For those of you from Vancouver, Canada, this topic needs no introduction. For those of you unfamiliar with the case, here is some background information:

Downtown Vancouver is a major drug haven for addicts looking for hardcore drugs such as cocaine, heroin, ecstacy, etc... We have a very lenient criminal justice system. Drug dealers are regularly being arrested and are immediately released on a promise to appear in court at a later date. They often don't go to court and a warrant is issued for their arrest. If they eventually end up in court, tried and convicted, they often receive little or no jail time, even for repeat offences.

Here's what happened:
Back in January, 6 police officers arrested 3 drug dealers. These 3 characters are known drug dealers, have been arrested numerous times and warned to stay away from the downtown core. Anyway, the 6 police officers arrested the 3 drug dealers, took them to Stanley Park, a secluded park just outside of the downtown core. Supposedly, the 3 drug dealers were beaten by a few of the police officers and released; they didn't report the incident. To make a long story short, an internal "rat" reported the incident and it quickly made headlines in the last couple of months. The 3 drug dealers were later identified and have been "encouraged" to file a complaint and lawsuit against the police department. The 6 police officers have been suspended pending a trial and will face the music at the end of this month.

I would like some opinions...

Drug addicts don't use ecstasy much because after a short period of continual use it has very little effect.

lemsip a drug addict.

At least in this country the cops would be able to use the fact that they are drug dealers against them and say they have no credibility. What the cops did was wrong......well maybe not wrong but against the law anyway. Too bad they were ratted out.

Well, if they would have just shot them they wouldn't have been able to file charges

And who the hell ratted them out. That person needs a good beating

Can we get some links? Never heard of this.

I will try and find a link.

Regarding the "rat"...

It is rumoured that he was one of the 6 police officers. He was also a new recruit who did not take part in the beatings, but watched it go down. A couple of weeks later, he felt uncomfortable with the whole situation and mentioned the incident to his girlfriend who is supposedly a sergeant in a different department in B.C. She told him that he should talk to the Justice Institute (B.C. Police School) and that was how it all came out.

The "rat" was suspended as well because he waited 2 weeks before telling a supervisor and that brought his integrity into question. Otherwise, he should have learned to keep his mouth shut.

I believe what the police had done was wrong, but I also understand the frustration they must go through. If they must feel they have to take matters into their own hands to serve a better good, they never should have involved so many others, especially a new recruit who many not know the value of brotherhood and how to keep his mouth shut. As a result, all 6 police officers have been suspended, will likely lose their jobs (ironically, this includes the "rat"), may face criminal/civil action, have divided and damaged a police department, have given further free reign to drug dealers and other criminals.

One positive note from all this is that I have read and heard that the public are saying that it was about bloody time that the police fought crime instead of cruise donut shops. It is unfortunate that these 6 are being disciplined for it.

Here is the link:

web page

*yawn* More news we didn't need to know...

shut up... why do you ever bother to post your inane useless shit?

I say it serves them right. True, the drug dealers were in the wrong...but who/what gives the officers the right (any officers) to take the law into their own hands? Their is no place for vigilantism in administering law.

Cops seem to be under the assumption that their gun, badge, and job gives them the right to administer law as they see fit.

[QUOTE If they must feel they have to take matters into their own hands to serve a better good, they never should have involved so many others, especially a new recruit who many not know the value of brotherhood and how to keep his mouth shut.[/QUOTE]

Huh? Civil rights were violated and you feel the new recruit doesn't know the meaning of brotherhood because he decided to talk. I would have done the same thing, but sooner. Maybe i'm wrong, but I always thought the entire purpose of having police in the first place is to uphold the law...not to interprut it in their own way and administer it accordingly. They should be fired and have charges/lawsuit brought against them.

You become a cop to enforce the law, not break it. Regardless of how shitty the system is. To me these cops are dirty.

I have no regard for th drug dealers, the majority of them are southamerican illegal immigrants here on false permanent resident papers (hence the change in documentation policy as of December 31). The NPD Mayor of Vancouver is not helping any with borken election promises of a "4 pillar" approach to the problem. target these shitheads hard but do it within the confines of the law, not this vigilantie shit.

Let's just assume for a minute that Canadian laws don't have any teeth...oh, wait...they don't. I suppose that is why Canada is a haven for criminals who come from pretty much every part of the world to commit serious crimes here (drug dealing and organized crime, for example). So I guess it would be difficult to target these shitheads hard within the confines of OUR laws.

I am not a police officer and certainly wouldn't want to do their job. I suppose it is always easier to criticize police officers, having the luxury of being on the sidelines and never having to face their frustration of trying to arrest scumbags, only to have scumbag lawyers and judges release them the next day.

I do not always agree with what the police do, but I am sick and tired of the rampant drug-related crimes that occur in our city. Old women have their purses snatched and beaten, home invaders targeting the weak, motorists having their cars broken into for a few coins left in the ashtray and drug dealers doing business at our schools. These assholes contribute nothing to society, but leave a trail of death and destruction on our streets. I am a taxpayer in this city and am still waiting for the police to get off their arses and do their fucking jobs! Instead, the department disciplines the officers for trying to fight crime. These officers did not extort money or steal; they didn't do it for any personal gain. Perhaps, it's just a sign of times to come if the laws don't change...

Purse beatings?

The place has gone downhill in the last ten years, I guess . . .

Poor purses. Better call PETP-People for the Ethical Treatment of Purses.

"...women have their purses snatched and ARE beaten" Call the grammar police, maybe I need a beating myself!

Yo for real...that's funny as hell. I didn't pick up on that initially.

I agree the cops did wrong. But get this; the other night I was up late watching some TV and I heard something outside, I sneak out there real quite like, and catch some kid breaking into my X. I cought him and slapped him around. Picture if you will, me in my boxers with no shoes, in the middle of the driveway, kickin the shit out of this punk, he ran away ( I couldnt chase him cuz I had no shoes)
I thought about calling the cops after, but by the time they came... He was gone anyway.
Well the next day a cop comes to my door and says this kid (19) told him I beat him up for no reason. I told him the situation and he giggled and took off, he told me no report would be filed.
Street Justice my friends.

I'd like to know who is "encouraging" the dealers to come forward and lodge a complaint? Is there a person or committee out there who hates cops so bad that they're willing to encourage some drug dealers ??

When it learned of the incident, Internal Investigations went out looking for the dealers to "encourage" them to file a complaint against their own members There were arrest records for the 3 drug dealers and of course, they were easily found; same location they were initially arrested at and deal drugs from. As for the lawsuit against the department, I believe Vancouver has the highest lawyer to population per capita than any other city in Canada, so that wasn't a problem.

One interesting note as reported in last week's newspaper is the fact that the lawyer representing the 3 drug dealers is very frustrated with his clients. Apparently, they are not fully cooperating; they have either been re-arresting on trafficking and are in jail, have skipped meetings with their lawyers, or have simply disappeared.

There are many individual and committees around here who hate cops and other forms of government and authority figures. We have pretty much every left wing, tree-hugging, granola-eating, Berkeinstock-wearing, liberal protesting-type living here on the West Coast (mild climate and easy to get social assistence).

In my opinion, we have a weak judicial system and social atmosphere that encourages deadbeats, drug crimes, a strong hatred for police which results in sky-rocketing property crimes.

Well good news. One of the guys involved in this story was just arrested for yes you guessed it.... selling cocaine to an undercover police officer.

Can we just send these lossers to an island somewhere.

Ya, that island is called the City of Vancouver. Every loser, drug addict, drug dealer, anarchist, deadbeat, terrorist, etc... in Canada has been sent to Vancouver. Okay, I'm just rambling on here....

Watch "Training Day". I just saw it last night. Similar situations, even including the "new recruit".

During the movie, I kind of agreed with what Denzel's character was doing (street justice, vigilante). But as the movie progressed, it turns out... well, I won't tell you.

One of the better movies I've seen in a while.