Rogue Cop Or Racist Cop

Canada is a nation of people from every country in the world. Some come here looking for a new life. Others come here looking to escape political persecution in their homeland. Whatever the reason, they come here to be free to raise their families and to prosper.

One of the things these people expect is protection from harm by the local constabulary. The police are expected to preserve the rights of Canadian citizens and to protect them from harm. What happens though if the one inflicting harm to the new citizens happens to be a member of a force sworn to protect them?

I give you Hamilton-Wentworth Police Constable Ryan Tocher.

In the five years he has been a police officer for the Hamilton-Wentworth force, he has been investigated for use of excessive force. Excessive force which resulted in deaths in 2 of the incidences.

In April 2007, the S.I.U. (Special Investigations Unit) cleared officer Tocher of a shooting after a Cambodian refugee named Soun Saing attacked a pool hall owner with an axe and a knife. Soun Saing died of his injuries from the shooting.

Tocher was charged with assault following the May 2010 beating of Po La Hay, a Myanmar native, during a botched drug raid.
Mr. Hay, in his fifties and very frail, did not understand police instructions, and suffered facial cuts, three fractured ribs, and a fractured vertabrae.
Tocher was cleared of all wrong doing.

On the morning of Feruary 13th of this year, Phonesay Chanthachack, originally from Laos, was shot and killed by police while trying to elude arrest
. His crime...There was a bench warrant out for him for failure to appear for a break and enter and theft charges. Not an offence where a death sentence is warranted. The officer who shot him....Officer Tocher.

It's hard to tell if Ryan Tocher is just a rogue cop who likes to inflict pain and death or f he's a racist. After all, the three victims Tocher assaulted or killed were all of Asian descent. Is this the type of man (and I am using that word very loosely) that any community wants representing law and order? This is his third strike. No more free passes I say. Get this piece of scum off our force and charge him with murder.

I was trying to write this piece without showing favoritism for either side of the story but it's a little hard reading the press releases and such. Hell, Tocher played minor hockey and was known as an "enforcer". There have been clips of him losing his cool and swearing at refs plastered all over news stations. It's time he was held accountable for his actions. And now. Not later when someone else is killed by him.