High Court Narrows Scope of Allowable Police Sting Evidence

August 01, 2014 – Vol. 19 No. 31 High court narrows scope of allowable police sting evidence

Jul 25 2014 TORONTO - An Ontario judge has agreed to hear a Charter of Rights challenge brought by telecom- munication giants Telus and Rog- ers after police requested them to release cellphone information about 40,000 to 50,000 customers as part of an investigation in the Toronto area. Page 3

Jul 25 2014 A new supercomputer lab in the criminology department at Simon Fraser University will analyze crime data in ways never seen before in Canada. Page 4

Jul 28 2014 OTTAWA - A newly disclosed Fi- nance Department memo warns Jul 31 2014 Newfoundland man of drowning his three- that the high level of anonymity OTTAWA - Confessions extracted year-old twin daughters can be risky. associated with Bitcoin transac- through so-called Mr. Big police sting The justices ruled that Nelson Hart’s tions may make the virtual cur- operations tend to produce unreli- confession during a sting operation more rency an attractive payment able confessions, are open to abuses than a decade ago cannot be used against him method for criminals. and must be regulated more carefully should he face another trial. It will now be up Page 5 in order to be admissible in court, to the Crown to determine whether Hart can be retried. Jul 29 2014 the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Thursday. Hart was initially convicted of first-de- WINNIPEG - The retired judge The decision by the country’s highest gree murder in 2002 in the drowning deaths who probed the death of Phoenix court calls into question the convictions of of his daughter, Krista and Karen. At trial, Sinclair says child death reviews Canadians behind bars across the country. court heard that Hart showed undercover of- ought to be made public. In a majority decision, the court ruled ficers, posing as members of the mafia, how Page 5 that stings like the one used to convict a he drowned the girls by shoving them into the

Jul 30 2014 TORONTO - Chief Bill Blair will not stay on as head of the Toron- to Police beyond next spring, according to a statement published by the board Wednesday. Page 7 waters of Gander Lake, Newfoundland. Peladeau hit her head on the door frame. But the conviction was overturned in The committee called that measure “useless 2007 by the province’s appeal court by a 2-1 THURSDAY and excessive” and said it “constituted an margin. The ruling questioned the reliability JULY 24, 2014 abuse of authority.” of his confession. Sforza, Mezzacapa and Lo Dico were The Supreme Court ruled that Hart’s Jul 24 2014 also admonished for not checking on the oc- Charter rights may have been violated and MONCTON, N.B. - The two RCMP of- cupants of a truck involved in an accident that Canada’s legal system does not adequate- ficers in New Brunswick who were during the chase needed help. ly protect the rights of people who are subject wounded in shootings last month that However, the committee considers that to Mr. Big sting operations. also killed three of their colleagues Sforza had reason to draw his weapon in a “I have concluded that the April 1 confes- are expressing gratitude for the pub- first attempt to arrest Peladeau because she sion must also be excluded,’’ Justice Michael lic’s support. allegedly threatened him with a syringe. Moldaver wrote on behalf of the majority. The RCMP have released statements A citation against a fourth agent, Fabio “As such, it is doubtful whether any ad- from constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Nicola Cavaliere, was withdrawn “for reasons missible evidence remains upon which a jury, Goguen, who were shot on June 4 while they of health and humanitarian consideration.” properly instructed and acting reasonably, were pursuing an armed suspect in Moncton. The officers will be sentenced at a later date. could convict,’’ he added. “However, the fi- Dubois says he appreciates the comfort- Judge Martin Vauclair of the Court of nal decision on how to proceed rests with the ing notes he received from across Canada and Quebec acquitted officers Sforza and Cava- Crown.’’ the United States while he was recuperating. liere of assault charges in May 2008. The Mr. Big investigative technique in- Goguen says she continues to recover Vauclair concluded that the police force volves undercover police officers who recruit from her injuries and is grateful for the pub- used against Ms. Peladeau was vigorous, but a suspect to a ficticious criminal organization lic’s encouragement and prayers. deemed it necessary and not excessive. while posing as gangsters. The aim is to ob- Both were treated and released from hos- Jul 24 2014 tain a confession to a crime. pital after the shootings. But there are “significant problems’’ with OTTAWA - Ottawa Police have col- such stings, the court said. Jul 24 2014 lected more than 60,000 traffic stop “To be sure, Mr. Big operations can be- MONTREAL - The 580 police officers entries a year after the launch of a come abusive, and they can produce confes- of Laval have joined their Service de program to promote bias free policing. sions that are unreliable and prejudicial,’’ said police de la Ville de Montréal breth- A new report on the Race Based Data the ruling. ren and are now wearing non-regula- Collection, released Thursday to the Ottawa The court said police and lawmakers tion issue pants to protest proposed Police Services Board, counts the program a must figure out a better way to extract solid changes to their pension plan. success. confessions from suspects in criminal cases. Starting Wednesday, police officers are Insp. Pat Flanagan, who is responsible for “We must seek a legal framework that wearing jeans, combat pants and anything but the project, said the collection means Ottawa protects accused persons, and the justice their regulation trousers on the job. police “can continue its commitment to bias system as a whole, against these dangers,’’ The pants issue it meant to remind the free policing and have meaningful dialogue it said. provincial government and Laval mayor about racial profiling concerns.” “Mr. Big operations are a creative and Marc Demers that the officers are not happy Since June 2013, officers at traffic stops sometimes useful law enforcement technique, with the proposed Bill 3, which would unilat- have recorded their perception of the driver’s but the courts must carefully police their erally alter their work conditions by changing race. They also collect age and gender along boundaries lest they stray from being useful the amounts the officers will have to contrib- with stop details like the date and location, strategies into ploys that allow the state to ute to their pension plan. reason for stop and its outcome. More than 81 manipulate and destroy the lives of individu- In a statement, the officers object to hav- per cent of all recorded traffic stops have all als who are presumed to be innocent.’’ ing to pay for the mistakes made by elected eight fields filled out, the report said. officials that caused the crisis in the budget. The two-year project came out of an While Montreal police have often taken agreement between the Ontario Human the jeans-and-cargo-pants route in the past, Rights Commission and the Ottawa Police this is the first time Laval has joined in. Services Board. (Montreal Gazette) “It’s about building a project that will produce accurate, meaningful and measura- ISSN 1704-3913 Jul 24 2014 ble data, and more importantly, have the con- Copyright 2014 Quebec’s police ethics committee has fidence of our members and the communities Blue Line Magazine Inc. & The Canadian Press we serve,” said Flanagan in a news release. Permission to reprint may be obtained in advance from sanctioned three Montreal police of- The report calls it the largest study of its Access Copyright ficers in connection to their behaviour Phone 1-800-893-5777 [email protected] in a 2005 incident involving Anne-Ma- kind in Canada, and the data will be made public in 2015 when the two-year project is over. Published weekly by Blue Line Magazine, Inc. as an executive rie Peladeau, sister of media-mogul- (Ottawa Citizen) news briefing service to Canada’s top level law enforcement personnel. turned-politician Pierre Karl Peladeau. Nearly nine years after the fact, the tribu- Most information supplied in this publication is from news- Jul 24 2014 wire services. As such Blue Line Magazine does not ac- nal deemed the behavior of officers Roberto cept responsibility for the accuracy of articles as supplied. Sforza, Mike Mezzacappa and Lo Dico “de- CALGARY - A group of convicted of- rogatory” in reference to the violent arrest of fenders are serving their time while All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, serving the community as part of a stored in an electronic database or transmitted in any form or by Peladeau and Eric Kennedy. The pair was ap- any means, electronic, photocopying, recording or otherwise, with- prehended after allegedly stealing cigarettes partnership between the Calgary Po- out the prior permission of the publishers. One Year Subscriptions lice Service, Alberta Corrections and are $10500 (GST Included). Paid subscribers may make up to four and initiating a police chase. (4) copies of this publication for distribution within their organization. The arrest was caught on camera by a the Kiwanis Club of Calgary. TVA camera. TVA is owned by Quebecor, The inmates are repairing old bicycles Group Publisher: Morley S. Lymburner while developing skills which will help with PUBLISHER: Kathryn M. Lymburner - [email protected] which in turn is run by the Peladeau family. NEWS EDITOR: Mark Reesor - [email protected] Sforza was found to have broken the code their reintegration into society as part of a Subscriptions: Blue Line Store at www.BlueLine.ca of ethics for aggressively shoving Peladeau program which has been in place since 2000. ADVERTISING: 1-888-640-3048 The Calgary Police Service supplies un- 12A-4981 Hwy. 7 East, Ste. 254, Markham ON L3R 1N1 while trying to get her to climb into the police Phone: 905 640-3048 eMail: [email protected] car after she was arrested. claimed bikes to the prison where inmates 2 provide the necessary repairs. which will break ground on the centre next very high degree of accuracy...they use this The fruits of their labour are provided to year — the NRP will be able to access data re- technology called LIDAR, which has been children in need in the Calgary area. The Ki- motely if the systems at headquarters go down. around for a longtime but the accuracy they wanis Club of Calgary Chinook has donated The $1.28 million for the capital project have is a step-change compared to, say, even 5,000 bicycles to deserving children through will be used to buy NRP equipment, software, what the military would have,” said Greg various local agencies since 1997, the majori- licences, security systems and fibre lines to Head, the company president’s brother. ty of which were repaired by inmates through put in the Region’s data centre space. The helicopters also took high-resolution the partnership which started in 2000. (Sun Media) images of the search site. “It started off with 15 bikes and it grew to Vieworx equipment is typically used to 30 that year, and now, 17 years later, we’re on Jul 24 2014 inspect pipelines, pipeline settlement, and bike 5,000,” said Darlene Kerr, a representa- PEEL - Peel Regional Police will be other needs of the oil and gas industry, said tive of the Kiwanis Club of Calgary Chinook. looking for two new deputy chiefs af- Greg. “To be able to help that many families and ter a second deputy has announced “To make it simple to understand, if you kids in the city, it just overwhelms us.” he will retire. went in your backyard and dug a hole a foot- “If it was possible, I think we could give On the heels of the retirement announce- by-a-foot and you filled it back in and they away 10,000 bikes a year in this city,” adds ment of Deputy Chief Dan McDonald, Depu- flew over that area with the helicopter, they Kerr. “We get so many requests and we just ty Chief Frank Roselli has announced he will would find that,” he said. can’t keep up with the demand.” retire effective Oct. 6. If the bodies are on the acreage, Greg The reaction of the children receiving the Roselli, a Peel Regional Police officer for says the technology will find them bicycles and helmets can be a heartwarming 34 years, was put in the role of one of Peel’s Police have arrested and charged 54-year- moment for everyone involved. three deputies in December 2012, at the same old Douglas Garland with three counts of “It’s such a source of joy for the chil- time Chris McCord was also sworn in as a murder – two first degree and one second de- dren,” said Louise Bursa, a healthy families deputy chief. gree – in relation to the missing family. home visitor with Pathways, an organization McDonald, a 35-year police veteran, was (Sun Media) which supports local children and their fami- appointed acting deputy chief in 2006, and lies. “Quite often (the families) can’t afford the title was made official in 2008. He an- Jul 25 2014 bikes for their children at all. They can’t get nounced his retirement last week. HALIFAX - A review into the Halifax new ones or used ones, and it’s just like a Peel Police Services Board Chair Emil police investigation of a blind woman miracle for them to have these bikes.” Kolb said a search for a new deputy chief to found lying beneath a bridge has re- Alberta’s Justice Minister says the pro- replace McDonald would focus on candidates affirmed the force’s position that her gram is beneficial for the children, the offend- among current Peel Regional Police employ- death was accidental. ers, and the environment. ees, and that search will now look for two Quebec City police were asked in Febru- “Children in need benefit by getting rec- deputies instead of just one. The process is ary to conduct the review after Holly Bart- reational equipment, bicycles are kept out of expected to conclude at the end of September. lett’s family contacted the Halifax police landfills and offenders are put to work while Kolb praised Roselli for his contributions chief to say they had concerns about the in- being accountable for their actions,” said to the service. vestigation. Minister Jonathan Denis, Alberta Justice and “He is a true professional in every sense Bartlett was discovered unconscious un- Solicitor General. of the word,” Kolb said. der the MacKay Bridge on March 27, 2010, (CTV Calgary) Chief Jennifer Evans said Roselli exempli- and died in hospital the next day. fies the qualities the service values and fosters. The Halifax police investigation at the Jul 24 2014 For his part, Roselli expressed admiration time concluded the 31-year-old woman had Niagara Regional Police are ready for for his co-workers and soon-to-be-former become disoriented after leaving a taxi in the any emergency — and now their data employer. early morning hours and fell 10 metres off a will be too. “This is a great organization and it’s been concrete abutment. The police will back up all their informa- an honour to work with so many truly out- While the Quebec City police review tion technology in a new data centre being standing individuals,” he said says Bartlett’s death was accidental, it took added onto Niagara Region’s headquarters in (Mississauga News) issue with what it said was a lack of thorough Thorold. investigative steps. The police board reported Thursday it The Halifax police says it is concerned had approved spending $1.28 million for FRIDAY that the Quebec City police did not interview equipment for the Disaster Recovery Centre. JULY 25, 2014 each officer involved in the file, but it is de- “We’re focusing right now on systems termining how to best implement the review’s that are mission critical,” Akram Askoul, the Jul 25 2014 recommendations. NRP’s director of information and commu- CALGARY - Calgary police have re- Jul 25 2014 nications technology said later. “For systems ceived help from the Grande Prairie we can do without for a month or three weeks, company, Vieworx, in the contin- TORONTO - An Ontario judge has we haven’t justified spending any capital on it ued search for five-year-old Nathan agreed to hear a Charter of Rights because we can work around it.” O’Brien and his grandparents, Alvin challenge brought by telecommuni- Askoul said there are multiple computer and Kathryn Liknes, who have been cation giants Telus and Rogers after rooms holding data at the St. Catharines missing since June 30. police requested them to release cell- Church St. detachment, which will be moved Over two days last weekend, a Vieworx phone information about 40,000 to to Niagara Falls when the new NRP head- helicopter equipped with advanced technol- 50,000 customers as part of an inves- quarters opens there. ogy that has the ability to detect small ground tigation in the Toronto area. But if anything happened to the primary disturbances, scanned the Airdrie acreage po- Justice John Sproat says that the case site due to a fire or gas leak or other event, lice suspect the bodies of the missing may be has highlighted important issues about pri- Askoul said those systems, like dispatch, located. vacy and law enforcement that should be records management, criminal records and This week the company has been assist- challenged in open court, even though Peel Crown briefs, would fail. While the service ing the police in reading all of the data col- regional police attempted to withdraw their can still operate in manual mode with pen and lected. original requests. paper, it’s not ideal or efficient. “What’s unique about their technology His ruling was dated July 16 but released By mirroring its data at the Region — is it can detect ground disturbances at a very, Friday. 3 Lawyers for Telus and Rogers said the will give Brantingham a new universe to ex- meeting between Quebec’s labour board and companies have responded to thousands of plore. She says the new lab will be able to the police union — the Montreal Police Broth- court orders requiring cell records but said that take the large amount of data available across erhood — that lasted until 6 a.m Saturday. the “tower dumps’’ requested by Peel regional the whole province and allow a deeper look at The meeting concluded with the labour police force in this situation were too broad. how, where and why crimes occur. board ordering all officers back to work. The Crown countered that the Charter The RCMP’s Tonia Enger, who is coordi- A police department spokesman said po- challenge should be dropped because police nating the exchange of information between lice services were not compromised by the had withdrawn their original request for in- the RCMP and SFU, says the RCMP does its move and those already on duty filled in by formation from 21 cell towers and were will- own computerized crime analysis but the new working four hours of overtime. ing to ask for information from fewer towers. SFU capability will give it more big-picture Other officers came in four hours early. But the judge agreed to hear arguments, information and provide independent analy- It is not clear how much the overtime will saying privacy is of obvious importance to sis when they need it. cost the city. Canadians and noting that lawyers for Rogers It will also help the RCMP with policy The Police Brotherhood denied encour- and Telus are in a position to argue Charter and communications, she says, in a time when aging its members to call in sick. issues that may not be evident to the general policing is getting increasingly complex. Officers and other municipal workers public. (Vancouver Sun) have been using pressure tactics in recent Sproat said he would set dates for hear- weeks as they protest proposed pension re- ings at a later time. form legislation. SATURDAY The Quebec government has introduced Jul 25 2014 JULY 26, 2014 legislation known as Bill 3 that would in- A new supercomputer lab in the crimi- crease the share of pension contributions paid nology department at Simon Fraser by municipal workers to 50 per cent. Jul 26 2014 University will analyze crime data in (CBC News) ways never seen before in Canada. For the second time in two days, a The new lab will use high performance police chase in Quebec has ended in computing — clusters of interconnected tragedy. SUNDAY computers with power massively larger than Around 8:30 p.m. Friday, Surete du Que- JULY 27, 2014 an individual computer — and the computer bec officers were chasing a truck with three system will be locked away inside a metal occupants in Mont Laurier, about 243 kilo- cage in an underground building. Anyone metres northwest of Montreal. entering will have to have an RCMP security At the intersection of Highways 117 and Jul 27 2014 clearance, and the system won’t be connected 309, the truck veered and collided with a car ALEXIS CREEK, B.C. - One man is in to the Internet or any outside computers. travelling in the opposite direction. custody following a confrontation re- The only thing police are not providing to A male passenger was killed on impact. sulting in shots fired at RCMP near a the new lab is the names of offenders — those A female passenger is in critical condition in small town west of Williams Lake. are replaced by numbers. hospital. Police say an Alexis Creek officer saw This combination of high performance Police arrested the three occupants of the two men allegedly attempting to start a stolen computing and use of police data is “ab- truck. They are comprised of two adults and a pickup truck. solutely unique at a research institution in juvenile, who will be questioned on Saturday. The passenger left but the driver was tak- Canada and very unusual in other parts of the The investigation into the crash has been en into custody. world,” says computer scientist Uwe Glässer, transferred to the Montreal police. Police say while the officer was dealing who is setting up the lab. In another police chase, a 20-year-old with the man in custody, two other men - one Glässer will work with SFU criminolo- man died Thursday when he lost control of who had a knife - approached and threatened gists Patricia Brantingham and Martin An- his car and crashed into a tree in St. Blaise sur the officer. dresen. Brantingham is the director of the In- Richelieu on the South Shore Other officers were called to help, and the stitute for Canadian Urban Research Studies suspects who threatened the officer left. at SFU. Jul 26 2014 Police say several shots were fired at of- The new lab will focus on two main ar- The dispute over Quebec’s proposed ficers during a search for the suspects that fol- eas: urban crime and maritime security. pension reform legislation took a new lowed, but no injuries were reported. Brantingham says high performance twist overnight Friday when more than computing is typically used in the study of 100 Montreal officers simultaneously complex networks like those found in cos- called in sick. mology and genomics, or in such things as The situation sparked a 2 a.m. emergency the prediction of tsunamis and hurricanes, “where you have massive amounts of data in which to find patterns.” But she says there are complex, predict- able networks in criminology too, namely the geographical pathways along which people (criminals and non-criminals) move, gather, work, play and live their lives. According to the new sciences of com- putational criminology and environmental criminology, both of which Brantingham helped to invent, understanding those societal networks can predict and prevent criminal activity. It has led to new ways of looking at urban planning, for example, where planners and architects avoid creating specific kinds of environments where crime tends to occur. Now, police data and a bigger computer 4 ers gave up the chase because of potentially dangerous speeds. MONDAY Mounties say the truck later hit a rec- TUESDAY JULY 28, 2014 reational vehicle near Milestone and another JULY 29, 2014 driver reported seeing the pickup being driven

erratically near Wilcox as it was heading west. Jul 29 2014 Jul 28 2014 By this point, Regina police and the WINNIPEG - The retired judge who HALIFAX - A top judge in Nova Scotia RCMP in a number of smaller communities probed the death of Phoenix Sinclair says he is surprised at the positive had been alerted to the fleeing driver and says child death reviews ought to be impact live-tweeting inside the court- officers in Moose Jaw were set to deploy a made public. room has had after the province’s judi- spike belt if the truck was sighted. Ted Hughes says he worries the Mani- ciary recently relaxed the rules on the After an extensive search of a highway toba government may never act on one of his use of Twitter in the courts. and several side roads, the pickup was found biggest recommendations - the creation of a Chief Justice Joseph Kennedy of the abandoned next to the “The Ruby’’ cafe at the powerful new child welfare watchdog. Nova Scotia Supreme Court allowed report- Corner Gas set in Roleau (ROH’-loh), where Hughes says there needs to be child advo- ers to live-tweet proceedings during the trial a 27-year-old woman from Okotoks, Alta., cate’s office that’s truly independent of gov- of Lyle Howe, a Halifax lawyer convicted of was arrested nearby. ernment and able to speak more freely about sexual assault. Stephanie Martens was to appear in a Re- its investigations. “I couldn’t get over how well it had gina courtroom on charges that include im- But he says the recent decision to renew worked,’’ Kennedy said in an interview, de- paired driving and flight from police. scribing it as the closest thing to gavel-to- the term of the current Children’s Advocate, gavel coverage he has seen. Jul 28 2014 Darlene MacDonald, for three years means the province is not following his recommendation. “I didn’t think it was going to be as ac- VANCOUVER – About 40 dog handlers curate as it turned out to be. I have to say that Hughes conducted a public inquiry into from various police departments in the death of five-year-old Phoenix, who was I was very impressed. the Lower Mainland spent part of the “I’d come back (to my office) occasion- beaten to death in 2006 by her mother and her weekend learning how to better pro- mother’s boyfriend. ally and go on the computer after I’d been to tect their four-legged partners in the the courtroom - I’d tell my colleagues that I His report concluded that the province’s field. child-welfare system did not protect the abo- used to have to come back here to find out They spent the day mastering canine first what happened,’’ he said, kidding. riginal girl. aid, everything from finding a pulse to band- (Winnipeg Free Press) New guidelines governing the use of aging an animal with fur. electronic devices in the courtroom came into Experts say even a few minutes can mean Jul 29 2014 effect in Nova Scotia on May 15, allowing the difference between life and death. OSHAWA, Ont. - Eighteen people are communication such as tweeting and texting “Out in the street we do a lot of stuff facing numerous drug-related charg- for any purpose, including publication, in that’s quick and dynamic,” said Const. Dar- es after early-morning raids in several most courts, unless otherwise banned by the rin McDougall with the Vancouver Police. central Ontario communities. presiding judge. “Whether it’s going through buildings or Durham regional police say officers ex- chasing after guys you don’t know if they’re Jul 28 2014 ecuted 22 search warrants Tuesday - includ- armed or what they have. ing 16 in Durham Region, two in Toronto and ST. JOHN’S, N.L. - Police in Newfound- “And we’ve had dogs like Teak who was two in York Region - following a four-month land and Labrador say they’re going stabbed while he was apprehending someone. investigation dubbed Project Bermuda. to use decibel meters to crack down And so what we did today was learn how we The other raids were in Bancroft, north- on noisy motorcycles. can enhance their survival.” The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary (Global News) east of Peterborough, and the Kawartha has notified the city of St. John’s that tickets Lakes area. may be issued for violations under the High- Jul 28 2014 Investigators say drugs including co- caine, hashish and marijuana were seized, way Traffic Act. OTTAWA - A newly disclosed Finance The Canadian standard for the maximum along with $100,000 in cash, a number of Department memo warns that the high weapons, nine vehicles, a trailer and a boat. noise a motorcycle can make is 82 decibels. level of anonymity associated with Police say knowing when a bike, car or Durham police say the investigation be- Bitcoin transactions may make the gan in Feburary after weapons and drugs were truck reaches that point has become a prob- virtual currency an attractive payment lem, and proving a noise violation in court is found at a home in Oshawa, east of Toronto. method for criminals. It grew to involve 11 other law enforce- difficult without a decibel meter. The internal memo, prepared for former ment agencies and targeted street-level drug The province said last month that it didn’t finance minister Jim Flaherty, says while the sellers in the region. see the need for any additional legislation to degree of criminal activity involving Bitcoin The 18 people arrested face a total of 73 address modified exhaust systems and it has is unclear, some have raised flags about its charges and police say one other person has left the responsibility to municipalities. potential to fund illicit activity. been identified but has not yet been arrested. Other cities across the country like Ed- Bitcoin is a digital currency exchanged monton and Winnipeg have adopted bylaws. through computer transactions without the Jul 29 2014 (VOCM) oversight of a central bank. Codiac RCMP are installing new high- The May 2013 memo to Flaherty, who Jul 28 2014 tech sirens in some of their vehicles died last April, was released under the Access that will not only be heard, but also felt. ROLEAU, Sask. - The backdrop for the to Information Act. The Rumbler intersection-clearing sys- former television show and soon-to-be In his final budget in February, Flaherty tem emits low frequency tones that penetrate movie “Corner Gas’’ has played a role announced measures to bring Bitcoin transac- solid materials, allowing motorists and near- in the long-range police pursuit of a ve- tions within the scope of Canada’s anti-mon- by pedestrians to feel the sound waves as far hicle across southern Saskatchewan. ey laundering law. away as 50 metres or more, Const. Damien Weyburn city police tried Saturday to The memo is among several internal Thériault said in a release. stop a pickup truck reported stolen from notes - including an RCMP analysis - that “The decision to go to this technology Calgary and tagged with a stolen Manitoba reveal the concern among federal officials was made with officer and public safety in licence plate, but both city and RCMP offic- about Bitcoin and other virtual currencies. mind,” said Thériault. 5 “We do have cases where people say they by Toronto police, who say they have been re- sure that when you go to work or you go to a didn’t hear the siren until we’re immediately ceiving tips from the public regularly for three restaurant, you can have a safe environment,’’ behind them. This piece of equipment could decades, including as recently as this year. he said. save lives and prevent serious injuries.” A Twitter hashtag (#FindNicole), and a Gevaudan, Ross and Larche were shot Two of Codiac RCMP’s vehicles in the “Find Nicole’’ Facebook page have also been dead and a manhunt spanning 30 hours en- Greater Moncton area are already equipped created in order to spread the word about the sued until a suspect was arrested. with the Rumbler system and new vehicles continuing investigation. Const. Darlene Goguen was also injured will also be equipped with it as they are put Police say they are still hopeful that in the shootings and has been treated and re- into service, said Thériault. Morin is alive, and that these new initiatives leased from hospital. It’s a first for New Brunswick, he said. will encourage people to come forward with Justin Bourque is charged with three The system, which can be paired with information. counts of first-degree murder and two counts most emergency sirens, has been used by Det. Sgt. Madelaine Tretter says there of attempted murder. He is scheduled to re- other police forces across North America for have been cases in the United States where turn to provincial court Thursday in Moncton several years, he said. someone has been found alive decades after following a psychiatric assessment. It consists of an amplifier, with a built-in disappearing, and said this is still a possibility (News 91.9) timer and two subwoofers. The built-in timer in Morin’s case. allows the tone to sound for eight seconds and The one-minute video recreating the Jul 30 2014 then automatically shut off, Thériault said. girl’s July 30, 1985 disappearance can viewed VANCOUVER - A Vancouver police “Basically you feel vibration like you online on YouTube and will also be played at officer could face dismissal after an would from a bass, like a very low bass from Mac’s Convenience Stores across Ontario. adjudicator concluded he used his a sound system,” he said. vehicle to ram a stolen SUV during a The lower pitched rumbling siren accom- Jul 30 2014 high-speed chase while lying about what was happening over his radio. panies the higher pitched siren most people WINNIPEG - More than 2,000 speed- Retired B.C. Court of Appeal judge Bill are accustomed to hearing. ing tickets in Winnipeg are being can- Smart delivered a ruling Wednesday that up- Thériault says RCMP will only use the celled or refunded due to an adminis- held allegations of deceit and neglect of duty new sirens occasionally. trative error. against Const. Christopher Charters, who is (CBC News) The tickets are being tossed because they currently suspended without pay. His punish- cite the wrong section of a recently changed ment, which could include dismissal from the provincial law on speeding in construction force, will be decided in the fall. WEDNESDAY zones. Charters appeared before a public hearing ordered by the Office of the Police Com- JULY 30, 2014 Police say a computer used for photo ra- plaints Commissioner earlier this year. dar had not been updated to cite the new sec- The allegations stem from an incident in tion of the law. Jul 30 2014 the early morning of Dec. 26, 2011, when a Police say 2,574 photo radar tickets are stolen Jeep Cherokee was spotted speeding TORONTO - A Toronto police officer is affected through Vancouver’s east side. facing an additional charge in relation They were issued between June 27 and A supervisor broadcast an order over the to the shooting death of a teenager on July 1. police radio that the suspect should not be a streetcar last summer, as his law- The fines would have brought in roughly pursued, the adjudicator’s decision says. yers hope for a trial late next year. $1 million. Minutes later, Charters, a member of the Const. James Forcillo already faces a police dog unit who was driving an unmarked Chevrolet Tahoe SUV, began following the second-degree murder charge in the death of Jul 30 2014 18-year-old Sammy Yatim. Cherokee and broadcasting updates over the MONCTON, N.B. - One of the two RCMP radio. His emergency lights weren’t activated Now the Crown has filed a new indict- officers in New Brunswick wounded in and he said over the radio that he wasn’t en- ment and Forcillo has also been charged with shootings last month in Moncton says gaged in a “pursuit.’’ attempted murder “by shooting (Yatim) with he has returned to work. At one point, Charters hit the Cherokee a firearm and thereby wounding him.’’ Const. Eric Dubois spoke to the media as the officer was attempting to use his Tahoe The reasons for the additional charge Wednesday for the first time since the June to box in the stolen SUV, the decision says. may be related to evidence from the prelimi- 4 shootings while he was participating at a The chase resumed, and shortly after nary inquiry, which is covered by a publica- Charters said over his radio: “He’s trying to golf tournament at Royal Oaks Golf Club in get close to me, he’s trying to ram me, so I’m tion ban. Moncton. One of Forcillo’s lawyers, Lawrence trying to stay away from him.’’ He also re- The tournament was organized in mem- peated his insistence that he wasn’t engaged Gridin, appeared in court Wednesday on For- ory of the three other Mounties who were in a formal pursuit. cillo’s behalf and set Sept. 22 as a date for a killed in the shootings. The person who was driving the stolen judicial pre-trial. Dubois said he is recovering from his in- vehicle, David Davidson, alleged the officer Yatim was shot and killed on an empty juries faster than he expected and was happy used his SUV’s push bars to ram the back of streetcar on July 27, 2013 - an incident cap- to participate in the tournament, which fea- the Cherokee. tured on surveillance and cellphone video tured a moment of remembrance for consta- Charters later denied ramming the Chero- on which nine shots can be heard following kee, and instead insisted he was more than a bles Fabrice Gevaudan, Dave Ross and Doug block behind the suspect and that Davidson shouted commands to drop a knife. Larche. Gridin said he is hoping to set a trial date repeatedly slammed on the brakes in an ap- “Everybody was praying for me and I can parent attempt to cause the officer to back off. for as soon as possible, but it likely won’t tell you that it did work because my healing In a written ruling, Smart concluded that take place until the fall of 2015 at the earliest. went so fast. Everyone around me says it’s Charters acted reasonably until the chase re- incredible how fast everything went back to sumed after the first collision. Jul 30 2014 normal,’’ said Dubois. But Smart’s decision says Charters did TORONTO - Police have released a “I’m not superhuman. It’s because people ram the back of the Cherokee and then falsely new video re-enactment of the disap- were praying and wishing me good stuff and claimed over his radio that the Cherokee was pearance of an eight-year-old girl who it works.’’ attempting to ram him. vanished from a Toronto apartment “Whatever the reason, I find he intention- Dubois added that he’s happy to be back ally struck the rear bumper of the Cherokee, building in 1985. at work. The search for Nicole Morin has been one once or twice, with the push bar attached to “That’s what I want to do - be on the the front of the Tahoe in an unsuccessful ef- of the largest investigations ever conducted street and fight crime every day and make fort to stop the Cherokee and apprehend the 6 driver,’’ wrote Smart. Mukherjee told reporters that the board’s de- Jul 31 2014 “I find he then broadcast a false or mis- cision to not renew Blair’s contract was not TORONTO - The longest-serving inmate leading statement about what had occurred.’’ based on his performance. in Canada to have a murder conviction Smart also concluded that after the first “You’re trying to get me to say if there’s quashed can sue those involved in his collision, Charters was “knowingly and de- a particular failure on the part of the chief and prosecution, Ontario’s top court ruled liberately engaged in a pursuit,’’ despite what my answer is no,” he said. “(Our) decision Thursday. the officer said over the radio. was not a decision against Chief Bill Blair. It In its ruling, the Ontario Court of Appeal said Smart said there was enough evidence was a decision on what’s the best way to go it would be wrong to deny Romeo Phillion, who to prove allegations of deceit and of neglect forward for this organization and this city.” spent 31 years behind bars protesting his inno- of duty for what Charters said over his radio Ford, who has had a rocky relationship cence, a chance at a civil lawsuit. during the chase. Another allegation of deceit with the police chief, also had kind words for In essence, the court found, the issues Phil- for what Charters wrote in subsequent reports him on Wednesday. lion wants to litigate are different from what the wasn’t proved, Smart said. “I want to thank Chief Bill Blair for his Appeal Court looked at when it overturned his An internal Vancouver Police Depart- service to the people of this great city for the conviction in 2009 and ordered a new trial on the ment review proposed firing Charters, though last 10 years,” Ford told reporters outside his grounds that police and Crown had failed to dis- it will be up to Smart to decide what will ulti- office at city hall. “I look forward to working close a crucial piece of evidence. mately happen to the officer. with the new chief in April.” “The stakes, purpose and process were en- A hearing is scheduled for late September In response to Wednesday’s decision, tirely different from this civil action,” the Appeal to determine his punishment. Blair -- who has held the top spot at the Court said. Charters’ lawyer declined to comment TPS since April 2005 – released a simple “In any event, the findings made on the ref- following Wednesday’s ruling. statement. erence with respect to the conduct of the Crown “I want to thank the board their and police did not consider any issues of negli- Jul 30 2014 consideration.” gence or a common law duty of care as alleged in (CTV News) TORONTO - Chief Bill Blair will not the statement of claim.” stay on as head of the Toronto Po- Phillion was convicted of second-degree lice beyond next spring, according to murder in 1972 in the death of Ottawa firefighter a statement published by the board THURSDAY Leopold Roy five years earlier based on a con- Wednesday. JULY 31, 2014 fession he recanted almost immediately. He was The Toronto Police Services Board has jailed for life and unsuccessfully appealed all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. He always decided not to renew Blair’s employment Jul 31 2014 contract. He had applied for a renewal of his refused to seek parole, saying it would amount to contract last Friday, but the board voted not to BOUCHERVILLE, Que. - It’s unclear if an admission of guilt. keep him on for a third term. His last day in it was his special day of the year but a However, he was ultimately able to persuade office will be April 25, 2015. Quebec driver was in his birthday suit the federal government to refer the case to the “Chief Blair has had a long and distin- when police arrested him today follow- Ontario Court of Appeal, which quashed his con- guished policing career with the Toronto Po- ing a brief chase. viction and ordered a new trial in 2009. The court lice Service. He is widely viewed as a cham- Police say the driver was stark naked when found that police had initially verified an alibi pion of community policing and a leader they finally stopped him south of Montreal for showing Phillion’s innocence but never told the in law enforcement around the world,” the allegedly running a stop sign and ramming a cop defence about it, apparently because investiga- TPSB said in a statement thanking Blair for cruiser. tors subsequently debunked the alibi. his service. Longueuil police spokesman Mark David The Crown withdrew the charge, arguing too Speaking to media from the Toronto Po- says the 23-year-old man could face charges, but much time had passed to pursue a new trial. lice headquarters, TPSB Chair Alok Mukher- for now is in hospital undergoing tests. Phillion, now in his mid-70s, then sued for jee said the decision was sensitive and diffi- They’re trying to get a blood sample as the $14 million, alleging negligence and wrongdoing cult to make. intercepting officers suspect he might have been by prosecutors and two Ottawa police officers. “The board took into account a variety under the influence of either alcohol or drugs. In April last year, Ontario Superior Court Justice of factors: the needs of the city, the chal- David says the man allegedly tried to ram the Eva Frank decided the suit would be an abuse of lenges that the organization faces at this police car on three occasions but made impact process and should not proceed. time, the priorities that must be addressed,” only once, with hardly any damage to the cruiser. In her ruling, Frank said the Appeal Court Mukherjee said. Nobody was injured. had already rejected suggestions of wrongdoing by police or Crown and that too much time had “We decided that it was time, after 10 Jul 31 2014 years of very distinguished service by Chief passed to try Phillion’s claim now. Blair, for us to appoint a new chief,” he said. MONCTON, N.B. - A New Brunswick However, Thursday’s decision found several “It was not an easy decision, and there was a man charged with fatally shooting three problems with Frank’s reasoning. great deal of consideration given before the RCMP officers and wounding two others Phillion should not be blamed that so much board reached a decision.” last month in Moncton has been found fit time has passed, Appeal Court Justice Kathryn Wednesday’s decision surprised the to stand trial. Feldman wrote in the unanimous judgment. head of the Toronto Police Association, who Justin Bourque faces three charges of first- “Whether wrongfully or not, it was the re- described Blair’s influence on the force as degree murder and two counts of attempted mur- spondents who had the knowledge of the infor- mostly positive. der. mation that led to the (Appeal Court) reference, “I think that a lot of the stuff that he A provincial court judge read today from a to the setting aside of the verdict, and to the even- did around community-based policing and psychiatric assessment that concluded Bourque tual withdrawal of the charge,” Feldman said. bringing policing into the 21st century will is competent and mentally fit for trial. “To in effect punish the appellant for the pas- be his legacy,” Mike McCormack told CTV Bourque has elected to be tried by judge and sage of time in these circumstances by staying his Toronto. jury and his case was adjourned until Aug. 8 in action strikes me as manifestly unfair.” In the nearly 10 years that Blair has been the Court of Queen’s Bench. Phillion will now have to impugn the integri- head of the Toronto Police, he has been cred- Constables Dave Ross, Fabrice Gevaudan ty of police and prosecution, something that was ited for improving relationships with the and Douglas Larche were gunned down after re- not required when he sought to have his guilty community and for making human rights a sponding to a report of a man with firearms in a verdict set aside, Feldman said. top priority for the force. But Blair’s tenure residential neighbourhood on June 4. “It would further bring the administration at the top has not been without controversy. Constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen of justice into disrepute to grant a stay in these Under his watch, Blair helped guide the were wounded and later released from hospital. circumstances and deprive the appellant of any Toronto police force through a number of Bourque was arrested following a 30-hour opportunity to seek financial redress for his con- turbulent times, including the G20 Summit, manhunt. viction when he did not have the opportunity to the shooting of Sammy Yatim aboard a TTC The 24-year-old man has not entered pleas present a full defence at his trial.” streetcar last summer and the so-called Rob to the charges. Phillion’s lawyer, David Robins, said from Ford “crack video” probe Windsor, Ont., on Thursday that his client was Despite those controversies, however, “pleased” with the decision and the lawsuit would now proceed. 7