They must be kidding |
Let me see if I've got this straight. The OPP used a provision of the Criminal Code to intercept communications of persons believed to be involved in a widespread illegal action that had the potential to cause serious injury or, based on the past, worse.
A court will ultimately rule on the propriety of the OPP intercept procedure.
As the situation was unfolding and in an undisputed effort to prevent the illegality and potential harm, the commissioner of the OPP personally intervened to contact the admitted ringleader of the illegality. In doing so, the commissioner, by his status, demonstrated an acknowledgment of the importance of the issue which is universally recognized by anyone with experience in such matters as desirable in defusing such situations at the outset.
During the course of several calls to the ringleader the commissioner was absolutely blunt about the illegality not being tolerated and the negative consequences such illegality would have for the ringleader if he went ahead with actions that could put peoples' lives in jeopardy.
Following the commissioner's intervention, the illegality ceased and the rule of law prevailed with the happy result that no one was injured or worse unlike other like situations not involving the commissioner.
When all of this is revealed in a court proceeding, the defence lawyer for the ringleader shrieks in outrage that his client has been "bullied" and that some vague policy expression from an after-the-fact report on an incident where people did get hurt (killed in fact) was not followed.
DUE PROCESS FOR ONE
The lawyer demanding due process for his client goes on to demand that due process be abandoned for the commissioner and that he be suspended for apparently intervening in the manner that he did which seems to have prevented the violence.
Meanwhile an otherwise usually sensible politician chimes in saying suspension isn't good enough and the commissioner, who clearly helped prevent unlawful violence, should be fired for not following the lines of the report which appears to have become more important than the rule of law or preventing violence.
Fortunately, there's not much chance the politician will ever be in a position to demonstrate his unique "leadership" approach.
I don't find myself agreeing with Premier Dalton McGuinty that often when it comes to matters of law enforcement or public safety, but he appears to be absolutely correct in supporting Fantino and expressing some surprise at all the fuss.
He can't really say it so I will ... why don't we ask the people of Caledonia and Deseronto what they think of Fantino's style of intervention?
In the interests of complete disclosure, I've worked with Commissioner Julian Fantino for 15 years in law enforcement issues and we are friends. I'm honoured to be able to say that.
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