One of the first Google hits you get when you type in Sam Garito’s name is a Toronto Star headline: “Pearson Security Inspector Arrested on Weapons Charges.” Garito’s nightmare started on May 3, 2007 when he was arrested at work at Lester B. Pearson International Airport at the Transport Canada Centre. Peel Police charged Garito with two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, importing a prohibited weapon, careless storage of ammunition and false pretenses. Garito’s story even made it to the floor of the House of Commons. The then Minister of Transport, Lawrence Cannon announced the arrest and says it showed how vigilante his department was being.
Garito can’t talk about his story because of a gag order but the fifth estate has pieced together his story with the help of sources inside Pearson airpot. Garito is a Transport Canada security inspector and was responsible for doing infiltration tests at the airport. He would put prohibited weapons like World War II hand grenades, and guns into suitcase for screeners to scan and detect. With his supervisor’s permission, Garito ordered a dagger and a penknife from a U.S. company online to use for the infilteration tests. The carbon dagger is hard to detect. Garito wanted to make the testing of security tougher. On May 3, 2007, Garito’s Transport Canada supervisors called police. For the first time, Garito’s union say he was just doing his job and that this should never have happened.. All criminal charges were dropped against Garito. Why Transport Canada supervisors called police is still unexplained. Garito’s interview with the fifth estate is the first time he’s said anything publicly in his defense.
Here is a transcript of an interview with Sam Garito conducted by the fifth estate's Hana Gartner:
SO LET’S GO BACK TO MAY 2007. YOU’RE DOING YOUR JOB, RIGHT?
Sam: I was at work, yes.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Sam: I was arrested by Peel Regional Police.
COULD YOU WORK UP TO IT, GIVE ME A SENSE OF THE DAY, WHAT YOU WERE DOING, WHERE YOU WERE, WHAT WAS GOING ON?
Sam: I’m sorry, I can’t disclose the duties.
WELL – IT WAS A DAY LIKE ANY OTHER.
Sam: Okay. It was a day like any other, a standard workday.
Union Rep: He was at work in his office.
Sam: I was at – in our office at the Transport Canada Centre. And Peel police came in and arrested me.
WHAT DID THEY SAY? THEY APPROACHED YOUR DESK.
Sam: Yes. They said stand up, you’re under arrest for fraud, and I was just totally confused. Excuse me.
NO WARNING AT ALL?
Sam: There was no warning. There was no comment said, just a voice, stand up, these are Peel Regional Police officers. One of them grabbed my arm, said you’re under arrest for fraud. And I was just totally confused as to what was going on.
WAS THERE SOMEBODY ELSE FROM THE OFFICE, A SUPERIOR, ANYBODY, WITH THEM?
Sam: I can’t discuss that.
SO THEY TELL YOU STAND UP, FRAUD, THEY HANDCUFF YOU?
Sam: Yes.
AND YOU HAVE NO CLUE WHAT’S GOING ON.
Sam: I had absolutely no clue what was going on. I didn’t know what they were talking about, what they were referring to. As a result of an injury I received a number of years ago, while serving as an auxiliary constable with Toronto police, I suffer from chronic pain and it involves headaches. I have prescribed medication for this and was going to take my – I was going to take my medication at this time and Peel Regional Police refused me access to my medication, even though it was right on my desk.
WHAT HAPPENED?
Sam: I was roughly grabbed, basically accidentally I suppose bounced into walls, brought downstairs into processing and processed like a criminal.
AT THE, AT PEEL REGIONAL –
Sam: At the Peel police airport division.
Union Rep: Now just for clarification, the Transport Canada, this particular group shares the same building with the Peel Regional Police. It’s on the airport property.
BECAUSE THEY WORK AT THE, THEY’RE CONTRACTED TO DO POLICE WORK AT THE AIRPORT, RIGHT. SO THEY BRING YOU TO THEIR OFFICES AND BOUNCE YOU OFF THE WALLS.
Sam: Yes, brought me into a cell, refused my continual requests for medical treatment. And basically left me to rot in a cell.
HOW LONG WERE YOU THAT CELL?
Sam: I believe 7 or 8 hours.
AND STILL YOU HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS GOING ON, WHAT THE ACCUSATION WAS SPECIFICALLY?
Sam: I had no clue. I couldn’t understand what fraud they could even be referring to. I had no understanding why they were treating me with such hostility. Handcuffs weren’t placed upon my wrists, they were slammed upon my wrists. And that’s not done.
I had no idea why they were treating me in this manner and more disturbingly, when they came, they made comments like we don’t even think you have medication, so that’s why you’re not getting any.
NOW DID YOU KNOW ANY OF THESE GUYS? BECAUSE THEY WORKED THE AIRPORT, RIGHT, THAT WAS THEIR –
Sam: This was the – I believe it was their Criminal Investigation Branch, their plain clothes, so I had not worked with any of these individuals. I had seen some uniform officers who were, who looked as flabbergasted as I did. They didn’t know what was going on either.
SO YOU’RE IN THIS CELL FOR 7 HOURS, NOBODY’S TALKING TO YOU, NOBODY’S TELLING YOU WHAT YOU’RE SPECIFICALLY ACCUSED OF BEYOND FRAUD. WHAT HAPPENED?
Sam: I was brought upstairs and interrogated, where physical pain was used as a tool
WHAT, THEY ROUGHED YOU UP?
Sam: By denying me medical attention when I needed it, I was in a level of pain that is unbearable. I couldn’t think straight. I was so disturbed that this was happening, I couldn’t believe I was – I’m still in disbelief that they would treat someone like this. And they would not provide either my medication or I asked to go to the hospital, and they kept refusing it, until I signed a consent for them to search my vehicle.
After the signature was on the paper, they found my medication.
THEY OBVIOUSLY THROUGH YOU WERE REALLY ONE BAD GUY.
Sam: I don’t know what they were told. I don’t know why they were acting. I know that I was called various derogatory things. I was called a traitor, called a, a terrorist. Then they called me a scab because they learned I was an auxiliary constable. And they were not pleased about that fact.
YOUR MIND MUST HAVE BEEN JUST TUMBLING, HURTLING THROUGH SPACE, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS GOING ON. IT’S SURREAL, HUH?
Sam: In addition to the confusing aspect of the incident itself, I was in so much pain that I, I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know what was going on. And when I finally was hospitalized, it didn’t matter. I was still being treated to the accidental bumps, the slamming of the handcuffs, the derision, the degrading treatment.
When I returned from the hospital, instead of being for example handed a blanket, it was thrown at me. I was sworn at.
WHAT ABOUT PHONE CALLS, LAWYERS? WHAT – YOU DIDN’T CALL ANYBODY?
Sam: I wasn’t given the opportunity. All they kept repeating is you did this, you’re not supposed to do. And I kept trying to clarify what it was that I wasn’t supposed to have done. No details were given.
HOW LONG DID YOU SPEND IN THE CELL? HAD YOU, DID YOU LET YOUR WIFE KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
Sam: After the consent to search my vehicle, they went and searched my home.
THEY HAD A WARRANT TO, A SEARCH WARRANT FOR YOUR HOME?
Sam: No. It was the consent that I had to sign in order to get medical treatment.
SO TELLME ABOUT THE SEARCHING OF YOUR HOME.
Sam: Felt more like a ransacking.
BUT THEY TOOK YOU ALONG?
Sam: Yes.
OH, AND YOUR WIFE GREETED YOU AT THE DOOR?
Sam: Yes ,and she was obviously quite upset.
WELL YOU ARRIVED WITH A BUNCH OF COPS AND IN A HANDCUFF.
Sam: I think she was more concerned with the physical state that I was in. She saw that I was in pain and that I was not doing very well.
DID YOU FIND OUT ANY MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO HAVE DONE?
Sam: I’m not sure if that goes into our confidentiality clause.
Union Rep: Go ahead and talk about when you found out about the… charges and the –
YOU WERE FOUND TO BE IN POSSESSION OF PROHIBITED WEAPONS UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE OF CANADA.
Sam: That’s what they said, yes.
WHEN DID YOU UNDERSTAND THIS WAS THE CHARGE?
Sam: The next day, when I was brought to the courts and they said, we are charging you with possession of prohibited weapons, importation of a weapon and improper storage of ammunition and false pretenses.
DID YOU THEN KNOW WHAT IT WAS THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT?
Sam: No. I didn’t know at all. Transportation security inspectors are public officers and public officers are exempt under the Criminal Code from being charged with those offences.
WELL, UNLESS THEY’RE IMPORTING BAZOOKAS THROUGH THE MAIL, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT HAPPENED WITH YOU.
Sam: No.
Pearson security inspector arrested on weapons charges
(Toronto Star, May 17, 2007)
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