MANITOBA’S POLICE WATCH DOG RELEASES RESULTS FROM SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS

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MANITOBA’S POLICE WATCH DOG RELEASES RESULTS FROM SEVERAL INVESTIGATIONS

June 14, 2017
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The Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) has released the results of six investigations they have undertaken in the past several months.

The IIU investigates when injury or death occurs when on or off-duty police officers are involved.

In the results from the six cases released today none of the officers involved were found to have done anything wrong.

Alleged Assault by Brandon Police Officers

The first case involved a Brandon University student who alleged he was picked by Brandon Police officers and offered a ride home after a night of drinking. The student reported that the officers drove him outside the city, assaulted him and left him there.

During its investigation, investigators examined GPS reports for all BPS vehicles in service the evening of April 5 and morning of April 6. Other than a Police Dog Unit vehicle, no BPS vehicle left the city limits on those dates.

When the man was interviewed by IIU investigators he recanted his story and provided different details that did not involve any use of force by any BPS officer.

Civilian IIU director, Zane Tessler wrote “This incident did not happen as reported…, and therefore, there are no circumstances to justify further action by the IIU,”

Brandon Hotel Death

On January 10, 2017, after receiving a report that a man was suicidal Brandon Police Service contacted the man and arranged to meet him at a parking lot. Officer concluded after talking to the man a length that they did not have grounds to arrest him under the Mental Health Act.

The next morning the man was found dead in a local hotel. An autopsy concluded that the death was a suicide.

The IIU investigated and clear the officers of any wrongdoing. In his written report civilian director Zane Tessler determined the two officers had sufficient information available to them to conclude that grounds did not exist to detain the man.

Fatal Winnipeg vehicle collision

On September 13, 2016, a marked Winnipeg police cruiser tried to stop a GMC Envoy in the area of Arlington Street and Boyd Avenue.

Police activated their emergency equipment and the Envoy took off heading west on Boyd Avenue at a high rate of speed. The Envoy hit aDoge Ram and flipped it on Sinclair Street. The fleeing SUV continued west hitting another vehicle parked on Boyd Avenue causing the Envoy to roll.

A 36 year old female died as a result.

The investigation concluded that the officers had acted appropriately, with good judgement and that during the incident officers had not travelled faster tan 50 km/h. The report lays the responsibility of the death solely on the driver of the Envoy.

The driver is currently facing criminal charges in relation to the incident.

Portage la Prairie dog bite

On November 16, 2016, RCMP received an emergency call from a person who said he had been chased by three males and cut with a machete on 3rd Street NE in Portage la Prairie. When police arrived in the area they found the three suspects but one of them took off running. Police called in a K-9 unit to help hind the suspect.

The dog tracked the suspect to a nearby yard and as he began to climb the fence to evade capture the dog was released to stop his escape. The suspect was captured after the dog bit his leg. He was taken to hospital and had to undergo surgery to repair the damage caused by the lacerations and puncture wounds inflicted by the dog.

In his report on the incident, IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler said the suspect was not prepared to surrender to police or comply with their direction to stop, and that the subject officer’s decision to deploy and engage the police service dog was entirely appropriate.

Sagkeeng First Nation Battle Axe

On February 4, 2017, police executed a search warrant for drugs and firearms at a residence on Sagkeeng First Nation. The suspect ran towards a bedroom closet and the subject officer, fearing the man was about to arm himself, fired one round from his beanbag shotgun. The beanbag hit the man in the abdomen and caused him to leap onto a bed, near which there was a medieval-type battle axe and a large knife.

The man suffered bruising to his abdomen and a serious cut to his right hand. He was treated at Pine Falls Hospital where x-rays showed an object embedded in his ring finger. He later had to have the finger removed at Health Sciences Centre.

Investigators found that the cut to the mans hand was more than likely the result cutting it on the battle axe and not related to the beanbag round.

The investigation considered whether the decision of the officer to fire at the man was justified. IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler noted officers were aware some residents of the home had a history of violence, gang affiliations and illicit drug use, and there was a strong likelihood that weapons may be present. When the man ran towards a closet and did not obey the officer’s order to stop, the officer’s fear that the man might arm himself “was genuine and reasonable under the circumstances.”

Winnipeg roadside assault

.On June 7, 2016 a woman alleged that a Winnipeg Police officer assaulted her during a roadside stop in St. Boniface IIU assumed jurisdiction over this investigation as the civilian director determined it to be in the public interest for an independent investigation to be conducted and to determine whether a member of WPS subjected the woman to unnecessary and excessive force, whether at the time of her arrest or while in the care and custody of the police service.

During the investigation IIU interviewed the woman and she claimed she located three witnesses to the incident but she refused to disclose their names to IIU.

In the written report on the investigation IIU Civilian Director Zane Tessler said the woman’s vehicle was lawfully stopped by police and her detention was warranted, given that her licence had expired and her vehicle was unregistered.

Following a review by Manitoba Prosecution Services and on consideration of all the evidence gathered, Tessler wrote he was “not satisfied that the requisite reasonable and probable grounds exist to justify the laying of a criminal code charge or other offence” against the subject officer.

-News4 Staff-