Funding cut threatens RCMP watchdog

March 18, 2009
KATHERINE O'NEILL, Globe and Mail

The chairman of the RCMP Public Complaints Commission is warning that a looming deep funding cut by the federal government may hamper the agency's ability to properly police the Mounties.

Since late 2007, the independent RCMP watchdog has been receiving an extra $3.5-million on top of its annual base budget of $5.1-million. But that temporary top-up is due to run out on March 31 and no decisions have been made on whether it will be extended.

Paul Kennedy, the commission chairman, said in an interview yesterday that the extra cash was used to build up the agency's public profile across the country and research pressing policy issues, including taser use by the RCMP.

"I would think most Canadians I've come across say that's good work, it's good value work and we are glad you do it," he said.

Mr. Kennedy said this particular work is essential during a time "which is sort of abounding with cynicism in terms of some police activities."

The commission, which has 55-full-time employees, is charged with handling public complaints made against the RCMP, a multibillion organization with thousands of members.

Chris McCluskey, a spokesman for Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan, confirmed the temporary funding will expire on March 31, but added a "process" is currently under way to consider extending it.

"There is no decision made on that whatsoever," he said.

Mr. McCluskey said the temporary funding boost in 2007 "coincided" with then-public safety minister Stockwell Day's request that the complaints commission conduct a study on RCMP taser use.

The call was made shortly after Robert Dziekanski, a Polish citizen, was killed during a confrontation at Vancouver airport where Mounties used a taser.

The commission's report on taser use by the RCMP, which cost about $100,000 to research, was released last June.

In the meantime, Mr. McCluskey, said the government is currently developing a proposal to revamp and strengthen the RCMP review and complaints body.

RCMP need government oversight

March 8, 2009
By Barbara Yaffe, Vancouver Sun

The jarring testimony that has been presented at the Braidwood inquiry suggests it's time for greater government oversight of the RCMP.

The inquiry, currently on a two-week break, isn't just a test of the four officers whose actions led to the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007. The reputation of the 136-year-old national police force hangs in the balance.

It had been hoped the RCMP turned a corner in 2007 when the Harper government named William Elliott as the force's first civilian commissioner.

A turnaround certainly was in order after the Maher Arar debacle and tales of RCMP pension fund abuse. Controversies involving the RCMP in B. C. alone were enough to cause consternation.

Former justice Ted Hughes, following a 2001 probe of RCMP actions during a 1997 meeting of Asia-Pacific leaders in Vancouver, criticized unnecessary pepper-spraying of demonstrators, unwarranted arrests, improper removal of protest signs and intrusive strip searches.

The spotlight was back on the RCMP in B. C. in 2005 when Ian Bush, a 22-year-old Houston, B. C., mill worker, was shot -- in the back of the head.

He'd been arrested for having an open beer outside a hockey game and giving a false name. Const. Paul Koester -- five months out of RCMP training -- never faced charges; he was deemed to have acted in self-defence.

Now, testimony before former Supreme Court judge Thomas Braidwood is revealing that armed RCMP officers in bulletproof vests were so fearful of a guy with a stapler that, within 30 seconds of arriving on the scene, they Tasered Dziekanski five times in 31 seconds. He died of cardiac arrest.

They watched him drop, cry out in agony and go blue in the face -- but they didn't offer him CPR.

And in their oral recollection of events and written recordings, the officers got it all wrong.

Without a bystander's video, the public never would have come within a country mile of the truth. How in future can courts be expected to rely on RCMP testimony and incident reports?

To date, none of the officers has admitted to serious misjudgment.

Nor has the RCMP made any gesture to atone for the tragedy.

The RCMP, on its web-site, still maintains Tasers -- implicated in 20 Canadian deaths -- are "another means to obtain compliance from resistant or combative subjects when police must arrest them. The tool allows police at such times to protect the public, and the subjects themselves, from harm."

But Tasers also allow police to get lazy. Four RCMP officers should have better means of subduing a lone suspect than to immediately Taser him.

Consider: if the officers were freaked out by the appearance of an exhausted traveller wielding a stapler, imagine the message they sent Dziekanski by barrelling on to the scene, four-strong and with hands on their weapons.

The Harper government has been mostly silent on the Dziekanski incident. In 2007, then-public safety minister Stockwell Day requested a review of protocols on Taser use. More recently, Peter Van Loan, his successor, insisted Tasers are a useful alternative to deadlier options.

However, Commissioner Elliott revealed last month that officers now are advised Tasers can cause death and should be used more restrictively, only in circumstances involving danger to the public or the officer.

That said, the assortment of inquiries into police conduct in B. C. should give pause.

The Braidwood testimony comes as a $900-million security budget for the 2010 Olympics is about to be handed over to the RCMP for management.

The RCMP story, of course, is not one-sided. Mounties often get cited for heroism and do plenty of good work. But they aren't the source of national pride they once were.

Beyond the scarlet serge and shiny boots lurk obvious problems that call for greater scrutiny. One good option would be a permanent parliamentary oversight committee.

RCMP report shines light on Taser use

October 27, 2008
Jim Bronskill and Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA–A new RCMP report says officers get no training on using Tasers in jails, even though 10 per cent of people hit with a mountie stun gun late last year was behind bars.

The force's first quarterly analysis of Taser use recommends mock cell block drills be included in RCMP instruction sessions.

The report says Mounties used their Tasers 337 times from October through December last year. Thirty-four cases, or just over 10 per cent, involved people in custody, "yet there are currently no cell block scenarios in the RCMP's training material."

Opposition MPs and human-rights groups have previously criticized the RCMP for suppressing details of Taser use, including injuries suffered by people stunned and whether they were experiencing a mental health crisis at the time.

The RCMP had no immediate comment on its quarterly report.

Melisa Leclerc, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, said the minister expects "these recommendations to be implemented in a timely manner."

Hilary Homes, security and human rights campaigner with Amnesty International Canada, said she was concerned by the lack of training, and wondered whether the stun guns were being deployed like a cattle prod. "We would like to see use restricted to situations of imminent threat, recognizing that it is a very powerful device," she said.

An analysis last year by The Canadian Press of hundreds of RCMP Taser incidents between 2002 and 2005 turned up several cases in which Mounties used the device to make uncooperative prisoners comply with demands.

Kim Pate, executive director, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies, questioned Taser use in jails at all. "Why would we need the use of Tasers for individuals who are already in custody, in detention?" she asked.

The new RCMP figures include the case of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, who died in October 2007 after being zapped and pinned down at the Vancouver International Airport. His painful final minutes, captured on a passenger's video camera, sparked public outrage and a flurry of inquiries.

There's also Robert Knipstrom of Chilliwack, B.C., who died in hospital last November days after being Tasered, pepper sprayed and hit with a baton.

In addition, says the report, one person suffered fractured ribs and another complained of increased heart rate following Taser zaps, and eight others suffered minor injuries such as facial cuts as a result of falling after a stun gun hit.

Responses to mental health or suicidal subjects accounted for 61 – or almost one in five – instances of Taser use.

The report says that in almost one-quarter of cases studied, members used the Taser in cases in which they reported facing a threat of death or grievous bodily harm.

It recommends policy and training relating to such cases be reviewed, since current training instructs members to use lethal force – a conventional gun – to defuse those threats.

Last December, the Commission for Complaints Against the RCMP said the Taser should be used only when suspects are "combative" or pose a risk of "death or grievous bodily harm" to an officer, themselves or the public.

Paul Kennedy, head of the commission, said RCMP "usage creep" of the powerful electronic weapons meant Mounties were firing the guns from a distance, or in up-close stun mode, more than they should.

Kennedy's final report, issued in June, reiterated his call for tighter controls on an electronic weapon the Mounties had pulled from their holsters more than 4,000 times since its introduction in 2001.

In response, the RCMP said it would take action "as quickly as possible" to provide clearer direction to officers and further restrict reliance on the Taser.

The new report found that during the three-month period it examined:

– RCMP officers reported alcohol or drug use by people zapped in 85 per cent of cases.

– The Taser effectively stopped or prevented subjects' behaviour in 84 per cent of incidents.

– Cases of causing a disturbance, assaults, domestic disputes, cell block altercations and mental health cases accounted for more than 65 per cent Taser uses.

RCMP emails reveal chaotic time after airport taser death

August 17, 2008
The Canadian Press

VANCOUVER — While RCMP brass and its media relations division scrambled to keep from being "crucified" over Taser use and the death of a man at Vancouver's airport, they also had to deal with an increasing barrage of complaints accusing officers of being everything from clowns to killers.

Email documents, released to The Canadian Press under the Access to Information Act, showed great concern from Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day's office down to the RCMP's British Columbia media relations office over the public's perception about the death of Robert Dziekanski.

"I am going to get some advice, but I think I might wade in here to set some of the record straight with the media," RCMP Chief Supt. Dale McGowan wrote in an email to the Cmdr. Peter German.

"We are being crucified on why the Taser usage and our members' actions at the preliminary stages."

German later replied that he had "just watched the Taser video on BBC TV in Australia!"

Weeks before, RCMP media spokesman Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre wrote to management that Cpl. Dale Carr - the media spokesman for the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team - had concluded there was a possibility of an "international incident" because of Dziekanski's death.

In one email days after the death, Day's office issues an "urgent" request to RCMP to see the latest media lines Mounties have sent out on the Taser incident.

Lemaitre outlined suggestions for what the RCMP should tell the media, including that the death was being reviewed on several levels and that the investigation was continuing.

On October 14, 2007 Dziekanski spent hours in the international arrivals area at the Vancouver airport before he was confronted by four RMCP officers.

A bystander's video of the confrontation shows the officers attempting a brief conversation with the confused and sweating Polish man before Dziekanski was jolted twice with a Taser.

He died minutes after the officers pinned him to the ground.

Sgt. Tim Shields - who has just taken over the communications section at E Division in Vancouver - said in an interview last week that the entire issue has hurt the Mounties' public image.

"Yes, of course it has," he said. "And we hope that when more of the facts are made public ... it will present a clearer picture of truly what happened."

The eyewitness video was seized by officers at the scene for evidence, and the owner later threatened legal action to get it back, saying he wanted to release what he recorded to the media.

In the hours after the death, Lemaitre told the media that officers at the scene attempted to calm the man, but they felt threatened.

When the eyewitness video was finally released, it showed police using the Taser less than half-a-minute after first confronting the man.

After the tape was aired around the world, the RCMP were inundated with angry emails.

"Sgt. Pierre Lemaitre should be fired for purposely misrepresenting the facts and suppressing the video on a false premise," wrote one person who's name was removed from the documents. "It appears you have been caught in an outright lie," wrote another, whose name was also stripped from the email. The email had a subject line reading "state-sanctioned murder."

Lemaitre told one correspondent he had to work with the information that he was given by the investigation team, and he suggested that if he had it to do over again, he would have said nothing.

"In the world of communications, police have often been criticized for not giving details and/or information regarding an incident resulting in allegations that we are hiding something," Lemaitre wrote.

He told the complainant several investigations will reveal why officers did what they did. "As for myself, as a spokesperson, in the future, I will consider saying that we have no comment, there's an ongoing investigation, and weather the storm of media criticism that we are not forthcoming."

Despite Lemaitre's comment, Shields said police haven't changed the way they deal with the media. "We have to ensure that we have an open relationship with the media because we rely on the media to get the message out to the public," he said.

Another member of the public wrote asking police "So how are you going to lie your way out of this one?" and made reference to the Mahar Arar where RCMP handed over inaccurate information about the Canadian man to U.S. authorities. "You clowns are nothing but a sad, expensive joke," the writer ended.

Later correspondence grew increasing hostile and is riddled with foul language. Some are even threatening. "When will charges of manslaughter be brought against the officers?" asks a member of the public. "Seeing as there will be no proper action taken against the criminals, I should hope a similar fate befalls their families."

Carr and Lemaitre responded to several of the writers.

It is vitriol Shields said he's never seen before from the public.

"After the millions of good things that we have done, it was very disheartening to see that level of backlash and anger from the public."

Not all the emails were negative. Chris Newel of the Clearwater RCMP wrote to Lemaitre suggesting police put out a news release indicating how many times a Taser was used successfully. "I see on the news eight people have died in five years - that's about 1.5 a year. How many would have died if we didn't have the Taser?" Newel wondered. "Of those eight, how many had pre-existing conditions that likely contributed, if not were the cause, of death?" "Thanks for that," Lemaitre replied. "Stand by for the autopsy results! We might be in for a surprise, like Tasers didn't kill this guy, pre-existing medical conditions and or drugs in the system, wait and see."

No drugs or alcohol were found in Dziekanski's body, but the cause of death still hasn't been released.

A briefing document written in November 2007 for RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said it was the B.C.'s Coroner's Office that left police in an embarrassing position after RCMP refused to release the bystander's video before it was used at the coroner's inquest.

Elliott said the coroner, "in an unprecedented action and in contradiction to his request of the prior week," sent a letter to the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team saying the coroner's office instead had no problem with the videotape being released. "This left no legal basis for the videotape to be held," Elliott wrote.

The reverberations from Dziekanski's death and the release of the videotape are still being felt, with most of the investigations ongoing, including a public inquiry which will begin hearing witnesses testify in October about the night Dziekanski died.

The B.C. Crown is looking at a police report into whether charges should be laid against the officers involved.

Media Advisory - Canadian Association of Police Boards Conference

Strange that Taser International is *not* a sponsor of this conference.

August 14, 2008

TORONTO, Aug. 14 /CNW Telbec/ - Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day, former Commissioner of the OPP, Gwen Boniface, and Toronto Chief of Police William Blair, are among the speakers scheduled to address policing governors from across Canada at their annual conference beginning Friday at the Toronto Hilton, 145 Richmond Street West.

Some 200 delegates are expected for the two and a half days of sessions of the Canadian Association of Police Boards (CAPB). Minister Day is scheduled to speak after a luncheon on Friday, August 15 while Chief Blair will address conference delegates at the Saturday evening banquet.

The conference theme is 'Civilian Governance and Social Responsibility: Safety, Community and Sustainability'. Glen Murray will reflect on civilian police governance facing a changing urban landscape and Thomas Homer-Dixon's session is entitled 'The Upside of Down: Complex Forces at Work in Our World'. Other sessions will explore greening of police services, the use of Tasers by police officers, issues of ethics and accountability and police chiefs' and police associations' expectations of police boards and commissions.

During the association's Saturday business meeting, delegates will debate eight resolutions ranging from advocating for stricter penalties for crimes of violence involving knives to the creation of a conducted energy weapon working group and a request for immediate action on lawful access. Approved resolutions are forwarded to the federal government for action.

CAPB is made up of volunteer members of police commissions and boards across Canada that provide civilian governance and oversight of municipal police.

Mounties promise to act on RCMP watchdog's call to rein in taser use

June 18, 2008
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The RCMP says it will heed fresh calls from its public watchdog to rein in use of Taser stun guns.

The Mounties said Wednesday they would act on recommendations from the RCMP complaints commission "as quickly as possible" to provide clearer direction to officers and further restrict firing of the 50,000-volt weapons.

The statement came shortly after commission chairman Paul Kennedy issued a final report echoing his interim call to limit Taser use to clashes where a person is combative or risks serious harm to themselves, the police or the public.

"We agree with Mr. Kennedy that the RCMP must properly instruct our members to appropriately deploy the (Taser) in an operational setting and account for our use of the weapon," the RCMP said.

"We have already implemented or begun implementation of much of what Mr. Kennedy has recommended."

In his 78-page report, Kennedy urged a tighter rein on an electronic weapon the Mounties have fired more than 4,000 times since its introduction in 2001.

"I want it boxed in, I want constraints," he told a news conference.

But he stopped short of calling for a moratorium, saying the risk of being hit with a Taser is less than being shot in the chest with a conventional gun. "No one is calling for the police to be disarmed and not use weapons," Kennedy said.

Still, he wants additional curbs that would leave Tasers in the hands of only experienced officers.

He found the national police force has failed to comprehensively track how its officers use the Taser.

Kennedy said the quality of the RCMP's own Taser report data is so poor that the force's policy changes on stun gun use over the years "cannot be factually supported" - what he calls a dangerous practice.

Kennedy also recommended immediate medical attention for people Tasered by the RCMP "in all circumstances."

"This mirrors the policy directive currently found in several municipal police forces, and in my mind ensures that individuals who are Tasered, and about whom the police have no knowledge of underlying medical conditions, receive prompt medical attention, thereby possibly saving their life," he said. "This is particularly relevant for at-risk populations, such as people with mental-health issues, substance-abuse problems, health and homelessness challenges and other marginalized groups in society."

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day asked Kennedy to study the RCMP's Taser use amid a public uproar over the stun guns last year.

In a statement Wednesday, Day said the government "accepts the report and its recommendations in principle," including further restrictions on how Tasers are used. Day added he had already met with RCMP Commissioner William Elliott to discuss the implications. "He has indicated to me that he intends to act on the recommendations in a manner that takes into consideration the operational requirements of the RCMP," Day said. "We agree on the need to move forward in ways that will help to maintain the safety of the public and the men and women that protect our communities."

In its statement, the RCMP said specific steps to adjust policies and practices in response to Kennedy's recommendations will need to "appropriately consider the diverse and geographically dispersed communities we serve" and operational needs.

The RCMP declined to elaborate Wednesday.

Kennedy's final report was initially supposed to be released last Thursday. But it was delayed so Day could discuss the findings with the complaints chairman earlier this week.

Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died in October after he was repeatedly zapped with an RCMP Taser and subdued by officers at Vancouver International Airport. A hair-raising amateur video of his wrenching final moments circled the globe, sparking public outrage and igniting fresh debate.

A Canadian Press CBC-Radio-Canada investigation of more than 3,200 incidents in which Mounties fired the powerful stun guns in the last six years shows that officers used the Taser multiple times in almost half of cases.

The pattern of repeated shocks has continued in recent years despite a 2005 RCMP directive warning numerous zaps could be hazardous.

The analysis also revealed that nearly a third of the people the RCMP has hit with Tasers needed medical treatment afterward, raising new questions about a potent weapon police consider a safer alternative to conventional guns.

The Taser can be fired from a distance of several metres and cycled repeatedly once steel probes puncture a suspect's skin or clothing. The guns can also be used in up-close stun mode - a sensation likened to leaning on a hot stove - sometimes resulting in painful blisters or burns.

Tony Cannavino, president of the Canadian Police Association, said this week officers need solid research, guidance and proper training - including recertification every two years - in order to be sure the stun guns are used properly.

Twenty people in Canada have died after they were Tasered.

Arizona-based manufacturer Taser International points out that the weapons have never been directly blamed for a death, though they have been cited as contributing factors.

Minister Day receives final Report on the use of Conducted Energy Weapons by the RCMP

June 18, 2008
news.gc.ca

The Honourable Stockwell Day, Minister of Public Safety, issued the following statement upon the release of the final report by the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP (CPC) on the use of Conducted Energy Weapons (CEWs), commonly known as Tasers.

“After the tragic incident at Vancouver International Airport in October 2007, I asked the Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, to look into the use of CEWs in the RCMP.

In follow-up to the CPC’s interim report released in December 2007, I have received the CPC’s final report on the RCMP’s use of CEWs and the RCMP’s compliance with the protocols established to govern their use.

I would like to acknowledge the work of the CPC on this issue. It provides a valuable perspective and helps in our on-going effort to ensure police officers are equipped with the tools they need to secure their own safety and that of the public and with the proper guidance on when and how to use these tools.

The government accepts the report and its recommendations in principle, including the main recommendation to further restrict the circumstances within which CEWs may be used.

I have met with the Commissioner of the RCMP regarding the operational implications raised by the recommendations in the final CPC report. He has indicated to me that he intends to act on the recommendations in a manner that takes into consideration the operational requirements of the RCMP. We agree on the need to move forward in ways that will help to maintain the safety of the public and the men and women that protect our communities.

The appropriate use of CEWs is an important issue for all and I intend to continue to address this with my provincial and territorial counterparts on an ongoing basis.

The Government of Canada continues to take this issue very seriously and is taking the necessary measures to ensure Canadians maintain full confidence in their national police force.

Taser report due today

June 18, 2008
Opinion 250

Prince George, B.C. - The Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, Paul E. Kennedy, will release his final report on the RCMP’s use of tasers (conducted energy weapons) later this morning.

The final report comes six months after an interim report was delivered to Minister of Public Safety, Stockwell Day.

In that interim report, the Chair of the Commission for Complaints against the RCMP made 10 recommendations for immediate implementation including a call for the use of tasers to be restricted to use only in situations where an individual is behaving in a manner classed as combative, or poses a threat of death or grievous harm to the officer, themselves or the general public.

One-third of people shot by taser need medical attention: probe

June 17, 2008
CBC News/Radio Canada/The Canadian Press

About one in three people shot with a Taser by the RCMP receive injuries that require medical attention, according to a joint investigation by CBC News/Radio-Canada and the Canadian Press.

The media outlets, which analyzed the Taser-use forms RCMP officers are required to fill out if they draw a stun gun, examined reports from 2002 to 2007. According to the data, 28 per cent, or 910 of the 3,226 people who were shot, had to go to a medical facility.

But a detailed examination of the forms revealed that many more people are injured, yet never see a doctor.

In three years worth of reports obtained under Access to Information legislation, people suffered injuries including burns, puncture wounds from the probes, and head wounds from falling. In many cases, however, the person was not taken for medical treatment.

More recent forms had the sections on injuries blacked out. The investigation suggests some of those incidents resulted in injuries that are not included in the 28 per cent figure.

For example, in one incident report, a person shot with a Taser suffered "burn marks from touch stun mode" but was not examined at a medical facility.

In another example, a person suffered "multiple skin burns where Taser came into contact with subject while fighting with police" but he was not taken to be examined.

RCMP Public Complaints Commissioner Paul Kennedy noted this failure in an interim report last fall on stun gun use by the force.

Dr. Paul Dorian, a cardiologist and a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto, said police officers need to assume they may hurt someone when they use a Taser and treat all injuries seriously.

He conducted a study on pigs on the effects on the heart of Taser shocks and found multiple hits with a stun gun can cause heart stress. "If there is injury and illness, as a physician, I would have to say those people, even if they are accused criminals, should be taken care of," he said.

Police association wants all officers to have Tasers

The Canadian Police Association stands by stun gun use. President Tony Cannavino said the association would like to see every police officer in Canada armed with a Taser and that there is enough evidence to show that Tasers save lives.

"They have to get the proper training, and also not only the proper training, there should be consistency across Canada about the training and the fact that they should also be requalified every two years."

The CBC investigation into Taser use has also found that RCMP officers are likely to fire their electronic stun guns multiple times during an altercation, despite a policy that warns it may pose health risks.

Kennedy is scheduled to release a highly anticipated final report on the use of stun guns by Mounties on Wednesday. He was to release it last week, but that was delayed until this Wednesday at the request of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

The delay reportedly resulted from a last-minute call late Wednesday from the minister's office requesting a meeting with Kennedy.

Safety minister's request delays disclosure of RCMP watchdog's taser findings

You don't suppose Shockwell Day is going to call for a MORATORIUM on tasers after yesterday's scathing news, do you?!? Nah - he's probably just feeling a little excited delirium.

June 12, 2008
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — A last-minute call from the public safety minister has delayed release of what's expected to be a hard-hitting report on RCMP Taser use.

A spokesman for Paul Kennedy, the watchdog over the RCMP, says the minister's office asked late Wednesday for a meeting - resulting in cancellation of the report's scheduled release today.

Kennedy agreed to meet Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day early next week, and publication of the Taser report is now slated for the following Wednesday.

Day, who is travelling, received an advance copy Tuesday.

The commissioner's interim report on Tasers, released in December, recommended an overhaul of Taser training, stricter reporting requirements, and more research on the controversial devices.

A Canadian Press CBC-Radio-Canada investigation of more than 3,200 incidents in which Mounties fired the powerful stun guns in the last six years shows that officers used the Taser multiple times in almost half of cases.

The pattern of repeated shocks has continued in recent years, despite a 2005 RCMP directive warning numerous zaps could be hazardous.

Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski died last October after being repeatedly zapped with an RCMP Taser and subdued by officers at Vancouver International Airport.

RCMP watchdog abruptly delays release of final taser report

June 12, 2008
CBC News

Hours before the scheduled release of a highly anticipated final report on the use of stun guns by Mounties, the RCMP complaints commission abruptly cancelled the Thursday event.

Spokesman Nelson Kalil said the report by RCMP complaints commissioner Paul Kennedy will be released next Wednesday instead, at the request of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. He did not specify a reason.

Canadian Press quoted a commission spokesman as saying the delay resulted from a last-minute call late Wednesday from the minister's office requesting a meeting with Kennedy. Kennedy agreed to meet with Day early next week.

Day, who is travelling, received an advance copy of the report on Tuesday.

Last December, the RCMP watchdog released an interim report calling for the force to curb its use of Tasers, saying the weapons were increasingly being used to subdue resistant people rather than those who pose a threat, including people who were "clearly non-combative."

It also recommended an overhaul of Taser training, stricter reporting requirements and more research on the devices.

The final report was expected to detail specific conditions and restrictions on the Mounties' use of Taser guns, said CBC's investigative reporter David McKie.

A day before the Taser report's expected release in Ottawa, a joint investigation by CBC News/Radio-Canada and the Canadian Press found that RCMP are likely to fire their stun guns multiple times during an altercation, despite warnings issued to officers that it posed a health risk.

The investigation found that Mounties zapped a person more than once in 43 per cent of all 3,000 incidents nationwide between 2002 to 2007. In nearly 18 per cent of the incidents, officers fired the stun gun three or more times.

The RCMP told officers in 2005 that multiple deployment of stun guns "may be hazardous to a subject" and warned them not to cycle the weapon repeatedly. But the investigation found that multiple firings of Tasers continued to rise.

The investigation also revealed that in 73 per cent of the incidents in that period, the person Mounties were dealing with was unarmed.

The complaints commission, an independent civilian agency, launched its probe into how the force uses Tasers following the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski, a case that attracted worldwide attention after a videotape capturing his death was released.

Dziekanski, 40, died Oct. 14, 2007, after four RCMP officers zapped him with a stun gun at least two times. Early on, investigators named excited delirium as a possible cause of death.

Excited delirium— a condition disputed by some groups, who see it as a way for police to deny responsibility — has been listed by coroners as the cause of death in numerous Taser-linked deaths.

Those suffering from excited delirium are said to become agitated, sweat profusely, act violently and become insensitive to pain. The victim's heart races, then stops.

Mounties release more taser data on weapons but shield details on injuries

April 14, 2008
CBC and The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - The RCMP continues to withhold crucial details of injuries to the people they stun with Tasers after coming under fire for being too secretive.

The national police force released a new batch of information Monday following a second look at what they tell Canadians about Taser use. The records contain more data on whether people hit with RCMP stun guns were carrying a weapon, and whether they had taken drugs or alcohol.

But the Mounties still refuse to release details of cuts, burns and bruises suffered by subjects in the more than 4,000 officer reports released under the Access to Information Act.

When incidents involved a mental health crisis, that was also stripped from the records.

The national police force was attacked by critics last month for deciding to stop disclosing such information.

Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh said Monday he's "delighted" the RCMP has relented on some points but said the force is still deleting too many details that people have a right to know.


"I fail to see any rational reason for them to exclude those two items of information - mental health issues or injuries," he said. "I believe that we need to know whether or not in the continuing use of the Taser, people are being injured excessively. I think that's the core issue."

Controversy flared after a joint investigation by The Canadian Press and CBC found the Mounties were censoring key elements that must be recorded each time officers draw their electronic weapons.

RCMP Commissioner William Elliott then ordered "a further review" of the records "to determine if additional information" should be released.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day had sought and received assurances the RCMP would review the matter. The Mounties denied their hand was forced by the minister, saying they had already decided to re-examine the Taser forms.

Dosanjh said Monday the force has more work to do. "The RCMP first of all tried to withhold information, and I believe they were caught," he said. "People were rightly concerned, and they've now coughed up more information. I believe they've not gone far enough."

RCMP officers are supposed to fill out a form every time they fire - or even threaten to use - a Taser.

In a 2004 Alberta case in which a Mountie fired a stun gun, the officer noted the subject was later examined at a medical facility, one record released Monday shows. But the section of the form where a description of any injuries should be recorded is blank. The prongs fired by a Taser can cause cuts. In up-close stun mode, the weapon may burn the subject's skin. And people sometimes hit their heads when jolted by a Taser.

The electronic guns are dangerous weapons that the RCMP should have, Dosanjh said Monday. "But they should be able to only have that weapon if they're using it appropriately. And a very important way of distinguishing appropriate use from inappropriate use is whether or not a person is seriously injured."

The RCMP is also keeping secret the precise dates of incidents, revealing only the year they happened. The force has now disclosed some fragmentary information about what happened in each incident, but continues to leave out key parts of the story.

The summary of a 2003 Kamloops, B.C., case in which the RCMP stunned a person indicates only that he or she was "extremely intoxicated and combative."

In a letter accompanying the data released Monday, the RCMP said it invoked exemptions under the access law to protect the privacy of people hit with Tasers and to guard confidences about their investigations.

Insp. Troy Lightfoot, an RCMP spokesman, said last month that internal analysis of the forms concluded the painful weapons were being used correctly.

Scathing newspaper editorials and opposition critics said Canadians were being asked to blindly trust the Mounties.

Last November, a Canadian Press analysis of 563 cases between 2002 and 2005 found three in four suspects Tasered by the RCMP were unarmed.

Several of those reports suggested a pattern of stun-gun use as a convenient means of keeping drunk or rowdy people in line, rather than to defuse major clashes.

Twenty people in Canada have died soon after being Tasered.

Manufacturer Taser International stresses that its device has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in several cases.

RCMP now plan to release more taser data

April 11, 2008
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The RCMP has done an about-face and decided to release more information about Taser use two weeks after a wave of criticism over secrecy about the electronic stun guns.

Const. Pat Flood, an RCMP spokeswoman, said Thursday the force planned to disclose additional details of Taser firings in response to requests under the Access to Information Act.

But there were early indications the Mounties would continue to withhold crucial points, including injuries to people hit with Tasers and the exact dates the incidents occurred.

A release planned for late Thursday was delayed without explanation.

Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh said he hoped the Mounties were taking extra time so they could prepare to make public even more details. But he expressed concern that would not happen. "They should have actually been releasing this information the whole time. They're now releasing more - that is very good. They are still not releasing enough."

The RCMP said Thursday the latest batch of data would contain details of injuries to officers, but not the burns, cuts and bruises suffered by people zapped with Tasers.

"We want to know how many people are being injured per year in the use of the Tasers. Tasers are a dangerous, serious weapon," Dosanjh said. "Canadians have a right to be able to judge for themselves whether or not the continuing use of Tasers is appropriate."

The RCMP, stung by criticism from MPs and human rights advocates, decided earlier this month to rethink stripping Taser reports of key information. Commissioner William Elliott ordered "a further review" of recently released copies of forms detailing use of the electronic weapons "to determine if additional information" should be disclosed.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day had sought and received assurances the RCMP would review the matter. The Mounties denied their hand was forced by the minister, saying they had already decided to take a second look at the Taser forms.

The controversy unfolded after a joint investigation by The Canadian Press and CBC found the Mounties had begun censoring basic elements that must be recorded each time officers draw their electronic weapons. The force no longer revealed whether Tasered people were armed or not, the precise dates of firings, and whether the device caused any injuries.

As a result, Canadians know much less about who is being hit with the contentious 50,000-volt guns and under what circumstances.

Advocates of more openness said the names and addresses of Tasered people are already struck from the forms, making further deletions unnecessary.

Another RCMP spokesman, Insp. Troy Lightfoot, has said internal analysis of Taser reports concluded the painful weapons were being used correctly.

Newspaper editorials and opposition critics and newspaper editorials said that amounts to a "just-trust-us" approach.

Last November a Canadian Press analysis of 563 cases between 2002 and 2005 found three in four suspects Tasered by the RCMP were unarmed. Several of those reports suggested a pattern of stun-gun use as a convenient means of keeping drunk or rowdy people in line, rather than to defuse major clashes. Twenty people in Canada have died soon after being Tasered.

Manufacturer Taser International stresses that its device has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in several cases.

Liberal MP says Mounties should speed up taser document review

March 27, 2008
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The Liberal public safety critic says the RCMP should accelerate its plan to consider releasing more information about Taser use. The Mounties have launched a review, expected to take two weeks, to see if additional information, gleaned from forms detailing use of the electronic weapons, can be publicly disclosed.

Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh called on the Mounties to fix their "colossal mistake" more quickly.

A joint investigation by The Canadian Press and CBC found the Mounties are now censoring key elements that must be recorded each time officers draw their stun guns.

The force no longer reveals whether the people targeted were armed or not, the precise dates of firings, and whether the device caused any burns, cuts or bruises.

The RCMP, stung by accusations of undue secrecy, revisited its decision to strip Taser reports of crucial information after Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day demanded the police force take a second look.

A spokesman for Day said late Wednesday the minister, whose chief-of-staff spoke with Mountie Commissioner William Elliott, "has asked for and received assurances from the commissioner that the RCMP will further review the matter."

RCMP reviews decision to censor taser reports

March 26, 2008
CBC News

The RCMP is re-examining its decision to strip crucial information from the Taser reports it recently made public. RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said late Wednesday that he's ordered a review that will determine whether more details should have been released. "It is anticipated that this review can be completed within two weeks," Elliott said in a statement.

The reports, released to the CBC and the Canadian Press last week through the Access to Information Act, chronicled details about how often RCMP officers are using their stun guns, known as Tasers.

But the documents did not include details about whether the people police were stunning were armed or suffering from mental illness. The records were also stripped of information about the precise date of each incident, the actions the officer took before using the Taser, and whether the stun gun caused any injuries.

RCMP forms released between 2002 and 2005 included those details.

The RCMP announced the review of the censoring only hours after it insisted the decision to censor was the right one. Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay said early Wednesday that the Mounties had released all the information they could. "The RCMP is committed to respecting the public's right to know while upholding the law and protecting the privacy rights of individuals," Tremblay said in an interview.

The decision to censor the information had critics accusing the RCMP of secrecy all week. Even Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day asked for a review and was assured one was coming, a spokesman for Day said Wednesday.

Advocates for more openness say that revealing more information won't violate people's rights, as the RCMP already blocks the names and addresses of the people hit by Taser guns.

"I think the RCMP, by doing this, is losing a lot of credibility on the way they handle the Taser," said Bloc Québécois MP Serge Ménard. "It makes us more suspicious."

The reports released by the RCMP last week show that Mounties across the country drew or threatened to draw their Tasers more than 1,400 times last year, compared with 597 times in 2005.

Since 2003, at least 20 people died in Canada after being hit by a police officer's Taser. Manufacturer Taser International says its device has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in several cases.

Amnesty International is among observers who have called for a suspension of Taser use pending an independent, comprehensive study of risks and benefits.

The weapon is hugely popular with police who say it's a much safer and efficient alternative to the handgun, baton or pepper spray.

RCMP defends censoring of taser reports as critics slam secrecy

March 26, 2008
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA — The RCMP fended off increasing attacks Wednesday, blaming federal information and privacy laws for its move to strip public Taser reports of crucial details.

Sgt. Sylvie Tremblay says the Mounties released "all the information that could be provided" under the Access to Information Act when it disclosed newly reclassified and heavily censored records last week.

"The RCMP is committed to respecting the public's right to know while upholding the law and protecting the privacy rights of individuals," Tremblay said in an interview. "Requesters may challenge the RCMP's application of various exemptions . . . should they be dissatisfied with the processing of their request."

Critics say that's a lame excuse for shielding details - including whether zapped suspects were armed or injured - that were once routinely disclosed.

A joint investigation by The Canadian Press and CBC found the Mounties are now censoring key elements that must be recorded each time officers draw their electronic weapons. As a result, Canadians know much less about who is being hit with the contentious 50,000-volt guns and under what circumstances.

Advocates of more openness point out the names and addresses of Tasered people are already struck from the forms, making further deletions unnecessary. "The leadership of the RCMP appears to have a tin ear for what the public wants in relation to Taser use," says Frank Addario, president of the Criminal Lawyers' Association. "It seems obvious that the public wants transparency in relation to the training and circumstances in which this . . . device is used, limitations on its use after any apparent threat to public or officer safety is managed and, above all, thorough training of police officers in advance of using these devices."

Another RCMP spokesman, Troy Lightfoot, has said internal analysis of Taser reports concluded the painful weapons were being used correctly.

Newspaper editorials and opposition critics and newspaper editorials say that amounts to a "just-trust-us" approach.

Opposition MPs on an all-party Commons committee studying Tasers say the force must be held to account. "I think the RCMP, by doing this, is losing a lot of credibility on the way they handle the Taser," says Bloc Quebecois MP Serge Menard. "It makes us more suspicious. One thing is for sure, we're going to examine the documents that you've got, and we'll see if we can get some more ourselves."

The Mounties say they correctly withheld information on the forms under provisions of the information law related to personal privacy and police investigations. Tremblay had no comment when asked if the RCMP broke the law by previously releasing details that it now insists must be protected.

A Canadian Press analysis last November of 563 cases between 2002 and 2005 found three in four suspects Tasered by the RCMP were unarmed.

Several of those reports suggested a pattern of stun-gun use as a convenient means of keeping drunk or rowdy people in line, rather than to defuse major clashes.

Addario says it's time for Stockwell Day, the federal minister responsible for the Mounties, to step in. "I think the minister's passive attitude toward the RCMP has to end. He needs to take ownership of this problem, take charge of the RCMP's behaviour and step up the scrutiny of the force - not only in this area, but in all the areas they've been found to be lacking in the last several years." Day was travelling in the Middle East and unavailable for comment.

Nineteen people in Canada have died soon after being Tasered. Manufacturer Taser International stresses that its device has never been directly blamed for a death, although it has been cited as a contributing factor in several cases.

Amnesty International is among observers who've called for a suspension of Taser use pending an independent, comprehensive study of risks and benefits. The weapon is hugely popular with police who say it's a much safer and efficient alternative to the baton, pepper spray and gun.

Former adviser to Prime Minister Harper and Public Safety Minister Day lobbies for Taser International

December 19, 2007
Winnipeg Free Press

... [Stephen] Harper fulminated against Liberal partisans earning big bucks for touching up who they knew in the Prime Minister's Office. Now, one of Harper's oldest and closest political allies, Ken Boessenkool, a co-signer with Harper of the 2000 Alberta "firewall" letter, has become Taser International's lobbyist in Ottawa.

Close to Harper, Boessenkool is even closer to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, having worked for him when Day was Alberta finance minister. Day is in charge of the RCMP -- and its Tasers.

As CanWest Ottawa columnist Don Martin penned last Saturday: "(Boessenkool) has only been severed from Mr. Harper's office since 2004 ... and he'll be peddling Taser's influence down two corridors of power (Harper's and Day's) where he commanded considerable influence as a policy wonk."

December 14, 2007
The Canadian Press

OTTAWA - A Tory election strategist and former adviser to both the prime minister and public safety minister became a lobbyist for Taser International soon after use of its stun guns came under intense scrutiny. Consultant Ken Boessenkool registered the Arizona-based Taser maker as a client on Nov. 28, two weeks after the videotaped death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski unleashed international outrage. "I'm not authorized to speak on behalf of my client to the media," Boessenkool said when reached Friday. "I'd refer you to the Taser media line." No comment from Taser International was immediately available.

Boessenkool, of the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton, was a senior adviser in opposition to now Prime Minister Stephen Harper. He played key strategic roles in the 2004 and 2006 Conservative election campaigns, and was a policy adviser to Stockwell Day - now public safety minister - when Day was treasurer of Alberta. Boessenkool lists Day's department and the RCMP as potential points of contact in his filing with the Registrar of Lobbyists.

Liberal public safety critic Ujjal Dosanjh pounced on Boessenkool's past links to the current government. "It explains all sorts of things. If you look at the approach Day has taken, he's essentially been absent from the debate about Tasers and related concerns." Dosanjh has assailed Day for brushing off demands for a national public inquiry into Taser use. Instead, the minister called for an internal RCMP review along with a report from its watchdog commission.

Dosanjh also cited Boessenkool's lobbying links to pharmaceutical firm Merck Frosst, which benefited from a surprise $300-million fund in the last federal budget to vaccinate girls against cervical cancer. "Obviously his lobbying is very effective," Dosanjh said in an interview. "This is a clear case of Taser being able to exercise influence behind the scene so that we really don't have a government that's on the up and up in terms of addressing the issues around Tasers."

A spokeswoman for Day said Boessenkool "is entitled to seek employment in any capacity he chooses. "Minister Day has not met with Mr. Boessenkool nor any representative of Taser International," Melisa Leclerc said in an e-mailed response.

The RCMP watchdog recommended this week that Tasers be classified as impact weapons and drastically restricted to the most threatening combative situations. Such changes are needed, said the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, to curb what it called "usage creep." It has, for example, criticized the RCMP for zapping a drunken woman with a 50,000-volt Taser even after she was handcuffed.

The Mounties stopped short of the watchdog's recommendations, however. They announced Friday they'll more clearly define use-of-force terminology and limit Tasers to cases where "a subject is displaying combative behaviours or is being actively resistant." Critics said that still leaves Taser use open to broad interpretation and possible abuse.

RCMP Commissioner William Elliott conceded at a news conference that the stun guns haven't always been wielded appropriately. About 2,800 of the electronic weapons are being used by more than 9,100 RCMP members across the country.

Dziekanski was recorded as the 18th person in Canada to die in recent years after being Tasered. The Mounties have been embroiled in controversy since Nov. 14 when amateur video was released of officers repeatedly zapping the man and pinning him to the floor at Vancouver International Airport.

Taser International stresses that its devices have never been directly blamed for a death. It has vigorously and successfully defended them in several lawsuits. The stun guns are also popular with police, who say they're a safer alternative to batons or pepper spray. Amnesty International cites at least 280 deaths in the United States after suspects were Tasered. It says the weapons should be suspended pending an independent, comprehensive study of their effects.

Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch is waging a court challenge of how federal lobbying rules are interpreted and enforced. "You wouldn't have Boessenkool going into the Conservative war room for their election campaign and then coming out and being a lobbyist if the (Registrar of Lobbyists) was properly enforcing the Lobbyist's Code of Conduct. But you do have it. And it's going on and on and on. The revolving door of lobbyists moving in and out of government is spinning as much as it ever has with this government."

When Harper first introduced the idea of accountability legislation just before the last election, he warned candidates, their workers and party staff alike that "politics will no longer be a stepping stone to a lucrative career lobbying government." "This exercise will be meaningless unless our government is different," Harper said at the time.

The lobbyist regulations in the Federal Accountability Act still haven't been posted, however, more than a year after Harper's showpiece legislation was passed. A five-year cooling off period for public officials who want to lobby government is already in force under federal conflict-of-interest rules but exemptions abound, says Conacher.

A parade of well-connected Tories continues to join various lobbying and government relations firms - including some who made the leap directly from senior positions in ministers' offices.

RCMP watchdog to recommend changes on taser use

December 11, 2007
Jim Bronskill And Sue Bailey, THE CANADIAN PRESS

OTTAWA - The RCMP's public watchdog will make 10 recommendations Wednesday calling for swift action on how Mounties use Tasers as an international uproar over the powerful stun guns continues to reverberate. "They're recommendations for immediate implementation," said an insider familiar with the report to be handed to Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day. The report from Paul Kennedy, head of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, follows a furor over the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski. The 40-year-old man died Oct.14 after he was zapped with an RCMP Taser and subdued by officers at Vancouver International Airport.

Last month, Day asked the RCMP watchdog to look at how the national police force uses Tasers and to provide him with an interim report by Wednesday. The official who had seen a copy said Kennedy would not make "concrete" recommendations if "everything was hunky-dory."

The head of the national police force, however, said Tuesday he sees no need for Mounties to holster their Tasers. RCMP Commissioner William Elliott said a force-wide order to stop using the electronic guns could compromise the safety of both officers and the public. "Based on what we now know, we do not believe that there is justification for a moratorium," the commissioner said after appearing before a Commons committee.

Elliott noted the Taser is just one method of controlling a suspect, but made it clear he considers the stun gun a potentially valuable option. "And if that tool's not available then that in and of itself could result in a situation where the individual being apprehended, or the officer, might well be injured."

He says the Mounties are very interested in seeing Kennedy's report. But Elliott indicated the police force has found no glaring deficiencies with respect to Taser policy. "Our preliminary assessment, and I must stress it is only preliminary, is that our current policies and training are appropriate."

An analysis of 563 incidents by The Canadian Press found that three in four suspects Tasered by the RCMP between 2002 and 2005 were unarmed. Several reports suggest a pattern of stun-gun use as a handy tool to keep drunk or rowdy suspects in line rather than to defuse major threats.

"These are the kinds of issues that we're scanning," Kennedy said last month just after being tasked with the interim report to be delivered Wednesday. "Although it's a daunting task in terms of the timelines, it's one that must be done and which we'll do our best to do," he said at the time. "This is, I think, a welcome opportunity to have some input on a very significant issue."

Kennedy, a former prosecutor and senior public servant, had already begun an investigation into Dziekanski's death. He is also probing the RCMP's recent arrest of a man in Chilliwack, B.C., using a Taser, pepper spray and batons.

As part of the broader review requested by Day, Kennedy is looking at exactly where the Taser fits along the spectrum of options available to police. The six-level police force protocol begins with officer presence and builds in intensity to verbal commands; empty-hand control techniques; use of pepper spray, batons or Tasers; less-than-lethal force such as weapons that fire bean bags or rubber bullets; and finally deadly force.

Kennedy has been talking to RCMP experts, studying Taser-use reports filed by Mounties, case studies and scientific literature. His report is in addition to other Taser-related reviews in British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, and nationally by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the Canadian Police Research Centre.

Restriction on taser use to senior officers only weighed

November 22, 2007
John Colebourn, The Province

The RCMP's public-complaints commissioner, who's conducting an independent review of Taser use in Canada, says one option is to restrict its use to senior officers only.

Paul Kennedy, chairman of the RCMP's Commission for Public Complaints, said yesterday from Ottawa he will look at jurisdictions where police officers who have a rank of sergeant or higher are the only ones allowed to use the Taser. "The fact is in some areas it is only deployed by a sergeant or higher," said Kennedy, referring to places like Toronto, where only experienced personnel may use the Taser. Kennedy is expected to complete his review by Dec. 12.

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced Tuesday that Kennedy would conduct the review of Taser protocols. "I don't have the answers right now," said Kennedy. "What I'll be doing is collecting all the relevant information."

Day said it is important for Canadians to know that the various investigations will be independent. He announced the new role for Kennedy in the face of mounting criticism over the death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver International Airport Oct. 14.

Dziekanski, 40, had been in a secure area of the airport for 10 hours before being Tasered twice by RCMP after he became agitated. He died shortly afterward.

"The complaints commissioner is doing an investigation himself," Day said. "The coroner's inquest, of course, will be independent. "But we want to look at all possibilities, all ways and means to give the assurance to the public that there is going to be an independent view of what took place."

The inquest is set for May 5-16 next year.

An independent review is also being conducted after a 36-year-old Chilliwack man was Tasered in a rental store Monday. The man, who is known to police, was listed in stable condition in Chilliwack General Hospital, RCMP Const. Lea-Anne Dunlop said yesterday. He is believed to have been responsible for a hit-and-run car accident just prior to the confrontation with police. She said the two responding RCMP officers were shaken but OK after the incident. "Physically, they were not injured," she said. "They remain on active duty."

Taser manufacturer wants role in review process

November 21, 2007
CTV News

An executive with Taser International says his company wants to participate in any Canadian review of the stun gun and is confident the product would be found safe. "We do need answers to what happened," Taser co-founder and chairman Tom Smith told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday. "Obviously we manufacture the device. We have a lot of knowledge that we can share, so we need to be part of this inquiry so we can try and provide some answers."

Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day announced Tuesday that he had asked Paul Kennedy, who heads the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP, to conduct the review. "I have asked the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP to review all RCMP protocols on the use of CEDs (conducted electrical devices) and to assess the compliance of the RCMP with these protocols," the minister said in a news release. "This builds on the work currently underway by the Commission on the use of CEDs, as referred in its June 2007 Annual Report."

The review comes following the Oct. 14 death of Robert Dziekanski, a Polish man, at Vancouver International Airport following a confrontation that ended with RCMP officers using a Taser on him.

Kennedy -- who will only look at the RCMP -- is to make an initial report by December 12. His work is in addition to Day's earlier decision to have the RCMP conduct an internal review of its Taser procedures. The Liberals have called for a broad national review that would include the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, Immigration, Transport Canada and the Vancouver Airport Authority.

The NDP and Amnesty International want police to suspend Taser use, citing 17 deaths in Canada and more than 280 in the United States. The B.C. government has also ordered a public inquiry into the Dziekanski case.

Meanwhile in Chilliwack, B.C., a man is in extremely critical condition in hospital following a Tuesday incident with police, who used pepper spray, batons and a Taser to subdue him.

Critic welcomes review

A critic -- and competitor -- of Tasers is welcoming the review of how RCMP officers use the stun guns. "If you don't know what the threshold of safety and effectiveness is, then how do you prevent these devices from being abused in the field and in real world scenarios, when there's no supervision?" Ken Stethem asked in an interview with CTV British Columbia on Tuesday. Stethem -- founder of Omega Science, a company that develops non-lethal security tools -- said part of the problem with Tasers is their design. The North Vancouver businessman and former U.S. Navy Seal said Tasers rely on "spark gap technology." As with a car's spark plug, CEDs can wear out. When they do, the intended electrical wavelength can change and make the devices unsafe. Officers using such a device might be tempted to use the device more than once, he said. That raises the following questions for Stethem:

How many stuns are too many?

When is the duration of electrical contact too long?

What science has been done by the manufacturer or law enforcement to support the use of CEDs?

"What science has been done to support unlimited stuns and unlimited exposure -- and the answer is none," Stethem said. His company is developing a solid-state device that reportedly won't have any variations in electrical output.

But Taser International's position is that: "Specifically in Canada, while previous incidents were widely reported in the media as 'Taser deaths,' the role of the Taser device has been cleared in every case to date." Smith told Canada AM, "I have been Tasered myself. I have Tasered my brother." While admitting the device is "not risk-free," Smith said it's still the safest way to end a confrontation.