Edmonton Police Watch

(Copyright Edmonton Journal 2005)

Da Costa serves notice that racist attitudes are no laughing matter

They were supposed to be holding a happy-talk news conference about a new traffic safety initiative.

But instead, as Mayor Stephen Mandel and acting police chief Darryl da Costa stood out in the pouring rain Monday morning, they were pelted with questions about the latest scandals to hit the beleaguered Edmonton Police Service: first a racist e-mail, circulated among a small number of officers in the downtown division, that joked about the top 10 ways to treat aboriginal people, and second, a T-shirt, apparently worn by some police officers, that featured a picture of a rat with a slash line through it — an apparent warning to officers not to “rat” on their fellow service members.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

Edmonton’s acting police chief has ordered yet another internal investigation into the conduct of some officers, this time in relation to an internal e-mail that made racist comments about aboriginals.

“An e-mail was recently brought to my attention where the author advanced his theory on how aboriginals should be dealt with by police,” acting chief Daryl da Costa says in a special June 9 communique, obtained by The Journal, that was sent to all Edmonton Police Service members.

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