When you read stories like this, you have to have at least a little compassion …. for ME. After reading this you’d have to conclude that I should stop badgering the liberal-left. There’s no telling what they could do to me since virtually the whole country is owned and run by them.
EDMONTON—It’s a scandal ripped from the tabloid headlines—a veteran newspaper columnist who takes on the police force finds himself under surveillance, the victim of a sting operation that even ensnarled the police commission chair.
Since November, Edmonton has been abuzz with the case of Kerry Diotte, the Sun columnist who angered police by writing about what he said was their propensity for high-speed chases.
Edmonton police hoped to catch him driving while impaired one night, only to apparently be foiled when he took a cab home from a social event attended by dozens of journalists and local politicians.
The headlines took another dramatic turn yesterday, when transcripts of police radio transmissions emerged revealing officers saying they would just have to bag their “target” on “another day, another time.”
Police have said all along it wasn’t a sting—just a tip they dutifully acted on. And their chief backed the statement, even though he recently expressed doubt about the quality of the tip that led police to the bar in the first place.
“We were interested in [Mr. Diotte] because of his behaviour, and not necessarily because of who he was or what he might have said in the newspaper,” Chief Fred Rayner told reporters last week.
On yesterday’s reported transcripts of police radio transmissions, officers were joking about the tip and their “target.”
“I think the guy who gets this target will never have to pay for a drink as long as he lives,” one unidentified officer reportedly said.
The transcripts of the tapes also revealed that the officers knew where Mr. Diotte lived, with one describing his house. They are also heard joking about his columns and accusing him of stealing them off the Internet. “You know what—I’d do his job and I’d do it better than him. A fucking idiot can write that up in about five minutes,” one officer reportedly said.
After Mr. Diotte, who does not have a criminal record, was spotted by plainclothes officers leaving the bar in a cab, one officer remarked: “Oh well, we gave it the good old college try.”
Another officer replied: “Well, I think we will be able to tag [Mr. Diotte] on another day, another time.” […]
(Vote Liberal!)
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
Contact Mr. Johannesen about this article using this form. Please refer to article's title.
FOLLOW @JoelJohannesen ON X!
- Proud To Be Canadian. But Maybe Not. - Tuesday December 17, 2024 at 2:07 pm
- Say something. - Friday October 25, 2024 at 6:03 pm
- Keep going, or veer right - Monday August 26, 2024 at 4:30 pm
