Letter to the editor from Julian Fantino: Police have right to speak out about Tasers

What a silly letter, Mr. Fantino! Next you'll be sticking out your tongue, with your hands on your hips, yelling "I KNOW YOU ARE...BUT WHAT AM I?" Isn't this conduct unbecoming of Ontario's top police officer?

If YOU and the rest of your old-boy's club at the CACP/CPA were to have taken the trouble to DO YOUR HOMEWORK before the recent news conference to which you refer, then you and they might have in fact been able to, as you say, "articulate well researched, factually based and reasonable conclusions", for example, about the # of times tasers have proven to be NOT so less-lethal.

It's time for you, as the Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police, to stop wasting dwindling Ontario taxpayer dollars on such drivel and get started on your HOMEWORK because this just may come up again. And, just as you refused to do the media's homework, I'm not going to do yours, but I WILL give you a "hint" - Robert Dziekanski, Robert C. Heston, Henry O. Bryant, Kevin Piskura, and the list goes on ... if you spend even just a few moments either browsing through this website or Googling taser+cause of death and/or taser+contributing factor, you will be amazed to see that the taser has been identified as the CAUSE of death or a CONTRIBUTING FACTOR of death in many cases.

Once you have all completed your homework, then the next time you open your mouth on this subject intending to sound intelligent, you *might* actually be accused of conduct more becoming of someone in your position.

Oh, and my fellow blogger Excited-Delirium had this to add:

Fantino needs to pull the Taser Spokespuppet arm out of his ass. He's spounting obsolete nonsense.

Even Taser International has been forced to limit the geographical scope of these outrageous claims - they used to claim worldwide coverage until the inevitable leakage of escaped statistics caught up with them. Recently they claimed Canada, until the Dziekanski autopsy report listed the taser as a cause of death.

Tasers have been linked (by coroners) to about 69 deaths so far (including Mr. Dziekanski's). And this is just in the cases studied, where the researchers were able to obtain the autopsy reports. It's running 37% of the taser-death cases studied.

Tasers have been identified as a contributing CAUSE of death in many autopsy reports. Not to mention that most people would agree that "contributed to" means exactly the same thing as "partially caused".

Taser International has been found partially liable for at least one death. It won't be the last.

Even the RCMP now has acknowledged that tasers carry a "risk of death" ESPECIALLY if the subject is agitated. And there is nothing taken out of context about that clear admission.

This attitude is clear and compelling evidence that a moratorium is REQUIRED to allow time for such misleading rubbish propaganda to be removed from Police Leadership - one way or the other.


Julian Fantino responds to FANTINO'S ACT GROWS TIRESOME

Editor:

At the outset I wish to express my sense of personal pride to have Mr. Den Tandt compare me to Don Cherry, who I regard as a modern day Canadian icon.

I suppose that in the views of the author, those of us who have come to this country as immigrants, who have honourably served the apprentice of becoming Canadian citizens and who in my case have dedicated some 40 years to public service should be unceremoniously dismissed as an increasing embarrassment simply because it appears that I don't happen to fit the stereotypical views held by some that I am not entitled to express my views and do so about a subject I have intimate knowledge and experience.

Unlike the author, I am not confused, lost in the weeds or otherwise puffed up about a minute quantity of instantly acquired knowledge regarding the relevance and true value of Conducted Energy Weapons (Tasers) in modern-day policing. Nor would I ever attack the author on a personal level asking that his employer fire him for being devoid of journalistic integrity about a profession he seems to know very little about. I am, however very comfortable knowing as I do that I happen to have all the right enemies! I am also not deterred about standing up for what I believe and feel that as a Canadian citizen I am well entitled to express my views, speak the truth, state facts and dispel the kind of misinformation to which the public has been exposed about the Tasers, now further amplified by the author.

If the author were to have taken the trouble to be present at the recent news conference at which representatives of both the Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Association articulated well researched, factually based and reasonable conclusions about the importance of Tasers as a less lethal force option available to police officers in the execution of their mandated duties, he might have understood far better the context and the relevance of the position taken by two professional associations that are truly representative of most police officers working in police agencies across the country.

Regardless of the uninformed views of some, including the author, and no matter the personal cheap shots on his part, the irrefutable bottom line is that there have been no studies, no research, no factual evidence to date that prove that the use of a Taser by a police officers in the lawful execution of their duty has ever been found to have been the direct cause of a fatality. Admittedly, the use of any force option by a police officer including the Taser as with all other use of force equipment; must be lawful, there must be proper policies in place along with appropriate training and accountability. We said all that and want to move forward towards a national model for the use of Tasers.

As much as public debate about significant public and officer safety issues is helpful, what is not helpful is personal attacks and the ssemination of misinformation, mischaracterization and uninformed rhetoric about the police use of Tasers that seems to be masqueraded as the legitimate freedom of the press. If the writer can, as he should, feel that he has the constitutional entitlement to free speech, he also needs to realize that my rights and those of police officers in this country are no less and he needs to come to terms with the fact that when we picked up our badge to serve the citizens of Canada, we did not at the same time surrender our rights to speak and be heard about issues that not only impact on our safety as police officers, but equally so on the safety of all Canadians.

Julian Fantino Commissioner Ontario Provincial Police