Lay Off Local RCMP on Police Shooting

(Aired on August 4, 2010)

I think people are perhaps being a little too hasty in condemning our local police for not releasing information yet regarding the shooting of a man in North Kamloops last Friday night. I've seen all sorts of comments from people asking me if we had a couple of cowboys shooting up the city, if the police were holding back because they were trying to hide things. We've had them all in the past few days.

But let's put things in perspective. This is a homicide investigation. Someone died. In any homicide, there's an investigation, and in many cases, information doesn't come out in any great detail for the first few days. Police are still looking for witnesses to interview. The pieces of the puzzle certainly aren't in place yet. And because police are involved, the situation becomes even more complicated. They want to make sure every base is covered before things are released.

And the fact is, an outside police team, including forensic investigators, have been called in to make sure the investigation is transparent. But let's get one thing clear - it's Calgary's investigation. They're the ones who are putting everything together, not the Kamloops detachment. Other than securing the scene the night of the shooting, local mounties have not been involved in this investigation. People who suggest the Calgary police shouldn't be doing the talking on this are wrong. The fact is, they are the ones who should be talking, if anyone is.

I think we have to be a bit patient here. Local police have done a lot to make themselves more transparent. It wasn't very long ago that they held a news conference to come right out and say that two officers had been charged with assault in separate incidents. They're trying to be open and honest. And I, for one, am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt. When all the facts are known and released, then let's make our judgments. It's a little early to be condemning them right now.