The heart behind the red serge

In the mid- to late-1990s, the Canadian TV series "Due South" portrayed its main character, RCMP Constable Benton Fraser, as a quality cop - morally upright and polite to a fault, but with the crime-solving smarts of Sherlock Holmes.
Actor Paul Gross's characterization of Fraser was played for obvious comedic effect, but it was also a magnification of the Canadian stereotype held by many outside our country.
But that image, as it relates to the Mounties, has taken a few hits as of late. Front and centre in the RCMP's fall from grace is the 2007 death of Polish immigrant Robert Dziekanski at Vancouver's airport. After only being at the scene for a few minutes, four officers tasered the upset and confused man five times in 31 seconds.
That cracks are showing in the national police force shouldn't be a surprise. RCMP officers are human beings, not flawless television characters that roam the streets impeccably dressed in the red serge.
We've heard sentiments about the Dziekanski incident from many different sources since that day in 2007. The man's family, the witnesses, the media and, most recently, the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP have all had their say in the matter.
Lost in the shuffle though, are the officers who were at the centre of the situation. Given the RCMP's strict code of silence, it's doubtful we will ever hear from these four people.
Do they still defend their actions? Why did they take the steps they did? Do they feel remorse for what happened?
RCMP Commissioner William Elliot has remained relatively silent throughout the affair.
This silence is almost oxymoronic to the complaints commission's recent recommendations for taser policy review and officer training.
In order to truly change and earn back the public trust that should be inherent with the RCMP, the police service must be willing to engage the citizens it's sworn to protect.
A good start would be allowing the four officers at the Vancouver airport that day to express their thoughts, perhaps even apologize to Dziekanski's family and the public.
It's unrealistic to ask all our officers to be Benton Fraser, but it's never too late to start trying.