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(Prime Time Crime exclusive July 18, 2018) | |
A Foot in the Door |
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By Bob Cooper |
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When I wrote
An Insult in 2014 I knew it wasn’t over because it never is with these
people. When the Transit
Police knuckled under the following year -
Concept of Duty - I knew it was only a matter of time. |
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When I started getting e-mails
from friends last night with this
New VPD guidelines aim to facilitate access to police services for
undocumented immigrants attached my first reaction was surprise that
it took this long. After
reading the guidelines carefully my second reaction was that it could have
been a lot worse. For any of
my readers who didn’t get this from the first 2 columns let me be very
clear. While I understand and
support the need for civilian oversight of law enforcement I have always
opposed political interference in day to day operations.
It’s currently destroying some of America’s greatest cities and my
home state of California. Make
no mistake. This is
interference and it is most certainly political. |
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Fortunately for us all, it
seems the Executive of the VPD made the best of a bad situation and
managed to inject some common sense into these guidelines.
Common sense is attributed by default because the Open Borders
crowd have none. Members are
directed not to ask complainants, victims, or witnesses about their
immigration status unless there is reason to do so and gives some good
examples. It goes on to say
that none of the foregoing applies to suspects which is key and sets this
policy apart from the Sanctuary lunacy that so many U.S. police
departments are operating under. |
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Most importantly the guidelines acknowledge the primary role of the police in ensuring public safety, pledges continued cooperation with CBSA, and include the following words: “Any direction the VPD provides to its members, in an attempt to support the “spirit and objectives” of the CoV’s ACSWF policy, must not undermine the lawful authorities and obligations of VPD members.” |
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It may come as a surprise to
some but this is pretty much the way things have worked, as the kids say,
‘like forever’. When I worked
in the Asian Squad in the 80s we didn’t ask victims, witnesses, or
complainants about their immigration status for the same reason we didn’t
ask them what their grandmother’s maiden name was or what kind of flooring
they had in their kitchen.
It had nothing to do with the case and we had enough trouble just
getting the details of the crime out of them.
With suspects, on the other hand, if we didn’t know them it was the
next question after their name and date of birth and we removed some very
dangerous people from Canada after stumbling across them in routine
investigations or stopping them on the street which, unlike our brethren
in Toronto, we’re still allowed to do.
For the moment:
The Numbers Game. |
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Like I said, it could have been
a lot worse and, as compromises go, the VPD can live with it because in a
practical sense, it changes very little.
The danger is that it’s a foot in the door.
I know the Chief is well aware of this but the need for vigilance
bears repeating to others. The
Left don’t believe in compromise which they view as a temporary setback.
They take an ‘all or nothing’ approach and will keep chipping away
until they’ve achieved total victory.
And we become San Francisco. |
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Bob Cooper is a retired Vancouver policeman. He walked a beat in Chinatown and later worked in the Asian Organized Crime Section and the Homicide Squad. |
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