Cop Killer Gets Parole!

Edmonton police officer Ezio Faraone, (pictured above) was killed in the line of duty by two punks who had just robbed a bank.

I remember it clearly even now, it shocked all of Edmonton. It was total cold blooded murder. Now one of the thugs, has been released. Even Stelmach came out strongly against the National Parole Board of Canada's decision, and that's saying something.

Stelmach slams release

A man convicted in the 1990 killing of Edmonton Const. Ezio Faraone should be jailed for the rest of his life, says Premier Ed Stelmach.

Stelmach made the comments after 46-year-old Albert Foulston was granted statutory release yesterday to an Edmonton halfway house.

"He killed a police officer and he should stay in jail forever," a visibly upset Stelmach told reporters yesterday after being asked about the case.

"It was cold-blooded."

Faraone, 33, had cornered both Foulston and Jerry Crews after an Edmonton bank robbery. Foulston -- who was on parole at the time -- put up his hands in surrender but Crews blasted the officer with a sawed-off shotgun, killing him on the spot.

The head of the Edmonton Police Association lauded the premier for his comments.

"That's the mindset that is shared by the rank and file and all of the members of the police association and, I suspect, the majority of the public as well," said association president Sgt. Tony Simioni.

He was just about released in 2004, but even he knew it was not in his best interests to be openly let out. Here is a very comprehensive report on Foulston:

Foulston had nearly fifty convictions when Constable Ezio Faraone was murdered. He was on parole at the time, clearly demonstrating he couldn’t give a fig for the rules of a civilized society. After fourteen years in jail he has over 100 violations on his institutional record and has spent much of his time in segregation because of his behaviour.

He’s a heroin junkie and has been consistently involved in the drug culture while in prison. He has constantly and consistently breached the rules of prison while there and every time he has be out on escorted or unescorted temporary absences. He’s been back and forth between medium and minimum security prisons because every time he is given a little more freedom he reverts to using heroin. The use of which, I might add, raises the likelihood of him re-offending violently.

He is a career criminal who has spent most of his adult life in jail. When out on parole, he consistently re-offends until he is caught again. He was first sentenced to prison for an armed robbery in 1980, ten years before he and Crews robbed the bank on the day they ended the life of Constable Ezio Faraone.

There is absolutely no reason to believe Foulston will not re-offend. The last time he was on parole, he robbed a bank and was involved in the killing of a cop. What can we expect for an encore?

So, why did the National Parole Board release him? Even after this:

In a rare move, Edmonton's chief of police wrote to the National Parole Board recently asking that Foulston not be allowed out.

Chief Mike Boyd wrote that news of the con's imminent release "brought alarm and serious concern not only from members of the Edmonton Police Service, but from the citizens in the community we serve."

Even the parole board's own documents called Foulston "a high-risk, high-needs offender" with a "resentment towards persons in authority."

"Overall benefit of your lengthy incarceration has been minimal," the documents state. "A number of prior release attempts have resulted in failure, both in the form of relapse, and with serious reoffending."

Officials had earlier indicated Foulston was to be released tomorrow, but he was quietly released yesterday.

I want the National Parole Board to speak to us, tell us why they thought it was safe to release him into society, when it has never worked before. I want to hear these people:

Prairies Region

Full-Time Members
Allan, Craig Micheal
Harvey Cenaiko (Vice-Chairperson)
Bruce, Brian
Haasbeek, Patricia
Gobeil, Cécile
Musgrove, Heather
Perrault, Sharon
Scott, David
Vacing, Lorrie
Silbernagel, Harvey

Part-Time Members
Dennis, Dina
Dodds, Murray Allan
Elliott, Terrance
Fowler, Ian S.
Halko, Mike
Hayes, Robert
Kenny, Marilyn
Klein, Linda
Ladouceur, Ivan

tell us why they disregarded a police Chief's recommendation. Why did they not consider the victim, a police officer doing his duty. Why do they think Edmonton will be safer with this criminal out on our streets early? Maybe Lorrie, or Brian, or Dina should have him live in their house, so they can monitor him. After all, they think he is safe to release into society, so why not their house? HA, they probably don't even live in Edmonton, so no problem for them or their families. How about those of us who do live in Edmonton? Did they even think for a second about how safe we feel now? It appears not.

It's not just Canada that has idiots on their parole boards (look at the qualifications you need to be on the board, I bet Foulston qualifies) the US isn't much better:

Hospital Union Warned of Field Trip Dangers Before Killer Inmate's Escape

SPOKANE, Wash. — A criminally insane killer who escaped during a mental hospital field trip to a county fair remained on the run, and furious residents and officials wondered why such a dangerous person was out in public.

Heaven help us, where has common sense gone?