Abbotsford Officer Lost

[vegas1500]

Short of some insanity plea, I don't think there will be any doubt in this instance as to who's guilty and who's not. That is what I am referring to.

Capital punishment, in my mind, is a fair trade for any police officers life when there is proof of guilt. Given the location of the crime in question, there is probably security footage of the whole event.

I guess what I'm getting at is that we Canadians need to harden up. Often these blights take their own life before we can deal with them.

Capital punishment is fair trade for any life taken with proof of guilt, not just a Cops life...

[Ken7]

Capital punishment is fair trade for any life taken with proof of guilt, not just a Cops life...

Have to agree with you, "Life is Life." I as a retired Police Officer feel any life deserves another who took it to be appropriately dealt with. Yes there is always the argument that capital punishment is could take a life of a not guilty party.

In saying this if a panel of 5 Supreme Judges reviewed those cases and there was no possible alternative and the evidence was overwhelming I could agree with it.

On the other hand, Life in prison should be at the very least 25 without parole.

[Fancy]

I read another case where the murderer received life imprisonment and parole being denied after 25 years a couple of times. Let's hope this murderer never sees the light of day.

[generalposter]

Capital punishment is fair trade for any life taken with proof of guilt, not just a Cops life...

I disagree and consider this blanket statement too broad.

Without trying to sully this thread I suggest there are far too many circumstances under which one person might take another's life. I can think of many scenarios where someone might be given some leniency despite taking a life. Nothing is so cut and dry as to an eye for an eye.

Consideration should be given knowing that an officer put their own life second to the publics and died while protecting others. Would you suggest a person who endured years of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of a sociopathic partner and finally snapped should not be given some leniency? What about a kidnap victim having to take a life to find freedom?

[techrtr]

At various times I've been very pro-death penalty, especially when a crime involved children. However, I hope that we never go back there (and I doubt that we ever will unless there's an apocalypse and some crazy, dystopian state emerges in the aftermath). Sometimes people do things and if they're mentally ill or victims of horrible abuse, can they really be held responsible for what they've done? I sometimes think that locking someone up for 50 or 60 years would actually be worse punishment than putting them to death and I don't think the death penalty has ever worked as a deterrent. It's really just about revenge.

[Fancy]

UPDATE: 9:30 a.m.

Abbotsford Police department have named the police officer who died in the line of duty Monday.

Const. John Davidson worked as a police officer for 24 years and has been with the Abbotsford Police Department since 2006.

“John was a dedicated police officer who devoted so much of his time to connecting with the community and helping kids,” said Const. Ian MacDonald.

Const. Davidson is survived by his wife and three adult children.

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#210943
My heart goes out to the family.

[Fancy]

A man has been charged with murder in the shooting death of an Abbotsford police officer on Monday.

The charge against Oscar Ferdinand Arfmann, born in 1952, was laid in Abbotsford provincial court Tuesday.

Arfmann remains in custody.

https://www.castanet.net/edition/news-s ... htm#210943

[my5cents]

Here's a pretty comprehensive news article on the whole incident

http://theprovince.com/news/local-news/ ... 9c8a003cb2

[Bsuds]

Life in prison should be at the very least 25 without parole.

For killing an Officer with no sign of a mental illness there should be no Parole!

[my5cents]

There was a letter to the editor in the Penticton Herald on Friday November 24th

It was a bit upsetting to me. The stance of the writer was that the funeral for Constable John Davidson was too big a deal and why didn't funerals of equal size occur for fallen soldiers.

I don't think the writer took into account that attendance at funerals is voluntary, there is no required attendance. The writer, did get a few facts wrong, the police officer was a Constable from the Abbotsford Municipal Police Department, not a Corporal from the RCMP.

When I saw the numbers that attended the funeral, I personally thought, "Isn't that a good sign, we in Canada think it's a big deal when a police officer is killed in the line of duty, verses the USA, where it's barely news anymore".

Yes, perhaps some of the funerals for our fallen military personnel are poorly attended, I don't know. The solution is for more to attend those funerals, not to criticize and, what ?, limit the number of people permitted to mourn the loss of a murdered police officer ?

Is this because a soldier is usually "killed in action" verses a police officer is "murdered". I don't know.

Thoughts ?

Cop funeral over-the-top
Dear Editor:
While I certainly agree that the death of a Mountie, shot and killed on duty should certainly trigger a funeral of note, however the pomp and ceremony that attended the funeral of RCMP Cpl John Davidson in Abbotsford, to me, was completely over-the-top.
It seems that the funeral for every Mountie, and other police officer, killed on duty gets bigger and more extreme; it’s as though there is a contest going on: Which force can put on a bigger and better show?
If it is public money being spent then why shouldn’t Armed Forces members killed on duty rate a similar send-off?
Members of these forces, know when they sign-up that they might be killed on duty, so why a different ceremony for one force member and not the other?
Is it taxpayer money being spent to stage these events?
Would it not be better if some of this ill-spent money went to widows and children of all deceased force members?
With all the officers who attended the funeral being away from their primary job, were some communities left without adequate police protection?
Will the next police officer killed on duty rate a ceremony similar to Davidson’s, or to go one better, maybe a state funeral or a national day of mourning?
When will common sense prevail and, if that is to happen, who will now have the guts to step-up and put a stop to it?
I am sure that if Cpl Davidson could speak from the grave, he would say that he is much embarrassed about what his death has wrought; that he would rather have had a quiet ceremony, and that widows and children of all deceased force members should be the beneficiaries of some of that loose money being spent so inappropriately.

[JagXKR]

The letter writer chooses to speak to what Constable Davidson would say about the funeral. Not too sure if he actually talks to dead people but if he does he needs a hearing aid.

[Harris Creek Central]

You are not correct. Capital punishment does not exist in Canada.

Thank you for clarifying that and also for your information H20. I'll be the first among millions to call for change.

I seem to recall something being different about sentencing under circumstances like this.

I agree with the above it is time for a change. I have no problem with Capital Punishment when it is a case like this. There is no question as to who the killer is. Where there is doubt, and an innocent person may have been wrongly convicted then I feel it is bad enough if they have to spend time in jail.

Where there is no doubt why even bother with months of court cases. Death by hanging, electric chair, lethal injection cannot come back to soon.