Criticize photo radar program, get framed by cops?
Declan McCullagh Former Senior Writer
Declan McCullagh is the chief political correspondent for CNET. You can e-mail him or follow him on Twitter as declanm. Declan previously was a reporter for Time and the Washington bureau chief for Wired and wrote the Taking Liberties section and Other People's Money column for CBS News' Web site.
When a Canadian journalist dared to write a column criticizing the photo radar program used in Edmonton, Alberta, the local cops apparently decided to get even.
Staff Sgt. Bill Newton looked up the name of journalist Kerry Diotte in an ostensibly official-use-only police database, found Diotte's license plate and home address, and asked his colleagues to look out for Diotte's BMW convertible, according to a report Wednesday in the Edmonton Sun. (Diotte is a columnist for the newspaper.)
The cops tracked down Diotte in a bar and planned to nab him on drunk driving charges. But he took a cab home instead. Now Sgt. Newton is -- appropriately, it seems -- facing a disciplinary hearing.