CORNWALL COPS THROW RIGHTS OUT WINDOW

In Cornwall, Ont., police have taken to planting large plastic signs
on the lawns of houses that have been the subject of drug search warrants.

Cops there insist there's nothing wrong with the idea, saying it
increases police visibility and shows the public that, by golly,
something's being done about the drug problem.

Seems they don't much care whether the people inside the house, or the
people who own the house, have been found guilty of anything in a
court of law. Like a Taser is a crime-fighting tool, so are the signs
- - another weapon in the arsenal used against the bad guys.

Of course, anybody with even the tiniest bit of concern about people's
right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty might have something
to say. No, they might have a lot to say, not the least of which is:
"Are you kidding me?"

On Thursday, Cornwall police erected the first "Drug Search Warrant"
sign on a house. Three suspects were arrested and charged with drug
possession.

Keep in mind that they've only been charged. They haven't talked to
their lawyers, appeared in court, pleaded guilty or not guilty or
faced a judge or a jury of their peers. They've only been charged with
an offence.

According to a story by The Canadian Press, Chief Dan Parkinson said
he could see nothing wrong with the strategy.

"I've had questions today about privacy issues, civil liberty issues -
I mean, I don't understand where that's coming from," Parkinson said.

It's difficult to understand why the chief can't see anything wrong
with what the force is doing. Critics say the tactics risk "tarring
and feathering" innocent people.

After all, who's to say the owner of the house was a target of the
search warrant - or if the owner even stayed on the premises. And what
if the house was rented? Who's to say the renter was involved? And
what if police have a weak case? What if there's no conviction?

The signs still go up, and they don't bother to explain the messy
details to nosy neighbours or curious passersby.

Graeme Norton of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association calls it a
"dangerous situation" in which innocent people could end up punished
for something beyond their control.

Indeed, anyone who cares about fundamental rights issues ought to be
outraged by the events in Cornwall, where rights apparently can be
thrown away for the sake of a public-relations exercise.