Victoria police chief orders investigation into excessive force allegation
Last Updated: Friday, January 16, 2009 | 4:57 PM PT
The Canadian Press
Victoria's police chief has ordered a criminal investigation into an allegation of excessive use of force by one of his officers.
Chief Jamie Graham said Friday the allegation arose from an October arrest of two people for being intoxicated in public.
Graham said the people involved were not seriously hurt, but he could not provide any further details.
An internal police review and investigation under the Police Act were launched and because the allegation involves use of force, Graham said he's ordered a criminal investigation as well.
The officer involved, who has been on the force for three years, has been reassigned.
Graham told reporters that this incident, and others like it, show the need for more supervision in the police cell block, so as of this week there is a sergeant posted in the jail full-time.
"We owe all inmates and prisoners, no matter what their condition and behaviour, an additional level of care. Many are sick, injured, intoxicated; many are mentally ill, and may not be able to look after themselves or behave as they normally do," Graham said at a police news conference.
"Any use of force in the cell area must be justified in law. Regardless of the circumstances of why someone is in our custody, they deserve to be treated with respect."
Last year, a B.C. jury awarded $60,000 to a Victoria teen who spent four hours tied up in a padded cell and tethered to the cell door. Victoria police have appealed the decision.
Willow Kinloch was 15 years old when she was arrested for being drunk in May 2005.
The Victoria police force has had other high-profile internal investigations recently.
Former chief quit before disciplinary hearing
Deputy Chief John Ducker is facing a conflict-of-interest investigation after reports surfaced that he was contacted to help an acquaintance whose son was arrested for theft under $5,000.
Police said the acquaintance wanted Ducker's help to ensure that the young man would face stern consequences for a crime that sometimes doesn't even elicit charges.
Last August, then police chief Paul Battershill quit days before he was to face a disciplinary hearing.
An RCMP investigation found no criminal wrongdoing but it did find Battershill's personal relationship with a person who provided services to the police department gave rise to an appearance of improper favouritism in the allocation of public monies and cast doubt on Battershill's ability to select, assess and scrutinize the services provided
Graham, Battershill's replacement, faced heavy criticism when he was Vancouver's chief of police for the way he handled allegations of misconduct against his officers.
An independent investigation by another police force found Graham guilty of discreditable conduct for failing to co-operate with an RCMP probe into 50 allegations of misconduct by Vancouver police, filed on behalf of residents of the city's notorious Downtown Eastside neighbourhood.
B.C. police complaint commissioner Dirk Ryneveld wrote that while Graham did not condone a lack of co-operation by officers, he did not take the necessary steps to ensure their behaviour changed.
