Harperville And The Cop-Shop

Welcome Home, Old Buddy!
1.
Apr. 4, 2013 
The Nelson Daily: Police Chief Holland announces the return of the taser to Nelson. With the Nelson Police Board's approval.
2.
Apr. 7, 2013
The blog-post immediately below - Nelson: A Shock To The System - looks at TASER International, the taser as a (possibly) deadly weapon and the chief's neither-here-nor-there explanation.
3.
Apr. 8, 2013
The BC Coroner's Service declares the death of Robert Dziekanski a homicide - tasered to death.
4.
Apr. 10, 2013
The New York Times runs an item regarding this finding.
5.
Apr. 12, 2013
The CBC airs the return of the taser to the small town Nelson.

The Truth And Nothing But
1a.
The chief calls carrying (thus using) a taser by police-officers voluntary, with annual re-certification necessary for those who do volunteer only.
The need for tasers is not an issue.
2a.
Receiving no reply from him to my request for clarification, I am told by a sergeant that all officers will be re-trained/certified, and that each one will make an individual decision whether or not to carry the weapon, at the beginning of his/her every shift. Both explanations clearly show differences.
Need for tasers is not an issue.
5a.
In the CBC interview, the chief says that only those who have been re-certified will carry a taser. There is no mention of some volunteering or all being re-certified.
Need for tasers is not an issue.

Explanation #3 - his 2 are neither clear, consistent nor comprehensive; the sergeant's is somewhat to the point. But not really.

What really seems to be going on is that all officers will be re-trained/certified because all will be carrying a taser. With explanations neither here nor there not to frighten the horses and who cares.

 
       
The Nelson Police Board! Who?
The return of the taser supposedly was okayed by this board, supposedly in charge of the cop-shop. "Supposedly" a major qualifier here.
The Nelson Police Board is accountable to the community of Nelson ... it says on its website. But supposedly only - it consistently operates behind firmly closed doors. Its meetings are not advertised, although supposedly open to outsiders. And it has not posted any minutes of meetings since Dec. 2012, although supposedly they are available.
And there has been no press-release from this board on the return of the taser and WHY and HOW MUCH? Seeing that an industrial-strength taser costs over US $1000, and then there are holsters, cartridges, training-targets, re-training/certification costs, etc.

The Board's website again: Municipal police boards are created independently from municipal councils and from the provincial government. This removes boards from partisan council and politics (sic). Yet - through the marvel of Canadian politics - the mayor is also designated Chair of the Board. Connect the dots!

Taser-A-Tourist Week!
It will be interesting to see what local tourism-tethered voices will do about this. If anything! Seeing that the Board's/Mayor's/Chief's myopic and obviously self-serving decision was so closely followed by the Dziekanski-homicide-by-tasers determination, the New York Times write-up and the several-segments CBC run.
An aggregate of worst-possible PR and many steps backwards into the dark ages, in terms of cultural development.

  
  




Potential tourists - contemplating a visit to the area - must ask themselves: What is so dangerous in Nelson that cops must pack a taser? How could we feel safe there - if they don't? Should we go somewhere else instead?





Maybe you should!  We can't: we live here!