Jim Morris (24 hours) – The mother of Robert Dziekanski can take some solace her son’s death five years ago Sunday has reduced Taser use in B.C. and stopped police investigating themselves.
But Zofia Cisowski still grieves over her son dying after being stunned repeatedly by an RCMP Taser at the Vancouver International Airport on Oct. 14, 2007, her lawyer says.
“She still lives every day with the thought of what should have been, what could have been,” said Walter Kosteckyj, who represented Cisowski at the public inquiry into the death.
“Her life has been changed forever as a consequence of this tragic set of circumstances.”
Cisowski is frustrated the four officers involved in Dziekanski’s death are still waiting trial on perjury charges.
Three “are still on the RCMP payroll as far as she knows and have suffered no real consequences,” said Kosteckyj.
A recent government report found Taser use by police in B.C. is down 87%.
“There definitely has been a change in training, a change in perception and a change in attitudes with the Taser,” Kosteckyj said.
More important is the provincial Independent Investigations Office formed to investigate police incidents involving death or serious injury, he said.
“The police are no longer investigating themselves.”
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I hope that someone will step in and provide help to Robert’s Mother.
Putting all the political issues aside there’s no dough in my mind that this woman is suffering as a result of her son’s death.
Let’s all agree and help her okay?
The media might be able to take credit for the usage being down 87%. With every news agency in Canada repeating this story over and over for the past 5 years with just a little different slant on the same story, the community at large might have a different respect for the officers who carrying Tasers. I recall one call I was on and someone had been tazered the week before at the same location we were attending, one of the young adult’s asked me if I was carrying the tazer, when I told them I had one on me, everyone who was their the week before, left in a hurry, I got to put a ch on the file, and to think I thought it was just good old police work, never crossed my mind that it might have been because they knew what the Taser in my vest could do.
Maybe Walter was generalizing a touch, but to think that we have the public’s trust is equally generalizing. At no point in the RCMP’s past, has the publics confidence been lower. Our once well oiled propaganda machine seems to have broken down. Maybe with mass media and social media, along with a more educated general public, people can see things more for what they are.
“Walter Kosteckyj believes the public’s trust in the RCMP remains shattered.”
Well Walter, thats not the reaction I get from the public I deal with every day.
Five years since Dziekanski TASER death
Marcella Bernardo
CKNW (AM980)
Vancouver, B.C.
It has been five years since an immigrant from Poland died on the floor of Vancouver’s international airport after repeatedly being stunned by an RCMP TASER.
Robert Dziekanski’s death was the catalyst for police no longer being allowed to investigate themselves in British Columbia.
Retired judge Thomas Braidwood recommended the now month-old independent investigations office back in 2009.
“They’re doing a very good job, so I’m very pleased.”
When asked whether he was concerned about how long it took to get the independent office up and running Braidwood said there was a reason.
“They had to get good personnel. I’m not disappointed in that. They did it right. I’m glad they didn’t rush it.”
Braidwood is also pleased police use of stun guns has dropped eighty seven per cent since Dziekanski’s October 2007 death.
He’s slated to testify this week before a legislative panel reviewing how all his recommendations have been implemented.
While Braidwood praises the provincial government for taking action on all his recommendations, the lawyer representing Robert Dziekanski’s mother says more work is needed.
Walter Kosteckyj believes the public’s trust in the RCMP remains shattered.
“They also have some significant moral problems within their own ranks. I think that this comes from the leadership of the RCMP and I think that the leadership of the RCMP has not done a great job up until this point, in dealing, one with the public and their own members.”
He says his client still has questions about how her 40-year old son spent several hours at the airport before being noticed by any form of security.
Our request for comment from the Canada border services agency has not yet been approved, but Steve Hankinson –the vice-president of operations at YVR– says more than 30 improvements have been made since this tragedy.
“It continues to shape how we think about the airport and how we provide care for every customer here at YVR and we continue to look at those processes -make changes to those and add new ones to ensure that we’re caring for every customer.”
He adds YVR has increased the number of volunteers offering travelers help from 200 five years ago to more than 500 today.
Source: http://www.cknw.com/news/vancouver/story.aspx/Story.aspx?ID=1790670