freespirit
4th July 2011, 05:10 PM
http://news.sympatico.ca/oped/coffee-talk/alberta_man_handcuffed_for_stealing_his_own_car/ff22ca9e
Edmonton police failed to update their computer files when a local man's stolen car was recovered. He was pulled over the next day and says police pointed their guns at him. Now he's seeking $100,000 in damages.
Five Edmonton police officers and a former chief of police will end up in court after a bad day on the streets of the Alberta capital.
Suing them is Edmonton resident Theophilus Amoatey Addey.
In June 2009, Addey had his car stolen; a 2004 Infinity. Police recovered the car the same day, arresting a suspect in the process. Addey got his car back right away.
But life deals us good days and bad days.
The next day, Addey says he was driving to work with his two infant children in the car. An Edmonton police cruiser cut in front of him, lights flashing. Another police car stopped behind him.
Addey says he opened his door and says police immediately drew their guns and pointed them at him.
Since the officers obviously believed they were in danger, they treated him less than gently. He says he was slammed into the front end of one police cruiser and handcuffed.
It took a few minutes to sort out the problem: Addey's car was still listed as stolen in the police department's records. He was allowed to go free, but instead of apologizing to Addey, the Edmonton man says one cop seemed to blame him because his car was still listed as stolen.
Addey says he now suffers from anxiety, headaches, insomnia and nightmares, and is suing five officers and former chief Mike Boyd for $100,000 in damages. We have no idea how his kids reacted to seeing Dad arrested at gunpoint, but it doesn't appear that Addey is suing on their behalf too.
Victims of crime are often emotionally scarred; a case of post-traumatic stress. In this situation, Addey experienced the added shock of being grabbed and locked up – albeit briefly – by the very same people he expected to be on his side.
One key point may be this: Addey's statement of claim points out that "Nobody apologized to the plaintiff."
Whether you think Addey is a gold-digger or a true victim, there's one thing we can all agree on. All too often when a mistake is made, the offending party compounds the error by failing to take responsibility.
Sorry always seems to be the hardest word. It may be even harder for police officers.
In our ever more litigious society, some people have been taught to never admit a mistake in some situations, and have extrapolated that to mean they should never say sorry.
In a car accident, for example, it's better to avoid publicly admitting your fault because there's a lot on the line. But it won't hurt your situation if you apologize one-on-one, with no witnesses. If you truly feel sorry, say so. The sooner the better.
If the officers who pulled over Addey had simply apologized, there's a decent chance he would have accepted an unfortunate turn of events. Now the officers face 100,000 reasons to be sorry.
Would you apologize if you were one of the officers involved? Does Addey deserve damages?
Related article--
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2011/07/02/18365576.html?cid=rssnewscanada
Edmonton police failed to update their computer files when a local man's stolen car was recovered. He was pulled over the next day and says police pointed their guns at him. Now he's seeking $100,000 in damages.
Five Edmonton police officers and a former chief of police will end up in court after a bad day on the streets of the Alberta capital.
Suing them is Edmonton resident Theophilus Amoatey Addey.
In June 2009, Addey had his car stolen; a 2004 Infinity. Police recovered the car the same day, arresting a suspect in the process. Addey got his car back right away.
But life deals us good days and bad days.
The next day, Addey says he was driving to work with his two infant children in the car. An Edmonton police cruiser cut in front of him, lights flashing. Another police car stopped behind him.
Addey says he opened his door and says police immediately drew their guns and pointed them at him.
Since the officers obviously believed they were in danger, they treated him less than gently. He says he was slammed into the front end of one police cruiser and handcuffed.
It took a few minutes to sort out the problem: Addey's car was still listed as stolen in the police department's records. He was allowed to go free, but instead of apologizing to Addey, the Edmonton man says one cop seemed to blame him because his car was still listed as stolen.
Addey says he now suffers from anxiety, headaches, insomnia and nightmares, and is suing five officers and former chief Mike Boyd for $100,000 in damages. We have no idea how his kids reacted to seeing Dad arrested at gunpoint, but it doesn't appear that Addey is suing on their behalf too.
Victims of crime are often emotionally scarred; a case of post-traumatic stress. In this situation, Addey experienced the added shock of being grabbed and locked up – albeit briefly – by the very same people he expected to be on his side.
One key point may be this: Addey's statement of claim points out that "Nobody apologized to the plaintiff."
Whether you think Addey is a gold-digger or a true victim, there's one thing we can all agree on. All too often when a mistake is made, the offending party compounds the error by failing to take responsibility.
Sorry always seems to be the hardest word. It may be even harder for police officers.
In our ever more litigious society, some people have been taught to never admit a mistake in some situations, and have extrapolated that to mean they should never say sorry.
In a car accident, for example, it's better to avoid publicly admitting your fault because there's a lot on the line. But it won't hurt your situation if you apologize one-on-one, with no witnesses. If you truly feel sorry, say so. The sooner the better.
If the officers who pulled over Addey had simply apologized, there's a decent chance he would have accepted an unfortunate turn of events. Now the officers face 100,000 reasons to be sorry.
Would you apologize if you were one of the officers involved? Does Addey deserve damages?
Related article--
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2011/07/02/18365576.html?cid=rssnewscanada