Trend - Canadian Style

I have noticed another very interesting non-coincidence.

Late-2007 was when most Canadians really noticed tasers.

2007 October 14: Robert Dziekanski, 40, Richmond, British Columbia

This was the big one - it dominated the news for weeks - or months. The taser issue really started to get the appropriate level of attention with the Dziekanski incident. This incident seemed obviously outrageous even on its face. After a while, a cellphone video became available which revealed many further details and exposed some misinformation. That just twisted the knife.

(By the way - We really owe an apology to those 16 or so Canadians that died before this point and their families for neglecting their incidents. But unfortunately that's the way it often goes. It's like boiling a frog - if you start with cold water and apply heat slowly then perhaps the frog won't notice. But the Dziekanski incident on 2007 October 14 was like a pot of boiling water in the face of all Canadians. We woke up that day.)

2007 October 17: Quilem Registre, 39, Montreal, Quebec

Suspicious. This incident - just a few days after Dziekanski - was noted by the media. This death made it two-in-a-row. Raised eyebrows. Curious coincidence.

2007 November 22: Howard Hyde, 45, Halifax, Nova Scotia

They say that Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence, three times is enemy action.

Well, this death made three in only a few weeks. Average people started to get really mad at this point. Everyone was talking about it.

2007 November 24: Robert Knipstrom, 36, Chilliwack, British Columbia

Only two days later. Now FOUR taser deaths in just two months. Enough is enough!! The public outrage was extreme.

Look - I'm just an average Joe and I started the Excited-Delirium blog the very next day (2007 November 25) [LINK] because I was so outraged.


~~Now here is where it gets weird.~~

None since (in Canada). 5 months, no deaths.


Let's review the sequence at the highest level:
1) Too many (FOUR in just two months).
2) Huge public outrage.
3) None since (in Canada). Five months, none.


Compare and contrast:

The US public is in general not as outraged as the Canadian public. And they've had 29 deaths since 2007 November 27 (until end-April 2008). 29-to-0 is not the usual ten-to-one US-to-Canada ratio. Canada has had ZERO since the PUBLIC OUTRAGE. The US public is not outraged, and they've had 29 since then.

Coincidence?

I doubt it.

Subtle change by the Canadian police (being less taser-happy)?

Almost certainly.

Do the Canadian police officers still trust the claims of 'perfect safety'?

Must be ringing a bit hollow by now.


(But that doesn't mean that the change, whatever it may be, is sufficient. We're just getting started on this process.)