Police tactics draw fire from all sides

By MATT KIELTYKA, 24 HOURS Canoe.ca

Vancouver police have undermined the media's role in society by masquerading as 24 hours reporters to make an arrest, according to the president of the Canadian Association of Journalists. CAJ president Paul Schneidereit said the tactics used by Vancouver police to arrest local activist David Cunningham Saturday afternoon were "reprehensible." "It was completely unnecessary," Schneidereit told 24 hours. "The media plays a fundamental part in a democratic society and [VPD] failed to think through the implications just so they could arrest one person."
Cunningham, a leading member of the Anti-Poverty Committee, was lured to the Tinseltown theatres on Pender Street expecting to meet "Peter McKay," who claimed to be a reporter at 24 hours. Instead, he was swarmed by police and arrested. 24 hours does not employ anyone by that name and publisher Amber Ogilvie said the newspaper is considering launching a formal complaint.

"I am appalled that the police would even consider using a tactic like this for something so benign," said Ogilvie. "Using the name of a journalist to make this arrest goes against Canadian democratic principles, and it affects all media. In short this was a blatant abuse of authority."
Schneidereit said the impersonation damages the trust news organizations have with their sources and the public. "In the end it affects the public's right to know," he said. "If there is any doubt in their minds, sources may dry up. It all affects [the media's] ability to do their job."
VPD spokesman Const. Tim Fanning defended the police tactics but also told reporters it was a strategy he would not have recommended. He also claimed that the blow to the credibility of the city's media was minimal. "I believe you aren't going to hear the outrage on this that you will find in the media," said Fanning.