October 21, 2022
Your front-page headline of Thursday, October 20, was sensationalist, mis-leading, and highly offensive to thousands of RCMP Members, their families and those they serve here in the Lower Mainland and across the province and country. We know this because they’ve reached out to us, asking us to express their outrage and hurt.
Due to the ongoing IIO investigation, the sequence of events related to her death remains publicly unknown. Your headline implies she was responsible for her own death, which is hurtful and disrespectful of the investigation. Why would you not say “Man kills police officer?” or “Man charged with killing police officer” rather than this biased slant?
Referencing her as simply “Yang”, rather than her full name, “Constable” or “officer” dehumanizes her which only contributes to the concept that police are not people. Our Members are among the most humane and caring individuals in our communities.
Shaelyn Yang died a hero. She, her family and colleagues deserve much, much better.
Their loss and trauma should not be leveraged for clicks or newspaper sales. We ask that you issue an apology note in a future edition of the Province.
Brian Sauvé is the President of the National Police Federation
About the National Police Federation:
The National Police Federation (NPF) was certified to represent ~20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and internationally in the summer of 2019. The NPF is the largest police labour relations organization in Canada; the second largest in North America and is the first independent national association to represent RCMP Members.
The NPF is focused on improving public safety in Canada by increasing resources, equipment, training, and other supports for our Members who have been under-funded for far too long. Better resourcing and supports for the RCMP will enhance community safety and livability in the communities we serve, large and small, across Canada.
For more information: https://npf-fpn.com/
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Media contact:
Fabrice de Dongo
Manager, Media Relations
fdedongo@npf-fpn.com
(647) 274-7118