Toronto Police protocol; "shoot 'em first, tase 'em later"

According to various media reports coming out of Toronto, Sammy Yatin was tasered only after the police had shot him nine times.

It's hard to make sense of that.

The Toronto Police have a long history of delivering capital punishment to mentally unstable citizens. The names change but the story stays the same. Some guy on drugs or off his meds makes a scene in public, and the only tool in the toolkit for the police seems to be overwhelming force. There follows the predictable public outcry and public inquiry, after which numerous recommendations will be made, and then it's back to business as usual.

Till next time.

Toronto police terrorize poorest neighbourhoods with attack at dawn

The scenes described in the Toronto Star sound like an action thriller set in a fictional police state.

"While residents slept, police armed with percussion grenades and battering rams made their move," the Star gloats. And gloat they should; after all, they were tipped well in advance of the police assault on the Dixon Road neighbourhood.

Alas, this is not a fictional police state; it's Canada's biggest city. And the journalists doing the gloating write for what used to be considered Canada's most liberal newspaper.

Even five years ago a raid like this would have seen the Star raise questions about police overkill and abuse.

Today their five page coverage of this unprecedented overstepping of police powers elicits nothing but cheer-leading.

Coming soon to Canada; privatized police forces

There are a number of forces at play that will make private policing a reality in Canada sooner rather than later.

First of all, Public Safety Minister Vic Toews likes the idea.

Secondly, it's disconcerting for the Harper gang to see how many cops are showing up on various sunshine lists. Almost half the members of the Toronto Police are making six numbers a year. That's got to be awkward for the Harperites who view all public spending as anathema.

While the proposals on the table will only hive off "minor" police duties to the private sector, you can bet it won't take long for the private sector to clamour for more of the policing pie.

Thirdly, there is an overabundance of viable candidates for these jobs. For about twenty years now there has been a steady growth in college courses aimed at preparing candidates for a career in policing. These "police foundations" and similar courses graduate exponentially more wannabe cops than can be hired by police forces.

These folks may have their eye on a gun and a badge, but the vast majority inevitably end up as mall cops or Brinks guards.

This leaves a perfect niche for privatized policing. Here are Paul Guindon's thoughts on the matter almost eight years ago.

Obviously Guindon has not been idle in the intervening years, and now that he has the ear of the media and the Minister for Public Safety, good things will be happening soon.

Toronto cops on lookout for illegal ass jobs

Call it the Bumtox Scandal.

Not too long ago the Toronto papers were full of self congratulatory nonsense over the fact the population of Toronto has surpassed that of Chicago.

Because what really really matters to Torontonians is being bigger and better than Chicago.

Toronto journalists were particularly chuffed over the fact that although Toronto was now bigger, it has a mere ten percent of the number of homicides that afflict the Windy City, which proves the superiority of Canadian culture in 1001 ways.

But don't assume for a moment that this means the Toronto Police Services don't have much to do. You'd be wronger than wrong.

Toronto Police are being run off their feet by a wave of illegal butt-enhancement procedures...

Not sure if that puts us ahead of the Chicago coolness curve or behind it...