RCMP Right to Take Caution

(Aired on April 28, 2010)

When an RCMP officer discharges his or her sidearm, it's hard to say what's the more frightening prospect for the officer - the incident itself or the aftermath. 

Yesterday, a Mountie was forced to fire on a suspect after that suspect used a car to ram the officer.  The suspect was hit in the shoulder and was injured.  He'll have to deal with the court system and shouldn't expect an easy ride.  But the officer doesn't simply get to go home and forget about it.  In addition to the emotional trauma of having to shoot at someone in defence of your own life, it's likely this officer will have to relive the tail again and again for the investigators looking into it.

In the interests of impartiality and fairness, local mounties have called in colleagues from Kelowna and Saskatchewan to handle the investigation.  They do it out of an abundance of caution.  After all, there has been no shortage of incidents lately where the Mounties have had to investigate themselves, and impartiality is always a concern.  The RCMP is a brotherhood of sorts, and there will always be the tendency to close ranks around their own.  On the flip side, it would be nearly impossible for police officers to carry out their jobs if they didn't feel their colleagues would have their backs.

The member involved in this shooting may have times during the investigation when he feels like the suspicion is focusing on him - even when he feels he was just doing his job.  But bringing in outside officials to examine this incident is the right move.  Firing a sidearm has to be a last resort for law enforcement officers.  It should be done out of an abundance of caution, and that's also what should be used to investigate it.