To Protect and to Serve

Every society needs its policing agencies to ensure that social misfits and those living on the fringes of society preferring to live by their own sometimes-illegal devices rather than sign on to social convention and the banality of living responsible lives, don't overwhelm society. Acts of illegal commission, people behaving brutally toward one another, flaunting of legalities, the laws that are meant to keep us in check and safe from one another must be upheld.

The pity of it is that there appears to be no certain methodology to ensure that those policing agencies don't train and uniform and certify as legal public security enforcers those very same social misfits they are enjoined to protect society from. An incident that occurred two days ago at Ottawa's International Airport a startling case in point. When a taxi driver was assaulted by the driver of an SUV, who was an obvious racist and psychopath.

The taxi driver, Sami Aldoboni, had been tailgated driving on the Airport Parkway, the driver finally following him into the airport taxi parking lot, and parking his SUV directly behind his taxi. When each emerged from their respective vehicles, the SUV driver was shouting racist invective, and attacked him, beating him viciously. Contacted by local media soon afterward, police confirmed they were investigating.

The taxi driver was sent to hospital after the melee. He now has a cast on his left arm, broken fingers on his right hand, and bruises all over his body. He's been effectively put out of commission while he heals from the savage thrashing he sustained. One of those puzzling incidents of road rage. In explaining what happened, Mr. Aldoboni asked of the SUV driver "What's wrong, why are you here?"

He soon discovered precisely why, when the man shoved him to the ground, pulled his jacket over his head, and beat him repeatedly shouting "I'm going to f--- up all you immigrants!" Two fellow taxi drivers hurried over to attempt restraint on the attacker. "Go ahead, call the cops, I'll show you, I own you", one of the other drivers quoted the SUV driver as shouting at them, challenging them to do something about the incident.

Flashing a police ID card at them. And when two airport police finally arrived, they were aware that roughly 30 other taxi drivers were witness to the event. They also became apprised of the fact that the assailant was a fellow police officer whom they took aside, spoke with, proffered a note pad and pen, then drove off with him, the assailant driving while the other two sat in the back seat of the SUV.

Other police arriving at the scene took possession of the officers' patrol car, one driving it away. During his overnight hospital stay Mr. Aldoboni was questioned by police who took his statement. Letting him know they weren't certain whether they would be able to press charges.