Canada Police Misconduct Reports
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bootlegga @ Tue Jul 14, 2020 9:50 am
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
$1:
Edmonton police officers investigated for use of force in pair of arrests
Jamie-Dean Sauter dropped by a downtown Edmonton Circle K convenience store one day in May to buy a cold drink and some breath mints.
It turned out to be one of the worst decisions he ever made.
While he was standing at the drink machine, six police officers rushed into the store and headed straight for him.
Sauter has filed a formal complaint with the Edmonton Police Service professional standards branch over the way he was treated.
"The officers seemed agitated and angry, and I heard them just yell out, 'That's him,'" he said.
Sauter, 37, said one officer grabbed his arm and told him he was under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle. He insisted that was impossible, and told them to check his identification, vehicle registration and insurance.
Instead he was slammed to the floor.
"Several officers began to pile up on me," Sauter told CBC News. "They began to grab my hands and placed them into handcuffs."
He said he was kneed in the side as police grabbed his feet to hogtie him, and was punched in the face.
A customer in the store captured video of the incident on his cellphone.
"I had kind of a bad feeling in general that maybe this guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time," Joshua Powell said. "He sounded innocent to me, so I just naturally took out my phone and started recording."
On the video, Sauter is heard angrily saying, "You punched me in the face. You just punched me in the face."
He said the attack continued as another officer removed his hat, grabbed the back of his hair and slammed his head four times against the floor. After that, an officer placed his boot on Sauter's cheek.
"He took his boot and proceeded to wipe the bottom of his boot over my face," Sauter said. "It was very slow and deliberate. It was the most humiliating, disgusting thing.
"The takedown and everything was one thing," Sauter tearfully recalled. "But it felt like he was making me aware I was less than dirt under his boot. I wasn't even human."
. . .
After Sauter complained about being punched in the face, Powell said on tape, "That was a bit excessive, as an outside perspective."
In hindsight, Powell thinks the police were offended by his criticism and decided to teach him a lesson. He said one officer approached him and said, "When they tell you to stay back, you stay back."
The officer then tried to grab his phone as Powell was being pushed up against the drink machine.
"My hoodie gets ripped over my head, and all I can remember is multiple officers swarming," Powell said. "It's almost like they came from him to deal with me, you know?"
On the video Powell said, "What are you doing to me?" as the screen goes black.
Powell was eventually charged with obstruction of justice. His arrest is also being investigated by the professional standards branch.
His girlfriend was sitting outside the Circle K store in a vehicle and saw him being carried out of the store.
. . .
"I can't imagine a Crown prosecutor taking this to trial," Tom Engel said. "It might sound surprising to say this, but the police officers kidnapped him and unlawfully confined him. Those are serious criminal offences."
The lawyer also questioned the size of the police response that night.
"If you can amass 15 or so officers to deal with what was allegedly a stolen licence plate, there's obviously too much money in the EPS budget," Engel said.
. . .
He was never criminally charged. Police determined his licence plate had been stolen and replaced with one from a stolen vehicle.
Jamie-Dean Sauter dropped by a downtown Edmonton Circle K convenience store one day in May to buy a cold drink and some breath mints.
It turned out to be one of the worst decisions he ever made.
While he was standing at the drink machine, six police officers rushed into the store and headed straight for him.
Sauter has filed a formal complaint with the Edmonton Police Service professional standards branch over the way he was treated.
"The officers seemed agitated and angry, and I heard them just yell out, 'That's him,'" he said.
Sauter, 37, said one officer grabbed his arm and told him he was under arrest for possession of a stolen vehicle. He insisted that was impossible, and told them to check his identification, vehicle registration and insurance.
Instead he was slammed to the floor.
"Several officers began to pile up on me," Sauter told CBC News. "They began to grab my hands and placed them into handcuffs."
He said he was kneed in the side as police grabbed his feet to hogtie him, and was punched in the face.
A customer in the store captured video of the incident on his cellphone.
"I had kind of a bad feeling in general that maybe this guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time," Joshua Powell said. "He sounded innocent to me, so I just naturally took out my phone and started recording."
On the video, Sauter is heard angrily saying, "You punched me in the face. You just punched me in the face."
He said the attack continued as another officer removed his hat, grabbed the back of his hair and slammed his head four times against the floor. After that, an officer placed his boot on Sauter's cheek.
"He took his boot and proceeded to wipe the bottom of his boot over my face," Sauter said. "It was very slow and deliberate. It was the most humiliating, disgusting thing.
"The takedown and everything was one thing," Sauter tearfully recalled. "But it felt like he was making me aware I was less than dirt under his boot. I wasn't even human."
. . .
After Sauter complained about being punched in the face, Powell said on tape, "That was a bit excessive, as an outside perspective."
In hindsight, Powell thinks the police were offended by his criticism and decided to teach him a lesson. He said one officer approached him and said, "When they tell you to stay back, you stay back."
The officer then tried to grab his phone as Powell was being pushed up against the drink machine.
"My hoodie gets ripped over my head, and all I can remember is multiple officers swarming," Powell said. "It's almost like they came from him to deal with me, you know?"
On the video Powell said, "What are you doing to me?" as the screen goes black.
Powell was eventually charged with obstruction of justice. His arrest is also being investigated by the professional standards branch.
His girlfriend was sitting outside the Circle K store in a vehicle and saw him being carried out of the store.
. . .
"I can't imagine a Crown prosecutor taking this to trial," Tom Engel said. "It might sound surprising to say this, but the police officers kidnapped him and unlawfully confined him. Those are serious criminal offences."
The lawyer also questioned the size of the police response that night.
"If you can amass 15 or so officers to deal with what was allegedly a stolen licence plate, there's obviously too much money in the EPS budget," Engel said.
. . .
He was never criminally charged. Police determined his licence plate had been stolen and replaced with one from a stolen vehicle.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.5640970
The assault is bad enough, but arresting the guy videotaping the event is even worse in my books.
That was completely unjustified and should result in an officer or two losing their jobs, but as you and I both know, it almost certainly will not.
BartSimpson @ Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:23 am
Your cops are just as bad as ours. Sorry to say that. 
llama66 @ Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:30 am
Most cops are alright, but there is percentage of the Service that I wouldn't allow to work at may site as a security guard.
DrCaleb @ Tue Jul 14, 2020 10:46 am
llama66 llama66:
Most cops are alright, but there is percentage of the Service that I wouldn't allow to work at may site as a security guard.
^^^
Most of the cops I see at the Legion are good people. The problem they seem to have on both sides of the border is the blue line that prevents them from doing their assigned job. If they have to uphold the law, then they need to be accountable as well. Hiding the actions of their fellow members is counter to that, and bullying whistle blowers is the biggest problem they have right now.
If they were free to report misdeeds and were actually accountable for their conduct, then there would be some sudden changes in attitude.
DrCaleb @ Thu Jul 23, 2020 7:19 am
$1:
RCMP takedown during Sherwood Park arrest ‘shockingly unnecessary’: defence lawyer
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said it is investigating after an RCMP officer in Sherwood Park forcibly pushed an older man to the sidewalk, causing a head injury.
Video of the incident has gone viral online. It was uploaded to the website Streamable around 10 p.m. Tuesday, and has been viewed more than 45,000 times in 16 hours on that site alone. It has also been shared to Reddit, Facebook and Twitter.
In it, a woman appears to be speaking to someone on the phone, while a man in a mask walks toward an older man in a hat.
The older man’s speech sounds slurred, and he’s seen using his phone and appearing to take pictures of a unit in an apartment complex.
He is speaking about lawyers and a class-action lawsuit, when an RCMP cruiser pulls up and one officer gets out – immediately approaching the older man. The officer appears to call him by name.
The officer then takes hold of the man by the arm and the two stand that way for about 20 seconds. During that time, the older man uses his free arm to point at something, and appears to be trying to use his cellphone. Their conversation is inaudible.
Suddenly, the officer sticks his leg out and tackles the man to the ground, where the man’s head hits the ground and his hat comes off. A pool of blood starts to form.
The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) said it is investigating after an RCMP officer in Sherwood Park forcibly pushed an older man to the sidewalk, causing a head injury.
Video of the incident has gone viral online. It was uploaded to the website Streamable around 10 p.m. Tuesday, and has been viewed more than 45,000 times in 16 hours on that site alone. It has also been shared to Reddit, Facebook and Twitter.
In it, a woman appears to be speaking to someone on the phone, while a man in a mask walks toward an older man in a hat.
The older man’s speech sounds slurred, and he’s seen using his phone and appearing to take pictures of a unit in an apartment complex.
He is speaking about lawyers and a class-action lawsuit, when an RCMP cruiser pulls up and one officer gets out – immediately approaching the older man. The officer appears to call him by name.
The officer then takes hold of the man by the arm and the two stand that way for about 20 seconds. During that time, the older man uses his free arm to point at something, and appears to be trying to use his cellphone. Their conversation is inaudible.
Suddenly, the officer sticks his leg out and tackles the man to the ground, where the man’s head hits the ground and his hat comes off. A pool of blood starts to form.
https://globalnews.ca/news/7205224/sher ... mp-arrest/
BartSimpson @ Thu Jul 23, 2020 10:38 am
Fucker was trained to do that move. He tripped the older man and then put his knee on the man's neck as if this was a violent criminal.
Of course, Officer F*ckface will not even face discipline for doing this because he's a hero with a badge, thin blue line, and all that other bullshit.
DrCaleb @ Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:00 pm
BartSimpson BartSimpson:
Fucker was trained to do that move. He tripped the older man and then put his knee on the man's neck as if this was a violent criminal.
they are trained to do all these moves. They are conditioned to view everyone as 'hostile' or 'perps'. Criminals that haven't been identified yet.
This is the problem.
DrCaleb @ Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:54 am
$1:
'Illegal assault' on First Nations brothers by police caught on video was racist, lawsuit alleges
Ontario Provincial Police officers allegedly falsified their notes to justify a racially influenced violent takedown of two First Nations brothers in Orillia, Ont., that was caught on cellphone video, according to a lawsuit filed in an Ontario court this week.
The lawsuit, seeking $400,000 in damages, names the Ontario government, two identified OPP officers and a number of unknown officers. It was filed in Toronto on Wednesday.
It alleges that the two officers, acting on a report that a "Native male" had fallen off a bicycle, illegally assaulted Randall May, 57, of Nipissing First Nation, and Aaron Keeshig, 50, of Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation.
The lawsuit also alleges that an OPP officer, assigned to investigate a complaint over the incident filed by May, offered to have May's charges dropped if he abandoned the complaint, according to the statement of claim.
The legal action comes at a time of heightened awareness of racial profiling by the police against Black and Indigenous people and amid worldwide protests over recent high-profile incidents of police brutality.
In Canada, two Indigenous people were shot and killed by police in New Brunswick within a span of eight days in June. Chantal Moore, 26, was killed by police in Edmunston during a wellness check at her home while Rodney Levi, 48, of Metepenagiag First Nation, was fatally shot by the RCMP.
Ontario Provincial Police officers allegedly falsified their notes to justify a racially influenced violent takedown of two First Nations brothers in Orillia, Ont., that was caught on cellphone video, according to a lawsuit filed in an Ontario court this week.
The lawsuit, seeking $400,000 in damages, names the Ontario government, two identified OPP officers and a number of unknown officers. It was filed in Toronto on Wednesday.
It alleges that the two officers, acting on a report that a "Native male" had fallen off a bicycle, illegally assaulted Randall May, 57, of Nipissing First Nation, and Aaron Keeshig, 50, of Neyaashiinigmiing First Nation.
The lawsuit also alleges that an OPP officer, assigned to investigate a complaint over the incident filed by May, offered to have May's charges dropped if he abandoned the complaint, according to the statement of claim.
The legal action comes at a time of heightened awareness of racial profiling by the police against Black and Indigenous people and amid worldwide protests over recent high-profile incidents of police brutality.
In Canada, two Indigenous people were shot and killed by police in New Brunswick within a span of eight days in June. Chantal Moore, 26, was killed by police in Edmunston during a wellness check at her home while Rodney Levi, 48, of Metepenagiag First Nation, was fatally shot by the RCMP.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/firs ... -1.5661097
DrCaleb @ Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:02 am
$1:
Officer who fatally shot Ejaz Choudry refuses to speak with investigators, police watchdog says
The police officer who fatally shot Ejaz Choudry, a 62-year-old man suffering from a mental health crisis, has refused to speak with Ontario's police watchdog about his actions last month.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the Peel Regional Police officer, whose name has not been released, declined to be interviewed and has also chosen not to submit a copy of his notes.
Under the Police Services Act, officers under investigation, referred to as "subject officers," cannot be legally compelled to speak with the SIU, the agency said in a news release Thursday afternoon.
The Choudry family's lawyer said it's "troubling but not surprising" that the officer won't speak with the SIU.
"There is nothing he could possibly say that could excuse or justify shooting Ejaz," said Nader Hasan.
Hasan added that he and the family learned about the subject officer's refusal to participate in an interview through media reports Thursday, and criticized the SIU for "attempting to normalize" the officer's lack of cooperation.
"We were not given any kind of a heads up," he said.
The officer's refusal marks the third case to come to light in recent weeks in which subject officers have chosen not to speak with the watchdog. CBC News revealed Wednesday that two officers from Peel Region involved in the fatal Tasering of Clive Mensah also refused.
Last month, the SIU also indicated the Peel police officer who fatally shot D'Andre Campbell had declined an interview.
All three cases involve Black people or people of colour whose families say they were struggling with mental health issues.
The police officer who fatally shot Ejaz Choudry, a 62-year-old man suffering from a mental health crisis, has refused to speak with Ontario's police watchdog about his actions last month.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) says the Peel Regional Police officer, whose name has not been released, declined to be interviewed and has also chosen not to submit a copy of his notes.
Under the Police Services Act, officers under investigation, referred to as "subject officers," cannot be legally compelled to speak with the SIU, the agency said in a news release Thursday afternoon.
The Choudry family's lawyer said it's "troubling but not surprising" that the officer won't speak with the SIU.
"There is nothing he could possibly say that could excuse or justify shooting Ejaz," said Nader Hasan.
Hasan added that he and the family learned about the subject officer's refusal to participate in an interview through media reports Thursday, and criticized the SIU for "attempting to normalize" the officer's lack of cooperation.
"We were not given any kind of a heads up," he said.
The officer's refusal marks the third case to come to light in recent weeks in which subject officers have chosen not to speak with the watchdog. CBC News revealed Wednesday that two officers from Peel Region involved in the fatal Tasering of Clive Mensah also refused.
Last month, the SIU also indicated the Peel police officer who fatally shot D'Andre Campbell had declined an interview.
All three cases involve Black people or people of colour whose families say they were struggling with mental health issues.
DrCaleb @ Fri Jul 24, 2020 7:04 am
$1:
Ottawa police demand $2,486 from grieving family for fatal accident report
The fee, it turns out, was not for extensive photocopying, paper-binding or expensive photo reproduction — it was to help offset the cost of the police work itself.
On the evening of March 3, 2019, a retired man was walking in his neighbourhood along Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area of Orléans.
It was dark, there were no sidewalks, but he knew the area well and, even at 69, was in good health. Just before 6:30 p.m., he may have stepped onto the driving portion of the road to avoid a puddle, the watery remnant of a mild winter day.
Just then, police believe, he was struck from behind by a car, suffering traumatic injuries. Though bystanders and first responders attempted to resuscitate his heart, he did not survive.
In the subsequent police investigation, no one was ever charged with any offence, not even a Highway Traffic ticket. To this day, his family — a widow and two grown children — wonder what really happened that night, how he might have found himself “in the middle of the road,” in obvious harm’s way.
The police conclusion that “it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” was not terribly illuminating.
The fee, it turns out, was not for extensive photocopying, paper-binding or expensive photo reproduction — it was to help offset the cost of the police work itself.
On the evening of March 3, 2019, a retired man was walking in his neighbourhood along Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area of Orléans.
It was dark, there were no sidewalks, but he knew the area well and, even at 69, was in good health. Just before 6:30 p.m., he may have stepped onto the driving portion of the road to avoid a puddle, the watery remnant of a mild winter day.
Just then, police believe, he was struck from behind by a car, suffering traumatic injuries. Though bystanders and first responders attempted to resuscitate his heart, he did not survive.
In the subsequent police investigation, no one was ever charged with any offence, not even a Highway Traffic ticket. To this day, his family — a widow and two grown children — wonder what really happened that night, how he might have found himself “in the middle of the road,” in obvious harm’s way.
The police conclusion that “it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” was not terribly illuminating.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-ne ... ent-report
BartSimpson @ Fri Jul 24, 2020 10:01 am
DrCaleb DrCaleb:
$1:
Ottawa police demand $2,486 from grieving family for fatal accident report
The fee, it turns out, was not for extensive photocopying, paper-binding or expensive photo reproduction — it was to help offset the cost of the police work itself.
On the evening of March 3, 2019, a retired man was walking in his neighbourhood along Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area of Orléans.
It was dark, there were no sidewalks, but he knew the area well and, even at 69, was in good health. Just before 6:30 p.m., he may have stepped onto the driving portion of the road to avoid a puddle, the watery remnant of a mild winter day.
Just then, police believe, he was struck from behind by a car, suffering traumatic injuries. Though bystanders and first responders attempted to resuscitate his heart, he did not survive.
In the subsequent police investigation, no one was ever charged with any offence, not even a Highway Traffic ticket. To this day, his family — a widow and two grown children — wonder what really happened that night, how he might have found himself “in the middle of the road,” in obvious harm’s way.
The police conclusion that “it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” was not terribly illuminating.
The fee, it turns out, was not for extensive photocopying, paper-binding or expensive photo reproduction — it was to help offset the cost of the police work itself.
On the evening of March 3, 2019, a retired man was walking in his neighbourhood along Renaud Road in the Chapel Hill South area of Orléans.
It was dark, there were no sidewalks, but he knew the area well and, even at 69, was in good health. Just before 6:30 p.m., he may have stepped onto the driving portion of the road to avoid a puddle, the watery remnant of a mild winter day.
Just then, police believe, he was struck from behind by a car, suffering traumatic injuries. Though bystanders and first responders attempted to resuscitate his heart, he did not survive.
In the subsequent police investigation, no one was ever charged with any offence, not even a Highway Traffic ticket. To this day, his family — a widow and two grown children — wonder what really happened that night, how he might have found himself “in the middle of the road,” in obvious harm’s way.
The police conclusion that “it wasn’t the driver’s fault,” was not terribly illuminating.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-ne ... ent-report
I see Canada's police are taking notes from China.
DrCaleb @ Sun Aug 02, 2020 10:04 am
$1:
RCMP says improper force allegations confirmed in just 1 per cent of cases
As police services everywhere cope with public pressure over their use of force policies, the RCMP is reporting that just one per cent of the more than 3,000 allegations it's received about improper use of force over the past five years turned out to be founded.
"Out of the thousands of interactions that RCMP members have with the public across the country every single day, the RCMP has found that there were 36 instances of improper use of force over the past five years," said RCMP spokesperson Catherine Fortin in an email to CBC News.
The national police force says that while there's no set-in-stone definition of "improper force", it generally refers to the application of force in a way that is unnecessary, inconsistent, too frequent or too harsh, or to the use of force for an excessive amount of time. Allegations involve inappropriate use of physical controls, intermediate weapons (non-firearm weapons such as batons and tasers), police service dogs and chemical munitions.
Harsha Walia, executive director of B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said that doesn't mean Mounties aren't using excessive force.
She called the one per cent figure "incredibly low," adding she doesn't think "it's an accurate reflection about police use of force."
While Canadians who believe they've been mistreated by an RCMP officer can lodge complaints with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, an outside watchdog body, Walia points out that local RCMP detachments are still responsible for re-opening such files — something she said casts doubt on the independence of the review process.
"That complaint is automatically redirected to the RCMP to investigate, so the first step of an investigation into the RCMP is actually the RCMP investigating that complaint," she said.
"Which, of course, is absolutely inadequate and inappropriate ... that data doesn't really reveal anything. If anything, it just shows how police accountability is a self-fulfilling prophecy."
As police services everywhere cope with public pressure over their use of force policies, the RCMP is reporting that just one per cent of the more than 3,000 allegations it's received about improper use of force over the past five years turned out to be founded.
"Out of the thousands of interactions that RCMP members have with the public across the country every single day, the RCMP has found that there were 36 instances of improper use of force over the past five years," said RCMP spokesperson Catherine Fortin in an email to CBC News.
The national police force says that while there's no set-in-stone definition of "improper force", it generally refers to the application of force in a way that is unnecessary, inconsistent, too frequent or too harsh, or to the use of force for an excessive amount of time. Allegations involve inappropriate use of physical controls, intermediate weapons (non-firearm weapons such as batons and tasers), police service dogs and chemical munitions.
Harsha Walia, executive director of B.C. Civil Liberties Association, said that doesn't mean Mounties aren't using excessive force.
She called the one per cent figure "incredibly low," adding she doesn't think "it's an accurate reflection about police use of force."
While Canadians who believe they've been mistreated by an RCMP officer can lodge complaints with the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, an outside watchdog body, Walia points out that local RCMP detachments are still responsible for re-opening such files — something she said casts doubt on the independence of the review process.
"That complaint is automatically redirected to the RCMP to investigate, so the first step of an investigation into the RCMP is actually the RCMP investigating that complaint," she said.
"Which, of course, is absolutely inadequate and inappropriate ... that data doesn't really reveal anything. If anything, it just shows how police accountability is a self-fulfilling prophecy."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-i ... -1.5669028
related:
Use of firearms is RCMP's most common recorded intervention tactic, report shows
raydan @ Sun Aug 02, 2020 3:04 pm
DrCaleb @ Mon Aug 03, 2020 7:40 am
$1:
Edmonton police officer docked 30 hours pay for 2016 arrest that left man with collapsed lung
An Edmonton police officer was docked 30 hours of pay for kicking and punching a man so hard that he suffered a collapsed lung.
Const. Ghulom Sakhi, who admitted using unlawful, excessive force during the July 2016 arrest, pleaded guilty at an Edmonton police disciplinary hearing held last September. The written decision was recently obtained by CBC News.
Lawyers for Edmonton's police chief and Sakhi entered an agreed statement of facts about the events that led up to the man's injury during the arrest four years ago in Old Strathcona.
Sakhi and his partner were sitting in their parked police vehicle just before midnight on a Friday night when a man approached to report he had just seen his bicycle, which had been stolen earlier in the day, being ridden by a man in the area of 81st Avenue and 101st Street.
Other witnesses were able to identify the man on the stolen bike.
Just then, officers spotted the alleged bike thief — identified in the written decision as Mr. B.B. — riding toward them. Sakhi told him to stop but B.B. kept going, riding toward the United Cycle parking lot. The officers got back in their vehicle and followed the cyclist.
A surveillance video showed B.B. hit a fence in the parking lot and fall. He quickly got back on the bike and tried to get away.
Sakhi's partner got out of the car to chase the suspect on foot. The officer ordered B.B. to stop, drop the bike and get on the ground.
According to the written decision, "Constable C.C. believed that Mr. B.B. was complying with his verbal directions and that Mr. B.B. did not pose a threat to him."
The officer was just about to place handcuffs on the suspect when Sakhi "arrived suddenly and delivered a knee stun to Mr. B.B.'s back."
The attack continued. Sakhi admitted he gave the suspect, who had begun "yelling and resisting," another two to three knee strikes and three to four punches before his partner finally got the handcuffs on.
B.B. initially refused medical treatment but was later transported to hospital and diagnosed with a collapsed lung. He revealed he had consumed 0.2 grams of methamphetamine before he encountered police that night.
Sakhi's partner notified a police sergeant that there had been a use of force incident.
'This officer should have been facing termination'
In a joint submission from presenting officer Derek Cranna and defence lawyer Mike Danyluik, it was suggested that, due to Sakhi's otherwise clean disciplinary record, he should be required to take additional use of force training and be docked 30 hours pay.
Fred Kamins, the presiding officer at the September hearing, called the excessive use of force "serious misconduct" and considered the 30-hour pay suspension to be on the lower end of the scale but agreed nonetheless to impose that penalty.
"I am prepared to accept the joint submission as it recognizes the officer's co-operation and not because it in any way reflects any suggestion that this incident was not as serious as any of the other cases," Kamins wrote.
Defence lawyer Tom Engel called the punishment "grossly inadequate" and "completely unacceptable."
An Edmonton police officer was docked 30 hours of pay for kicking and punching a man so hard that he suffered a collapsed lung.
Const. Ghulom Sakhi, who admitted using unlawful, excessive force during the July 2016 arrest, pleaded guilty at an Edmonton police disciplinary hearing held last September. The written decision was recently obtained by CBC News.
Lawyers for Edmonton's police chief and Sakhi entered an agreed statement of facts about the events that led up to the man's injury during the arrest four years ago in Old Strathcona.
Sakhi and his partner were sitting in their parked police vehicle just before midnight on a Friday night when a man approached to report he had just seen his bicycle, which had been stolen earlier in the day, being ridden by a man in the area of 81st Avenue and 101st Street.
Other witnesses were able to identify the man on the stolen bike.
Just then, officers spotted the alleged bike thief — identified in the written decision as Mr. B.B. — riding toward them. Sakhi told him to stop but B.B. kept going, riding toward the United Cycle parking lot. The officers got back in their vehicle and followed the cyclist.
A surveillance video showed B.B. hit a fence in the parking lot and fall. He quickly got back on the bike and tried to get away.
Sakhi's partner got out of the car to chase the suspect on foot. The officer ordered B.B. to stop, drop the bike and get on the ground.
According to the written decision, "Constable C.C. believed that Mr. B.B. was complying with his verbal directions and that Mr. B.B. did not pose a threat to him."
The officer was just about to place handcuffs on the suspect when Sakhi "arrived suddenly and delivered a knee stun to Mr. B.B.'s back."
The attack continued. Sakhi admitted he gave the suspect, who had begun "yelling and resisting," another two to three knee strikes and three to four punches before his partner finally got the handcuffs on.
B.B. initially refused medical treatment but was later transported to hospital and diagnosed with a collapsed lung. He revealed he had consumed 0.2 grams of methamphetamine before he encountered police that night.
Sakhi's partner notified a police sergeant that there had been a use of force incident.
'This officer should have been facing termination'
In a joint submission from presenting officer Derek Cranna and defence lawyer Mike Danyluik, it was suggested that, due to Sakhi's otherwise clean disciplinary record, he should be required to take additional use of force training and be docked 30 hours pay.
Fred Kamins, the presiding officer at the September hearing, called the excessive use of force "serious misconduct" and considered the 30-hour pay suspension to be on the lower end of the scale but agreed nonetheless to impose that penalty.
"I am prepared to accept the joint submission as it recognizes the officer's co-operation and not because it in any way reflects any suggestion that this incident was not as serious as any of the other cases," Kamins wrote.
Defence lawyer Tom Engel called the punishment "grossly inadequate" and "completely unacceptable."
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton ... -1.5670375
DrCaleb @ Tue Aug 04, 2020 7:44 am
$1:
Internal RCMP reviews find illegal arrests, incomplete investigations
Internal reviews of RCMP investigations across New Brunswick in recent years found illegal arrests, failures to offer support services to domestic violence victims, and a lack of supervision that affects the quality of policing in the province.
RCMP reports called management reviews offer a previously undisclosed look at how the force itself viewed the quality of its criminal investigations over recent years across the province.
A review of the Campbellton RCMP district in 2014 showed officers went into homes to arrest people six times without a required warrant to do so, making the arrest illegal. A 2017 Hampton review found police bringing cases to the Crown that couldn't be supported by the evidence.
One stark report from 2012 of the policing district around Woodstock found:
52 per cent of investigations reviewed met expectations, "well below" the average of 84 per cent across the province set in 2009;
58 per cent of the investigations were considered complete or thorough;
55 per cent of files showed suspects were arrested when they should've been;
60 per cent of cases showed statements taken from victims when they could have been; and
Briefs prepared for the Crown prosecutor were "often incomplete" and returned for further work.
A Woodstock-area review from 2017 doesn't offer similar percentages and is generally favourable. It describes the overall thoroughness of investigations as meeting expectations with six of 32 files reviewed not meeting standards (it describes an unwillingness to charge female suspects of domestic assault as part of the problem).
While some of the findings are now several years old, they describe the quality of investigations ranging from property crimes to more serious assaults, crimes that involved victims seeking justice and suspects facing potential prosecution.
Internal reviews of RCMP investigations across New Brunswick in recent years found illegal arrests, failures to offer support services to domestic violence victims, and a lack of supervision that affects the quality of policing in the province.
RCMP reports called management reviews offer a previously undisclosed look at how the force itself viewed the quality of its criminal investigations over recent years across the province.
A review of the Campbellton RCMP district in 2014 showed officers went into homes to arrest people six times without a required warrant to do so, making the arrest illegal. A 2017 Hampton review found police bringing cases to the Crown that couldn't be supported by the evidence.
One stark report from 2012 of the policing district around Woodstock found:
52 per cent of investigations reviewed met expectations, "well below" the average of 84 per cent across the province set in 2009;
58 per cent of the investigations were considered complete or thorough;
55 per cent of files showed suspects were arrested when they should've been;
60 per cent of cases showed statements taken from victims when they could have been; and
Briefs prepared for the Crown prosecutor were "often incomplete" and returned for further work.
A Woodstock-area review from 2017 doesn't offer similar percentages and is generally favourable. It describes the overall thoroughness of investigations as meeting expectations with six of 32 files reviewed not meeting standards (it describes an unwillingness to charge female suspects of domestic assault as part of the problem).
While some of the findings are now several years old, they describe the quality of investigations ranging from property crimes to more serious assaults, crimes that involved victims seeking justice and suspects facing potential prosecution.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brun ... -1.5670446
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