Wednesday, March 4, 2009

MILLINGTON THE MACHINE


Last night I actually saw some of the Dziekanski inquiry on the TV news.

What was truly terrifying was the calm, placid robot performance of RCMP Constable Kwesi Millington as he lied over and over again while under oath.

Every little detail he provided of this sorry incident was contradicted by the video of same.

He says he had to taser Dziekansky three times to bring him down and then have all four officer/thugs wrestle the poor guy to the ground.

The video shows that the man fell down screaming in agaony after one taser blast.

Five lawyers are billing taxpayers at large rates to defend these quick-draw Stasi jackboots.

And prosecutors announced long ago that there will be no charges laid against them.

O.K.

So will the RCMP keep Millington and his fellow Tin Men around in uniform?

How safe will you feel if these Nervous Nellies stop you one night on a routine drive?

This is a dark time for Law and Order in this country.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

David, you are mistaken. Constable Millington did not lie repeatedly under oath about the events on the night of Dziekansky's death.

On the contrary, while under oath yesterday, he repeatedly contradicted the written (presumably unsworn) statements he made in the aftermath of the event. He admitted his written statements were wrong.

So far David, in the last couple of days you have publicly called Millington a murderer when there has not even been a suggestion that he had any criminal intent, and a perjurer because you were confused over what you were watching on television.

Who is demonstrating the most disrespect for justice?

Anonymous said...

This reminds me of the old Grouch Marx joke -- "Who are you going to believe, me or your lying eyes?"

Sadly, this is not a joke.

Mo.

David Berner said...

Let's say you are right. Let's say I got his all wrong.

Fine.

Now, what about the good Constable?

That is the issue here.

Any thoughts about that?

NRF said...

Assistant Commissioner Peter German and Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass will be happpy if you focus on Cst Millington and Cpl Robinson and their two helpers. The killing event was over in seconds but the coverup has been functioning since then. Command officers at the highest level are responsible for automatons whose primary duty is protecting the force's reputation, regardless of ethics, morality or simple honesty.

As citizens, we need to look beyond the front line of the RCMP. The service has tolerated too many questionable deaths so more will die unnecessarily unless major changes are made.

Too bad the RCMP didn't put crime fighting ahead of ass covering.

David in North Burnaby BC said...

"And prosecutors announced long ago that there will be no charges laid against them."

Since they were not read their rights, none of their statements etc, can be used as evidence.
A truly regrettable oversight indeed. :rolleyes:

Anonymous said...

Constable Millington, and the others whose initial written statements were contradicted by the video evidence and who have now retracted them or admitted they were wrong, must be held accountable to the greatest extent allowed under the RCMP's own internal rules. And I think they should at least be dishonourably discharged (i.e. fired). This will stick with them for life. There may even be sufficient evidence for a manslaughter charge to stick, but it's too late for that.

I also think that the RCMP needs to work desperately to regain their once pristine reputation so that they can attract a higher quality candidate than they seem to be attracting now.

Additionally, RCMP training needs to be revamped with an emphasis on conflict resolution (preferably Taser-less) personal accountability, and integrity.

Finally, I would force a regional police force on Metro Vancouver + Abbotsford, and get the RCMP out of urban policing. They don't belong here, and in no other major metropolitan area do they serve.

I still maintain that if a dedicated squad of experienced airport police officers had been on duty that night, Dziekansky would still be alive today.

Anonymous said...

In the words of the late Steve Allen - with all seriousness aside, if this inquiry was held south of the border, there would be enough material to keep Leno and Letterman going for months, e.g. "The Top 10 ways a stapler can kill you".

RonH