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johnsher
 Post subject: Could it happen here?
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:29 
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From The Register

Quote:
Police stake out bar, hoping to catch man drunk
Traffic camera critic targeted
By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco
Published Thursday 22nd September 2005 04:16 GMT

Canadian cops staked out a bar in the hope of finding a journalist drunk. The journalist in question, Edmonton newspaper columnist Kerry Diotte, wasn't suspected of involvement in any crime. But Diotte had written a column criticizing the police force's radar and camera technology as being more of a cash cow for the force than an effective measure against road fatalities, and the story enraged the local constabulary.

Diotte has been a consistent critic of the police's technology dependency habit.

Police tapped into the confidential vehicle licensing database to obtain Diotte's details of car and home residence, then staked out the Overtime Bar in Edmonton with three officers.

According to one Edmonton officer, the journalist posed a threat to the city's burghers.

"It was true that we found that vehicle in a bar lot and the potential for serious harm or death was there," claimed Sergeant Glen Hayden, testifying before a disciplinary hearing.

According to witnesses the journalist took a cab home and was reported to be sober. What kind of journalist is he?

The hearing continues. ®
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stive gonzales
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:47 
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Of course it could happen here.

I'm sure Brunstrom would be up for it once he's done investigating TV-show hosts who criticise the Welsh.
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Gixxer
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:02 
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Forget Could it happen here, it already does.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?
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anton
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 11:27 
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I think idris francis got stopped for driving too slowly and then there was the man who shot a burgler who got stopped and raised a complaint. I expect my car will be on a list soon :lol:

EDIT: I shall go in to a pub, have a nice meal, wobble a few times on the way out, and sue them to bits...
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pogo
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:23 
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anton wrote:
I shall go in to a pub, have a nice meal, wobble a few times on the way out, and sue them to bits...

I've got Meniere's Disease so I wouldn't even have to pretend... (Thinks) "Might be onto quite a nice little earner here Rodney.." :)

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Gatsobait
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Thu Sep 22, 2005 14:17 
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Quote:
Police stake out bar, hoping to catch man drunk

That's half the story. Gizmo told us the other half here - http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4001

Quote:
Speed camera vendor ACS State and Local Solutions has been offering gifts to the police department in Edmonton, Canada in direct violation of ethics rules that are standard throughout the country. Acting police chief Daryl da Costa admits that he accepted tickets to Oilers hockey games on at least two occasions. This is a direct violation of Edmonton Police Service rules that prohibit accepting such items, particularly from an entity that has a financial interest in maintaining the support of the police.

Da Costa explains that he was "building a business relationship."


:shock: Not only vindictive but IMO corrupt. "Buliding a business relationship"? It's a backhander, plain and simple. And what the hell is a police chief doing building business relationships anyway? Policing is a public service, not a business. Something that winds me up every time I hear the phrase "business plan" in relation to one of our pratnerships.
:hoppingmad:

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johnsher
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 10:12 
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not quite the same subject... but

This is a complete disgrace, so much so that I'm at a loss for words at the moment.
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Gatsobait
 Post subject:
PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 15:09 
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johnsher wrote:
not quite the same subject... but

This is a complete disgrace, so much so that I'm at a loss for words at the moment.

There but for the grace of God go I. I have a backpack on sometimes, lot of camera stuff in it so fairly heavy, and being valuable I do treat it gently which might look overprotective. I don't wear a watch often and check my phone whenever I want to know the time. If I'm planning to take photos I'm likely to be wandering about looking in various directions while considering what I want to get in the pic, and if I'm just bored somewhere... well, who doesn't pace up and down sometimes? It's scary that this innocent behaviour fulfills some of that criteria.

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johnsher
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PostPosted: Fri Sep 23, 2005 15:20 
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Gatsobait wrote:
It's scary that this innocent behaviour fulfills some of that criteria.

it's even scarier that this innocent behaviour, even when shown to be innocent (nothing in the bag) can get you handcuffed, marched through a station, thrown in a cell for hours, finger printed, charged, your house searched, 'evidence' removed from your house, and on and on. I can only hope the police admit their mistake, discipline the officers involved, and offer him copious compensation. Not much chance of that though.
On the bright side at least they didn't shoot first and ask questions later.
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