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First tragedy, then spectacle

They came from far and wide for the funeral of Toronto police Sergeant Ryan Russell, badge number 7686.

Tuesday’s service for the officer killed under still unclear circumstances in an incident involving a snowplow last Wednesday, January 12, at Avenue and Davenport was unlike anything seen in Toronto in recent memory.

A bit surreal, really, as the hearse carrying Russell’s body made its way down University to the Metro Convention Centre for a very public ceremony – perhaps too public.

Was the display necessary?

Callers were at it on talk radio early Tuesday criticizing the street closures and inconvenience caused by the procession and the fact that some parking lots, seeing the opportunity to make a few extra bucks, had jacked up their rates.

The service did seem more spectacle than remembrance on occasion, with officers and emergency services workers snapping photos with their cellphones..

Those in the public seating areas ran the gamut from cop groupies hanging out for the free food and refreshments later to entire families with toddlers in strollers.

The cavernous hall in the bowels of the Metro Convention Centre chosen as the place for thousands to pay their respects seemed a bit cold – and ironic, given the G20 connections and all the bad feelings left from that mess. Still, there were stirring moments of raw emotion, in particular when Russell’s casket was carried into the room followed by the barely two-year-old son he left behind.

Grown men wept.

The Policeman’s Prayer, which Russell is said to have kept in his hat while on duty, was read aloud.

Fine words of tribute were spoken. Photos of Russell, Kodak moments from the life of a young man well loved – on his wedding day, smiling proudly with his newborn, having fun with friends at the cottage – were beamed across four big screens set up at the front.

Amidst the grief, the search for meaning was recurrent when maybe there was none to be found.

Sometimes things happen for no apparent reason. They defy explanation, just as many of the events surrounding Russell’s death remain a mystery.


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Ryan Russell, by all accounts, was a rising star, a former member of the Gun and Gang Task Force who rose quickly through police ranks. He was the first through the door when duty called and some gangbanger had to be taken down.

The word “hero” has been used a lot to describe Russell in the wake of his death. But at his funeral, more than one speaker took pains to note that Russell was not made a hero by his death, but by how he lived his life.

About that snowy morning the unanswered questions are many.

The unofficial version leaked to the press by unnamed police sources is that Russell was mowed down by a stolen snowplow. No official cause of death has been released. Richard Kachkar, of no fixed address, has been charged with first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

Why did it take more than two hours to track down and stop the snowplow if, as has been reported, the vehicle was hooked up to a GPS system and monitored the whole time by police? Why wasn’t the vehicle corralled? Why was the ETF only called when it was too late and Russell lay dead?

Other what-ifs have been little considered. What if it was an accident?

Did the guy who was always first in at the sign of danger overreact? Or did he underestimate the situation?

Reports of what actually took place have been contradictory.

Some media have reported that the officer was pinned against his cruiser by the plow. Police say they’ve been aided in the laying of charges by an in-cruiser camera in Russell’s car. But it’s unclear just how much the camera footage shows of the crucial moments. Or if there are eyewitnesses to the events that led to the officer’s death. There may be none, since officers were canvassing the neighbourhood looking for witnesses only this week.

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Russell was an experienced officer said to possess keen instincts. But he was also human. Did he misread the situation and put himself in a compromising situation?

Presumably, he would have received a report from his dispatcher that the driver of the stolen plow was barefoot. And that info would have caused him to consider the possibility that the driver was/is mentally unstable. Would that affect his stance going in? He was on patrol alone that night. Why didn’t he call for backup?

One among those who spoke at his funeral mentioned that Russell who’ was transferred to 52 Division in August, may have been a little bored, missing the adrenaline rush of his previous gig with the Gun and Gang Task Force. Did he let his guard down?

Russell wouldn’t be the first cop killed in the line of duty to have misread a situation. That’s usually the way it happens. His wife, Christine, talked at the funeral about Russell putting others before himself. Maybe he thought he could help the guy.

The brain is a complicated thing. Cops become accustomed to reacting to routine situations like traffic checks, for example, in the same way. But it’s when they’re not in a state of heightened awareness, anticipating the unexpected, that they can be most in danger.

If cop trainers know anything, it’s that no amount of time in the classroom can prepare officers for those situations on the street.


Little consideration has been given to Russell’s alleged killer, Richard Esber Kachkar, in the possible scenarios of what happened that morning.

Described as a “madman” in media accounts, Kachkar may have been armed with a rifle, according to one early report of his capture some kilometres away from where Russell was killed. He was shot several times and had to be revived before being transferred to St. Mich-ael’s Hospital. Another radio report suggested that he might have a crack addiction, the suggestion being that he may have been high that night and experiencing a psychotic episode of some kind.

In the court of public opinion, the alleged “cop killer” has already been convicted, the cumulative effect of the embellished reports compromising the odds of a fair trail.

The police should not be making statements to the press, anonymously or otherwise. There’s a good reason for that. The Police Services Act’s confidentiality provisions forbid it. However, numerous unnamed police sources have offered their spin in media reports, among them the officer in charge of the homicide investigation.

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Chief Bill Blair, pictured above, has also failed to remain above the fray. At a press conference the day after Russell’s death, the chief referred to the officer’s death as “murder” three times, even before charges had officially been laid against Kachkar.


For all the tears shed for Ryan Russell, let’s not lose sight of the fact that Toronto is still a very safe city – one of the safest in the world, in fact.

Chief Blair and the Toronto Police Services Board have had a little something to do with that, thanks in part to minority recruitment efforts and community policing initiatives.

It’s inevitable that Russell’s death should form part of the backdrop to the current state of police politics in the city. The death of a cop under any circumstances, as rare an occurrence as it is, doesn’t just happen in a vacuum. The brotherhood would never allow it.

Though safer than some professions, being a cop is no ordinary job, a point the police union is already reinforcing in the aftermath of Russell’s death as it enters contract negotiations with the city. The union raised concerns about staffing levels compromising officer safety after the chief, faced with a new cost-cutting regime at City Hall, was forced to postpone the replacement of 200-plus officers who will retire this year.

For Rob Ford, a enthusiastic supporter of police (remember “You’re either for the cops or against them”?), Russell’s death poses a tricky proposition. The mayor was quick to send words of support and to lower the flags at City Hall, and he attended private funeral services for Russell.

But he’ll need to put his money where his mouth is or risk a war with the police union.

What price is he willing to pay for labour peace with police?

The more likely scenario is that community policing efforts that have improved relations with isolated communities will be sacrificed to meet the bottom. They’re usually the first to go.

If the pomp and circumstance surrounding Russell’s funeral are any indication, this is one officer whose death won’t be soon forgotten for a whole host of reasons.

news@nowtoronto.com

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