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Ont. cops reviewing VPD, RCMP conduct for Pickton inquiry

Wendy Cox (Canadian Press) – The inquiry into the Robert Pickton case is getting some guidance from a controversial source — the Peel Regional Police Service.

The Toronto-area force’s deputy chief and two other officers will be reviewing the actions of the Vancouver police and the RCMP, which took years to acknowledge a serial killer was preying on sex-trade workers on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside.

Chris Freimond, a spokesman for the inquiry, said the Peel officers will have access to the entire police archive and will report their findings to the inquiry. Continued…

Categories: Broken Force, External Reviews, Failing to do Their Duties, Senior Management, Shoddy Investigations.

Woman who died in custody supposed to see nurse: family

Julianna Cummings and Brent Wittmeier (Edmonton Journal), Edmonton, AB – The family of a woman found dead in a northern Alberta RCMP cell say police were instructed to transport her to a nursing station.

Charlene Danais, 28, was found dead early Sunday in a cell at Assumption RCMP detachment after being arrested for mischief the previous afternoon.

John Talley, Danais’ cousin, said the woman’s parents called police when they discovered she was drinking after taking a number of strong prescription medications, including sleeping pills and antidepressants. Continued…

Categories: Death While In Custody.

Kelowna cop gets conditional sentence for beating estranged wife

Kathy Michaels, Kelowna, BC (Kelowna Capital News) – It’s time for the RCMP to step up to the plate and better deal with members who go off the rails, says a woman who recently fell victim to a violent outburst from her estranged cop-husband.

“They (the RCMP) created a monster,” she said outside the courthouse where Staff Sergeant Owen Wlodarczak, 41, received a three year conditional discharge for the charges of assault and careless use of a firearm.

“With what he’s seen, and what he’s been through…they need to do more. They need to take into account what’s happening with their members.” Continued…

Categories: Mounties Breaking The Law, Mounties Charged.

Hike in stress-disorder claims by Mounties raises questions for policy makers

Colin Freeze (Globe and Mail) – Diagnoses of an affliction once met with only stoicism and stigma within Canada’s national police force have skyrocketed as commanders encourage officers to seek treatment for post traumatic stress disorder.

More than 1,700 Mounties have been diagnosed with PTSD, with nearly 300 officers joining the ranks last year alone.

Within police circles, the RCMP’s new-found determination to tackle the disorder has quietly raised questions for policy makers at all levels of government. What can be done to better shield police from trauma? How should panels assess claims for taxpayer-funded compensation? And if police PTSD is truly pervasive, why are other police forces apparently doing relatively little about it? Continued…

Categories: Internal Morale, Lack of Resources.

Autopsy inconclusive after northern Alberta woman dies in RCMP cell

(Canadian Press) – RCMP say it could take months to determine how a woman died while in custody in a northern Alberta police cell.

Police say the 28-year-old woman wasn’t breathing when she was found Sunday at the detachment in Assumption, Alberta and taken to hospital in High Level.An autopsy completed Monday could not determine the cause of death. Continued…

Categories: Death While In Custody.

Former Saskatchewan Mountie files lawsuit against province, Attorney General of Canada

Heather Polischuk, Regina, Sask (Regina Leader-Post) – Alleging harassment and a lack of help from the RCMP following his involvement in a traumatic fatal collision, a former Mountie has launched a lawsuit against the province and the Attorney General of Canada.

In the lawsuit filed at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench earlier this summer, Harry Searle from Regina says he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after accidentally running over and killing a 19-year-old First Nations man who was lying on Highway 8 near Kamsack on Sept. 11, 2003. The claim says Searle — who began his employment with the RCMP in 1992 and was, at the time of the incident, a constable at the Kamsack detachment — was on duty at the time. Continued…

Categories: Abuse By Mounties, Abuse Of Mounties, Broken Force, Senior Management.

Family anger as Mountie cleared after killing teen in Surrey street

Andy Ivens (Vancouver Province) – The family of Ashley Guiboche, who was killed while crossing King George Boulevard in Surrey near a busy SkyTrain station in January, are hoping her death was not in vain.

Guiboche, 18, was not in a crosswalk when she was struck by an RCMP cruiser heading south around 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 31.

The Abbotsford Police Department, which investigated the fatality, announced on Thursday Crown counsel has determined there is little likelihood of successfully prosecuting the RCMP officer behind the wheel of the cruiser that struck Guiboche, a hard-working young woman who loved animals. Continued…

Categories: RCMP.

Mountie accused of sex crimes faces lawsuit

Douglas Quan (Postmedia News) – A senior RCMP investigator in Toronto who sued the force last year claiming that he was subjected to humiliating and oppressive treatment after being accused of — but never charged with — sex crimes against several B.C. minor hockey players in the 1980s, is now being sued by one of the former players.

Robert Callan, 42, who resides in Calgary, claims that he was sexually assaulted on numerous occasions from 1982 to 1984 while he was a player on a AAA midget hockey team in Abbotsford, B.C., and while Donald Cooke was an RCMP officer and an assistant coach on the team. Continued…

Categories: Mounties Sued.

No punishment for RCMP officer who hit, killed Surrey teen

Laura Kane (Vancouver Sun) – The Surrey RCMP officer driving the vehicle that struck and killed an 18-year-old girl crossing a busy Surrey street in January did not commit a crime, regional crown counsel has decided.

The teenager was crossing King George Boulevard near 98th avenue at 9:30 p.m. on January 31, when she was struck by a marked Surrey RCMP patrol car. She was crossing the street mid-block. Continued…

Categories: External Reviews, RCMP.

Lead Mountie in botched drug probe also facing charges in Surrey Six case

Sean Sullivan (Vancouver Province) – An RCMP officer charged in relation to the Surrey Six slaying was responsible for a botched 2007 investigation that led a B.C. judge to toss out all evidence seized from a Richmond ecstasy lab, a recent judgment shows.

Cpl. Danny Michaud was one of four officers suspended with pay in 2010 following an Ontario Provincial Police probe into allegations that one of the Surrey Six officers had an inappropriate relationship with a witness. Continued…

Categories: Broken Force, Failing to do Their Duties, Mounties Breaking The Law, Mounties Charged, Senior Management, Shoddy Investigations.

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