On September 13, 2019, Ottawa Police Staff Sgt. Will Hinterberger was suspended as part of an investigation into missing police files. The Ottawa Citizen reported on Hinterberger’s past duties, as well as his romantic relationship with the mother of suspected ISIL sympathizer Tevis Gonyou-McLean, who was arrested by the RCMP last August. Hinterberger was a patrol supervisor … [Read more...]
Niagara Regional Police Constable Nathan Parker: Innocent Victim or One Bad Cop?
If Dana Audet is to be believed, her fiance, Niagara Regional Police Constable Nathan Parker, is not a bad man, He's simply misunderstood. "What I really want to emphasize is that if you or I did something wrong at our job, we'd get a letter to file or we'd be disciplined. When a police officer oversteps, it goes in the newspaper." Given Constable Nathan Parker's long and … [Read more...]
Former Halifax Cop Gary Basso Appeals Assault Conviction
Gary Lawrence Basso, a former Halifax Regional Police constable, is appealing his conviction and sentence for punching a homeless man in the face on February 25, 2018. Basso was on duty at the time of the assault. On January 31, 2020, Judge Halfpenny-MacQuarrie sentenced Gary Basso to 90 days in jail to be served on weekends, one-year probation and a 10-year firearms … [Read more...]
Constable Paul Zarafonitis, Photographer Michael Farkas and Police Brutality
In Canada it is legal to film police while they perform their duties in public. Unfortunately, too many police officers believe the opposite and violate our rights, often with violent consequences to the photographer. Michael Farkas is one man who paid a high price for photographing police. That price came in the form of a brutal beating at the hands of Niagara Regional … [Read more...]
Detective Shane Donovan is Worthy of Our Support
On November 29, 2018, Niagara Regional Police Service Detective Sergeant Shane Donovan emptied most of his 15-round pistol magazine into Constable Nathan Parker. On March 28, 2019, the Director of Ontario's Special Investigations Unit, Tony Loparco, recommended the following charges be laid against Detective Donovan. One count of attempt murder, contrary to s. … [Read more...]
Constable Adam Massart: Give him the finger, he’ll point his service pistol at you
Police have a difficult job. Nobody in their right mind will argue that point. Civilians are often rude, disrespectful, and downright offensive to the brave men and women who wear a police uniform. In most cases, they respond to these indignities with grace and decorum. Occasionally however, a police officer fails to meet that most basic standard. Such is the case of … [Read more...]
Integrity, Les Kaminski and the Calgary Police Association
Rough times for the Calgary Police Service continue. Their integrity deficit shows no sign of letting up, either. Calgary Police Association President Les Kaminski and Constable Brand Derrick both face charges as a result of an Alberta Serious Incident Response Team investigation. Les Kaminski faces charges of assault and purjury. Constable Brant … [Read more...]
RCMP Constable Mike Ferguson: A Cautionary Tale for Police and Citizens Alike
I was digging for more information on another case when I stumbled across this one. I found myself unable to stop reading about RCMP Constable Mike Ferguson and the in-custody shooting death of Darren Varley on October 3, 1999. The killing of Darren Varley, while not strictly meeting the definition of police brutality, is nevertheless a cautionary tale to all police officers … [Read more...]
Monty Robinson Sentenced to Prison? It’s a MIRACLE!
I’m here in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, for Jane Gaffin’s Celebration of Life event (more on that later) and much to my shock and surprise Allen Carlos tells me that one of the cops who killed Robert Dziekanski was sentenced to prison time for perjury. I wracked my brain to remember who had gone on trial so far in this endless debacle. The first cop was acquitted although I … [Read more...]
Babak Andalib-Goortani: Police Sentencing Hypocrisy Continues Unabated
You’d think judges would feel some semblance of shame eventually, but that just isn’t the case. When it comes to sentencing police officers convicted of criminal offences our judges fall all over themselves pandering to a misguided sense of justice. Why is it wrong to send criminal cops to jail? When it comes to sentencing a mere citizen convicted of the same criminal … [Read more...]