Moncton Times & Transcript – RCMP in Bouctouche have handled the string of arsons and other incidents plaguing the town and surrounding area in recent weeks in precisely the sort of open and accountable way that the public deserves from their police: they investigated, they sought community help, they tracked down suspects and have made arrests (more are expected) and they held a public meeting to keep citizens informed as much as possible without compromising their continuing work. That’s the way to do it and indicates a good understanding of a police force’s accountability to the public they serve and protect.
But the RCMP in Fredericton appear to have forgotten the “serve” part of their motto, and legitimate questions are being asked if they forgot the “protect” part as well. We refer to the murder of St. Thomas University Professor John McKendy, a serious assault on his daughter, and the discovery of the one and only suspect dead in a vehicle outside a Moncton hotel.
The way this case has been handled from the start has been dismally bad.
The admission Thursday that despite its comments to the contrary stating the McKendy family had never contacted them over fears for their safety, the fact is they had, is an admission of failure. It raises questions of what would have happened had the fears been taken more to heart and extra efforts made to resolve a crime that was already in progress: the suspect had stolen a McKendy family vehicle and credit card and was using the card in several U.S. states. He’d also sent threatening e-mails. Was there no high alert sent to Canadian border officials? Was nobody tracking his movement through credit card use? We don’t know because, as with virtually every other aspect of this case, the RCMP have refused to release information.
We are now told an independent investigation will be done into how the case was handled, but it is not independent. It will be conducted by a member of the RCMP from another jurisdiction. That’s not good enough. We need and merit a truly independent investigation; one that will be released in full.
Why the extraordinary secrecy in this case? The RCMP haven’t formally stated the victim’s daughter is in fact the “woman” in hospital with unspecified injuries. They have not said how the professor died. They have not said how the suspect died. They have not said what hotel the car was at, all things that are routinely released — and should be released — when such crimes happen. Nobody wants information that will jeopardize a case (the Bouctouche RCMP are temporarily withholding the names of two adults facing charges so as not to tip off others who may soon be arrested), but accountability matters.
This excessive secrecy, followed by an admission that clearly the RCMP in Fredericton did not protect the McKendy family as well as it might have, leads us to wonder what exactly it is they are trying to hide? Do we know now, or is there more?
Deepthroat sums it up well in his usual concise manner. Time to get real, and realize that the men in blue are people too. One could surmise that the expectation to remain infallible sets some officers up for the failure they strive to avoid. A union allows for representation for whistleblowers without repercussions.
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Some of the very fundamentals of the organization must be addressed, and probably wont be. For example the mentality that if something is going awry another check should be put in place to address it. Less checkers and more accountability on one individual would solve more of the issues.
The unrelenting negative emphasis by the media on issues does not help. Rash statements and catchy headlines do nothing to further the debate. Blaming the police for other agencies/government responsibilities is easier than actual analysis and rational discourse.
Putting people in the organization that are part of the problem in positions to effect change is also an issue.
The RCMP need a union. The Brown report and the two Duxbury reports will wither and die with changes in management and government and short term public memory.
Getting the office of the Commissioner away from the government would be a good first step. Not expecting perfection from human beings would be another.
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Remember , we heard about accountability in regards to the RCMP Pension Scandal , then the Brown Task Force ect . Nothing has changed within the Organization . I would hope we still have many good RCMP members out there that still serve and protect. Mistakes do happen and will continue to happen , thats being human . Sometimes a Police is open , however efforts are stonewalled by witnesses ect . I agree the RCMP organization is continuing its downward slide , both within the organization and outside . Lets hope this once proud and effective enitity can be salvaged .
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Don’t believe everything you read in the newspapers. Every investigation subject to complaint is overseen by the public complaints commission. Their reports are believable.
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RCMP must show accountability… does this statement mean they don’t?
My question would be if we pay people in this province all this money to keep us safe then why are innocent people still dying here?
I mean what would have happened if this had of been a regular guy and not a well known Professor at a well known university in Fredericton, N.B. Does this mean when no one stands and speaks up for the common man or woman there’s a greater chance nothing will be done? And does this mean that we can’t trust the reports given to us by police officers or the media to check out those reports they are asked to feed us as the public, so who do we trust to do this right then?
Yes, what happen to the SERVE and PROTECT the basics part of police work – I would think that if anything good and right is to be done it should be done and maybe the students at the university may even consider in the Professor’s memory take some of this work or burden on and make sure no one falls through the cracks like it was clearly shown and was done this time around… mybe it’s our wake up call to look after our neighbor and do what is right for once.
Police I understand had a file open for three weeks prior to the murder/suiside and there’s an indication that they could have prevented these trategies from ever happening… so now we have a two people who are dead and a third that will carry that experience in her for the rest of her life… seems Fredericton is having their share of problems this year and police is struggling to do what is right in the Capital City.
Maybe it’s time to do like the USA and start buying our own guns and taking some of those responsibilities for our own safety and security here… it’s quite clear that we are without value these days from the Professor down.
As for me if I need help after what I have read about the RCMP these past few years I will not call for one of them and I will act and ask questions later. This seems to be the proto call – thanks for posting these articles it gives us a chance to monitor the situation and take the neccessary actions.
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