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CBC
a day ago
- CBC
Watchdog suggests review of how RCMP interact with Indigenous people, mental health calls
Social Sharing B.C.'s police watchdog is recommending changes to how police interact with Indigenous people and communities, as well as people experiencing a mental health crisis, in the wake of an investigation into RCMP actions during an incident three years ago that left a Williams Lake, B.C., man dead. B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office (IIO) released a report last week detailing the events of July 10, 2022. The report states that just after 3:42 a.m. PT, a family member called police to report that a man was suicidal at their home in Williams Lake. Another family member said the man was intoxicated and had a loaded firearm. According to the report, police, including crisis negotiators, tried to speak with the man several times, but were not successful. Tear gas was used in an attempt to get the man out of the house, items were thrown at windows to break them, and a drone was sent into the home to locate the man. Tactical officers entered the home around noon and found the man dead. An autopsy confirmed he died by suicide. While the investigation found no criminal wrongdoing on the part of police, the IIO said the incident raises questions about the relationship between police and Indigenous peoples. "While the IIO's mandate does not include examining systemic issues in policing, it is important to acknowledge that Indigenous communities in Canada have long faced systemic discrimination by police," the report reads. It said that discrimination becomes clear when you consider disproportionate rates of arrest and incarceration that Indigenous people face. Williams Lake First Nation (WLFN) Chief Willie Sellars confirmed the man who died that day in 2022 was a member of the WLFN. "He was a good friend, he was a family man, and we felt that [if the situation had] been handled differently, he would still be here today." While police were cleared of criminal wrongdoing, he said he wants to see police held accountable for their actions. "At the end of the day, you know, the safety of our community is of utmost importance. Having a working relationship with the RCMP is a part of that, and we understand that, too. But that relationship has to result in change in the way they carry about within the territory, and we have to hold them accountable at the same time." Mental health calls The report also said the incident raises questions about how police handle interactions with people experiencing a mental health crisis. Jessica Berglund, the chief civilian director of the Independent Investigations Office of B.C., said there have been a number of studies showing that "military-style" responses to individuals in mental health crisis may not be the best option. A 2010 report from the Mental Health Commission of Canada recommended police "use-of-force training" be reviewed by police academies and agencies to ensure plenty of time is made to learn how to resolve situations without the use of force, and that training keys in on symptoms of mental illness, verbal communications, interpersonal skills and de-escalation techniques. "In this case, we don't know if those techniques used by the RCMP did contribute to the man taking his own life, but there's been so much input from Indigenous communities and the mental health profession saying that this is not the right way to try to de-escalate a situation where we are really trying to save that person's life," Berglund said during an interview on CBC's Daybreak Kamloops. The report said family members asked why they weren't involved in negotiations. Crisis negotiators and other officers said friends and family are not typically included in attempts to speak with people in crisis to avoid the possibility of triggering the person. "If you don't know if that person's a trigger, and you don't now what their motives are … and you interject with somebody who quite possibly could be the problem .. that's extremely dangerous," an unnamed crisis negotiator said in the report. Berglund said the police did everything according to their training and policy in this case. But she said she's forwarding recommendations to the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission (CRCC) for the RCMP to see if current protocols really are the best way to handle these situations. The CRCC confirmed it had received the report and is reviewing it. Sellars said he hopes the IIO's report will ultimately bring about change. "There's definitely more work to be done," he said. "Progress is happening, but it's not happening quickly enough. It's stuff like this that sets back that progress."
CTV News
3 days ago
- CTV News
No charges for VPD jail guards in case that left drunk man with skull fracture: BCPS
The Vancouver Police Department's headquarters on Cambie Street are seen in a Shutterstock image. The B.C. Prosecution Service has decided not to prosecute a Vancouver jail guard in connection to an incident that left an intoxicated man with a skull fracture in April 2021. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. forwarded a report to Crown counsel last year recommending consideration of a charge of assault causing bodily harm against a special municipal constable working for the Vancouver Police Department. On Friday, more than a year after the IIO submitted its report and more than four years after the incident itself, the BCPS published a so-called "clear statement" document summarizing the incident and the service's reasons for not laying charges. The prosecution service determined that the available evidence against the jail guard – referred to in the document as the 'subject officer' or 'SO' – did not meet the charge assessment standard. What happened The document indicates that the injured man – referred to as the 'affected person' or 'AP' – was taken into custody by VPD officers on the evening of April 19, 2021. He was intoxicated, and the arrest was for 'the offences of indecent act and breach of peace,' which were alleged to have occurred near the intersection of Cambie Street and West Broadway, according to the document. He was taken to the VPD jail in a prisoner transport van. 'Upon arrival, the AP was still intoxicated,' the document reads. 'Security video footage shows that his jeans fell down repeatedly, and at one point his private parts were exposed. The video also shows that at all times following his arrival at the VPD jail the AP was moderately unsteady on his feet.' Police reported, and the surveillance video appeared to confirm, that the man was 'unco-operative, particularly with regard to instructions to keep his hands on the wall while being searched,' according to the document. The subject officer and a witness officer walked the man to his cell, where he lost his balance, fell and hit his head. Both officers were touching the man at the time he fell, but the BCPS statement says the surveillance video evidence was insufficient to establish that either officer caused the fall. Charge assessment When deciding whether to approve charges, the BCPS considers a two-part test. First, prosecutors must determine whether there is 'a substantial likelihood of conviction.' If there is, prosecutors must believe that 'the public interest requires a prosecution.' In this case, prosecutors found the available evidence did not meet the charge assessment standard. Beyond concluding that it was not clear that either officer had caused the man's fall, Crown prosecutors determined that they would be 'unable to disprove' a defence that the officers' use of force was reasonable and justified in the circumstances. Under the Criminal Code, peace officers acting in their lawful duties and on 'reasonable grounds' are 'justified in doing what (they are) required or authorized to do and in using as much force as necessary for that purpose,' according to the BCPS statement. 'In a prosecution, the onus is on the Crown to prove that the legal defences provided under the Criminal Code to peace officers acting in the course of their duties have not been established,' the document reads. In this case, that means prosecutors would have had to prove that the force an accused officer used went beyond what was necessary in the circumstances. 'The force employed by the SO against the AP for purposes of escorting and securing the AP into cell 1 aligned with VPD jail guards' training,' the statement reads. 'The available evidence does not otherwise establish that the SO employed force against the AP beyond that which was reasonable, necessary, or proportionate for purposes of securing the AP into cell 1.'
CTV News
4 days ago
- CTV News
B.C. police oversight agency seeks witnesses after man injured by police dog in Saanich
British Columbia's police oversight agency is investigating after a man was injured by a police dog during an arrest in Saanich earlier this week. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. says it is looking for witnesses to the altercation, which occurred at around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 4500 block of Granville Avenue. The Saanich Police Department told the IIO that its officers responded after multiple 911 callers reported that a man was acting erratically in the area, the agency said in a statement Friday. 'Police located the man and attempted to arrest him,' the statement said. 'A police service dog was also used during the interaction and the man suffered injuries.' The man was taken into police custody and then transported to hospital for treatment. The IIO says it is now working to determine whether the man's injuries meet the definition of 'serious harm,' and, if so, whether there is a connection between the injuries and actions or inactions of police. 'Serious harm' is defined in the provincial Police Act as an injury that may result in death, disfigurement or loss of function of a limb or organ. If those conditions are met, the agency's chief civilian director will decide whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence occurred. If reasonable grounds are found, the director will forward a recommendation for criminal charges to the provincial prosecution service. The IIO investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing by police. Investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the arrest or who has video evidence related to the incident to contact the IIO at 1-855-446-8477 or online through the website.
CTV News
5 days ago
- CTV News
Man dies in Vancouver police custody; watchdog called in
Investigators from B.C.'s Independent Investigations Office are seen in this file photo from the IIO. A man who was arrested by the Vancouver police died in custody Wednesday, according to the department and B.C.'s police watchdog. The 49-year-old man was taken from police cells to hospital around 10 a.m. after 'suffering an apparent medical emergency,' a news release from the Vancouver Police Department said. 'The man received medical attention at the jail and was transported to hospital, where he died,' the statement continued, adding that the Independent Investigations Office was notified of the 'sudden death.' The IIO, in a statement of its own, said the man was arrested around 4 a.m. the same morning and transported to the VPD jail, where he arrived around 4:30 a.m. 'The man was taken to a cell, but later found unresponsive,' the IIO said. Neither agency said what the man was arrested for. The provincial watchdog will investigate if there is any connection between police action or inaction and the man's death, which it is mandated to do whether or not there are allegations of wrongdoing. The IIO's mandate does not currently allow it to probe the actions of jail guards who are not sworn officers – but that will change later this year as a result of amendments to the province's Police Act.
Global News
5 days ago
- Global News
Watchdog deployed after man booked in Vancouver police jail dies
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook British Columbia's civilian police watchdog is investigating the death of a man in the Vancouver Police Department's (VPD) jail. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) said police arrested the man around 4 a.m. on Wednesday, and was booked into the VPD jail cells around 4:30 a.m. The VPD says the 49-year-old prisoner 'became unresponsive after suffering an apparent medical emergency' shortly before 10 a.m. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Paramedics took the man to hospital, where he later died. The IIO's mandate is to probe all incidents of serious harm or death involving police interactions, regardless of whether there is an allegation of wrongdoing. Anyone with information or video that could be relevant to the investigation is asked to contact the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477. Story continues below advertisement
