(CBC News) – The Canada Border Services Agency said Thursday it did not set up a lookout for a man who crossed the border and later killed a New Brunswick university professor last year, because the RCMP had told them he was “not a danger to the public.”
In an RCMP review of how the force handled its investigation of Nicholas Baker in the period before he killed Prof. John McKendy at his home near Fredericton — and later killed himself — questions were raised about the lack of communication between the RCMP and the border services agency.
Baker had gone to the United States in a stolen car and with a stolen credit card.
On Thursday, RCMP Assistant Commissioner Darrell LaFosse said the RCMP had asked the border agency to “be on lookout” for Baker because he was being investigated for theft and fraud.
If Baker returned to Canada, he said, “our expectation would be that there would be a phone call made or something of that nature on the first instance.”
But the Mounties were not aware Baker was back in Canada until McKendy was killed last Oct. 31.
Border services officials have refused to be interviewed about the case, but issued a statement that said they did not set up a lookout for Baker because the RCMP told them he wasn’t dangerous.
“The RCMP notified the CBSA that Nicholas Wade Baker, a Canadian citizen who was suspected to be in the United States, was driving a stolen vehicle. At the time of the call, the RCMP was of the view that Mr. Baker was not a danger to the public,” according to a statement issued by Tracie LeBlanc, a spokeswoman for the border service.
The statement didn’t say whether border officers identified Baker when he crossed, and, if so, why they didn’t flag him on the theft and fraud allegations.
The RCMP and the border agency both said they’ll work together to make sure expectations are clear next time.
Risk of domestic violence was overlooked
In the review of the RCMP’s handling of the case, released Thursday, the RCMP was told it needs to review the way it investigates cases of domestic violence.
Even though members of McKendy’s family had warned police that Baker might become violent — he was the estranged husband of McKendy’s daughter — the RCMP focused only on the theft and fraud charges, and showed no concern about the potential for violence.
In a joint statement issued Thursday, McKendy’s daughter, Colleen Wakeham McKendy, and Carol Wakeham, the mother of his two daughters, said they “applauded and endorsed” the review and its recommendations.
“John McKendy was a peace activist, committed to nonviolence in all forms. It is our hope that his tragic death will serve as a catalyst for change in the way police respond to threats of domestic violence,” their statement said.
Does anyone care about their jobs anymore. Maybe if some of them were fired because of this kind of police work the others would take their jobs that much more serious and do better.
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