No charges after cellblock investigation: OPP
CBC News
Posted: Mar 25, 2011 1:12 PM ET
Last Updated: Mar 25, 2011 6:26 PM ET
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Ontario Provincial Police have found one case of misconduct in relation to five Ottawa cellblock incidents, but cleared Ottawa police of any criminal charges.
The OPP advised Ottawa Police it would not be laying any criminal charges in any of these incidents, dating from July 2009 to November 2010.
Ottawa police chief Vern White confirmed the investigation results do not include the case of Stacy Bonds, who was pinned to the ground and strip-searched on Sept. 6, 2008.
Though police did not reveal specific cases, the OPP said it is still investigating one more incident referred to them on March 15, the date Bonds's case was handed to them after the province's Special Investigations Unit completed its investigation.
The SIU charged an Ottawa police officer with sexual assault in connection with the arrest and incarceration of Bonds.
The OPP found misconduct in only one case: on the part of two civilian members working with police.
White says his force's internal disciplinary process will now address the actions of the civilian special constables.
"As the employees involved are not police officers, they don't fall under the Police Services Act, so as a result we fall to ... a negotiated contract between civilians and the board to render discipline," said White.
The special constables could be suspended for a certain length of time without pay, or they could be dismissed.
Police did not provide details about which incident involved the finding of misconduct.
White said he believes all of his officers are now better trained to handle the more than 11,000 prisoners who go through the cellblocks every year.
"I have confidence in the men and women of this organization," he said. "And I know that we're in better shape, in particular when it comes to our cellblocks, today whan we were six months ago."
The OPP began the investigation after videos surfaced showing police handling Bonds and homeless man Terry Delay in a jail cell in a rough manner.
With files from the CBC's Judy TrinhShare Tools
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