Orlando P.D. Officer Kevin Valencia
The most dangerous call police officers ever respond to is the 'domestic dispute'. Passions are already raging out of control, hence the call to police for help, and responding officers are expected to douse those flames in short order. It's the hardest of jobs and definitely not for the faint of heart. By all accounts, Orlando Police Department Officer Kevin Valencia … [Read more...]
Shane Donovan Files $2.5 Million Lawsuit against Ontario SIU and Crown
Niagara Regional Police Detective Sergeant Shane Donovan filed a second lawsuit, this time for $2.5 million, against Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, its former director and the Crown Law Office. Det. Sgt. Donovan's lawsuit seeks damages from the SIU for a negligent investigation that violated his Charter rights and resulted in a false arrest. It’s no secret where I … [Read more...]
Blake Harvey’s Murder Proves We Don’t Value Children’s Lives
On December 5, 2005, Ryan John Podhorodecki slapped 2-1/2-year-old Blake Harvey twice in the head, then squeezed his face before pushing him so hard the child hit his head on a wall. Then Podhorodecki threw the boy on a bed and "folded him in half" so his feet met his head and held him there for a while. Then Ryan Podhorodecki went to sleep. The 2-1/2-year-old boy died … [Read more...]
Membership has its Privileges: the Constable Adree Mohammed Zahara Story
On October 15, 2006, RCMP Constable Adree Mohammed Zahara fired nine bullets from her RCMP-issued pistol into the wall of her home during a domestic dispute with her partner, Constable Chuck Simm. A December 21, 2006, Saskatoon Star-Phoenix news report, shown below, informed readers that Constable Sahara pleaded guilty to a lone charge of careless use of a firearm related to … [Read more...]
Alcoholic Cop Anita Doktor Finally Hit Rock Bottom
On June 1, 2018, RCMP Corporal Anita Doktor got extremely drunk and drove her RCMP-issue Ford Escape to a Mac convenience store in High Prairie, Alberta. While trying to exit the store, Dokor fell into one of the store displays, knocking its contents across the floor. The store clerk immediately called the police to report a drunk driver. When RCMP constables arrived to … [Read more...]
RCMP Cst. Kristine Roesler Fined for Pointing her Service Pistol at Fellow Officer
RCMP Constable Kristine Roesler of the Kelowna RCMP Detachment pointed her service pistol at a fellow RCMP officer inside the detachment while she was on duty. Instead of criminal charges for pointing a firearm without lawful excuse (Section 87 of the Criminal Code), Constable Roesler was fined 15 days pay, ordered to complete counselling and transferred to another … [Read more...]
Government Power Always Comes From the Barrel of a Gun
“Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” It’s said that Mao Zedong, the most famous of Justin Trudeau’s dictatorial Chinese idols, first uttered this maxim on August 7, 1927. I think it was Naheed Nenshi, Calgary’s Masked Mayor, on December 18, 2020. For the sake of today’s political commentary, I’m going to attribute this quote to Calgary Mayor … [Read more...]
Shane Donovan Files $2 Million Lawsuit against Niagara Regional Police, Constable Nathan Parker
On November 10, 2020, Niagara Regional Police Det. Sgt. Shane Donovan filed a $2 million lawsuit against the Niagara Regional Police Board and the cop Donovan shot in defense of his own life, Constable Nathan Parker. Donovan's lawsuit seeks $500,000 in general damages, $500,000 in special damages, and $1 million in punitive damages and comes months after all charges against … [Read more...]
OPP Sgt. Mike Dolderman’s Sexual Assault Trial Delayed Again
OPP Sgt. Mike Dolderman’s trial for five counts of sexual assault and five counts of breach of trust was kicked down the road. Again. Dolerman’s trial was originally scheduled to begin on July 28, 2020, but court backlogs and COVID-19 restrictions pushed his trial to October 6th. At the October 6th hearing, Dolderman’s lawyer requested a 12-week adjournment to review … [Read more...]
“We Hope They Die!”
Plumbing the Depths of Human Depravity At about 6:30pm on Saturday, September 12, 2020, in Compton, California, an as-yet unidentified person walked up to a police cruiser parked at the MLK Transit Center in Compton and opened fire. Two Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies sat inside the cruiser. Both graduated from the police academy just 14 months ago. “The … [Read more...]
Alberta Man Charged with Trafficking 3D Printed Firearm Parts
On August 18, 2020, 53-year-old Dan Forsyth was arrested and his home was searched. He now faces 11 criminal charges including two for firearms trafficking. On September 3rd, 2020, the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) issued a press release about Forsyth's arrest in Picture Butte, Alberta, a small town 30 kms north of Lethbridge. “Make no mistake, printing 3D … [Read more...]
RCMP Membership Has Its Privileges
One of the more frustrating issues, as a licenced firearm owner, is watching Crown prosecutors treat police officers caught violating the Firearms Act very differently than they would treat civilians in similar circumstances. It’s frustrating because, for example, if I were to leave a loaded handgun and ammunition behind the receptionist’s desk at a physiotherapy clinic, I … [Read more...]
Brodie Curtis Young: RCMP Screwup Sets Another Career Criminal With a Firearms Prohibition Order Free
Colour me shocked that our broken firearms prohibition order system failed to stop career criminal Brodie Curtis Young from illegally obtaining a gun and ammunition for it. That's bad, but after RCMP constables violated Young's Charter rights, the entire case against him was tossed out so as not to bring the administration of justice into disrepute. The July 23, 2020, … [Read more...]
Text Message Privacy: Did the Supreme Court Get It Right?
On March 27, 2010, the Owen Sound Police Service obtained a general warrant under s. 487.01 and an assistance order under s. 487.02 of the Criminal Code. The warrant named two Telus wireless subscribers and required the telecom giant to provide the Owen Sound Police Service with copies of any text messages stored on Telus’ computer database that were sent or received by … [Read more...]
Did Guelph Police Service Lie About Liberal MP Marwan Tabbara’s Arrest?
When news broke in June that Liberal MP Marwin Tabbara was arrested and charged with two counts of assault, one count of break and enter and one count of criminal harassment, the Guelph Police Service said their media relations person was unaware Tabbara was a Member of Parliament. "The arrest of Mr. Tabbara was not brought to the attention of the media office." That was on … [Read more...]
Ray Newman: Alleged Murderer Walked Free After Police Violate His Charter Rights
When police violate the Charter rights of an accused, there is a price to pay. That price, in Chrissy Predham-Newman's case, is her alleged murderer, her estranged husband, walked out of court a free man. On January 21, 2007, Chrissy Predham-Newman was found murdered in her apartment, her throat slashed, in her apartment in Airport Heights, St. John’s, Newfoundland and … [Read more...]
Mike Dolderman: Trial for Cop Charged With Sexual Assault Pushed to October
The trial of Ontario Provincial Police Sergeant Mike Dolderman, accused of five counts of sexual assault and five counts of breach of trust, won’t take place until October 6th, at the earliest. It’s possible Dolderman's trial will be delayed even further. Administrators for the Guelph Ontario Court of Justice announced all trials slated for July 28th are now delayed until … [Read more...]
ACT New Zealand Says Firearm Prohibition Order Bill Needs an Overhaul
ACT New Zealand promotes free markets, free ideas, personal responsibility and personal accountability – all those principles progressive, virtue-signalling governments oppose - and while they support the concept philosophically, the current bill needs a lot more work before they can support it further. “We fully support the intention of going after the gangs and illegal … [Read more...]
Sexual Assault Charges Stayed Against Const. Pierre-Paul Cadieux
In June of 2018, Halifax Regional Police (HRP) Const. Pierre-Paul Cadieux was charged with sexual assault against another HRP employee. It’s alleged the sexual assault took place some time in 2016 but an official complaint was not filed until May 25, 2018. "The whole experience of sexual assault for the victims, it's complex.… We recognize the victim's power to report it to … [Read more...]
One Law for Me, Another for Thee
When you break the law in Canada, be it one of our many firearm laws or some other section of the Criminal Code, how you are treated by our justice system depends solely upon your legal status at the time of your offence. What's the colour of the stripe running down your pant legs? What? No stripe? Then may God have mercy on you because Canada's justice system certainly … [Read more...]
Cops Screw Up: Drug Dealer Jermaine Barrows-Taylor Escapes Illegal Handgun Conviction
On February 20, 2020, Justice Timothy Lipson acquitted Jermaine Barrows-Taylor of all firearm-related charges, but accepted his guilty plea for drug trafficking. At the time of his arrest for a violation of the Highway Traffic Act on August 26, 2018, Jermaine Barrows-Taylor was under a Firearms Prohibition Order and his driver’s licence was revoked. When Toronto Police … [Read more...]
Revenge Porn: Former RCMP officer pleads guilty
Unfortunately, the identity of the latest entrant into the RCMP’s Hall of Shame cannot be named due to a publication ban imposed to protect the identity of the victim, also an RCMP member. Here's what we know or can glean from the few news reports available. At the time of the offence, specifically publishing an intimate image without consent, violating … [Read more...]
Is a Man’s Home his Castle? Even When He’s on Probation?
The short answer is “Yes” according to retired Court of Queen’s Bench Justice M.A. Binder. “The fact of the matter is that it is unlawful to carry out a warrantless search under the guise of a curfew check,” he wrote. Binder’s decision (view PDF) came in response to a complaint against Edmonton Police Service Sgt. Ashley Hayward, in which he ruled Hayward violated the … [Read more...]
Flin Flon RCMP Constable David Mitchel Eardley Charged with Assault
Just what the RCMP needs - another RCMP constable charged with assaulting a minor, this time in Flin Flon, Manitoba. On October 31, 2019, a 15-year-old girl was arrested by RCMP Constable David Mitchel Eardley of the Flin Flon RCMP Detachment. The girl sustained unidentified injuries serious enough she was taken to hospital for treatment before being detained. On April … [Read more...]
Alan Ruel: Man Paralysed by Stroke in Jail Cell While RCMP Ignored Him
If the RCMP is outstanding at anything, it’s their ability to deny all wrongdoing in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The RCMP Hall of Shame is filled with examples of bad cops being protected by RCMP supervisors, usually until video evidence arrives and forces them to abandon their coverups. Robert Dziekanski and Buddy Tavares are two high-profile examples … [Read more...]
Centerton Police Officer Blake Almond and Someone’s Negligent Discharge
Safe storage laws have their place - especially when children are in the home. On January 20, 2020, in Centerton City, Arkansas, an unidentified person fired Officer Blake Almond’s service pistol, sending a bullet out of his home and through three walls of his neighbour’s home. The neighbour immediately called police to report the crime. Neighbour: “a bullet just shot … [Read more...]