SIMILARITIES TOO STUNNING

If what we have been told about the fatal shooting of a Vancouver man
by a female police officer is true, it appears front-line cops have
learned little from the Robert Dziekanski incident at Vancouver
International Airport in 2007.

It is ironic this happened just days before the Braidwood inquiry
resumed with testimony from the RCMP officer in charge the night
Dziekanski died.

There are striking similarities to both incidents.

In both cases, we have a witness who disputes the official police
version of what happened. And in both cases, a witness apparently
caught the incident on camera.

Adam Smolcic claims police seized the cellphone he used to record the
fatal shooting. He also alleges that police deleted the video capture.
In the Dziekanski incident, Paul Pritchard also had his video camera
seized by police, and only got it back after he threatened a lawsuit.
(Police say they needed to hang onto it until all other evidence they
were looking for was in their possession.)

Smolcic is making some pretty serious allegations: that police shot
and killed someone who could have been subdued with pepper spray or a
baton, and that police then tried to cover their backsides by
tampering with evidence. Abbotsford Police have now been tasked with
investigating the shooting. That investigation should also delve into
Smolcic's allegations. Smolcic is reported to be a marijuana activist.
In the past, the word of a pot advocate wouldn't have counted for much
when weighed against the word of a police officer.

Sadly, it may be easier for the public to believe Smolcic than the
police. That's how badly the Dziekanski incident has shaken the
public's trust in the police.