Monday, November 16th, 2009 | 12:29 pm By Joe Fries Kelowna.com:
Kelowna’s top cop today delivered a public apology to a woman who was arrested for stealing her own car due to a simple oversight by a rank and file member of the local RCMP. Noelle Kennedy, 44, was arrested Nov. 1 after volunteer members of the Central Okanagan Citizens Patrol spotted her driving a car with licence plates that belonged on a vehicle that had been reported stolen two weeks earlier. As it turns out, the plates were off her Nissan Pathfinder, which had been stolen and recovered on Oct. 15. Although the vehicle was a write-off, Kennedy got the plates back and put them onto her new car, a Mitsubishi Eclipse, and carried on with her life.
However, the RCMP officer involved in the recovery of the Pathfinder neglected to update a police database and the plates were still considered hot when spotted by the citizens’ patrol members, who reported the whereabouts of the vehicle and driver to police. Kennedy and her 17-year-old son, Jake, were then arrested and handcuffed inside Visions Electronics, where they were shopping for a new car stereo. They were made to wait 45 minutes in the back of a cruiser while the mess was sorted out.
At a press conference this morning, Kelowna RCMP Supt. Bill McKinnon publicly apologized for the embarrassment and humiliation Kennedy and her son suffered as a result of her wrongful arrest. “Obviously we’re embarrassed that the mistake happened, but I want to do the right thing,” McKinnon said. He noted that the officers involved have been provided with “operational guidance,” and memos were sent out reminding cops of proper procedures when dealing with recovered stolen vehicles. A new checklist has also been developed in the hopes of avoiding a similar error in the future. McKinnon said the detachment has over 100 members with less than three years’ experience, so mistakes are inevitable.“If they make an honest mistake trying to learn the the job, we’re willing to teach them and work with them,” he remarked. “But these kinds of mistakes are straight laziness.”
He also said that he can recall one similar incident within the past year. Kennedy, who works at Wal-Mart, was previously offered a written apology, which she felt was “kind of a blow-off,” and wanted something more substantial. She said she’s satisfied now. The single mother also claimed the thought of a lawsuit never crossed her mind and she didn’t want to bring the Mounties into disrepute – “They already get a bum rap, they’re police officers.”However, she does want to remind the general public that mistakes happen and to be diligent when dealing with police, such as in the case of a stolen vehicle. “Just because they’re police officers, (it) doesn’t mean they’re perfect.”
The Central Okanagan Citizens Patrol is a volunteer group that acts as an extra set of eyes and ears for the local police. They work day and evening shifts in a marked vehicle and are provided by ICBC with lists of licence plates that may be associated to stolen vehicles. Both Kennedy and McKinnon praised the group for its efforts in this case, even though it was supplied with inaccurate information.
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