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| NEWS > 17 August 2007 |
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Minneapolis police brutality c
Compared to St. Paul, Minneapolis's numbers for police misconduct payouts are way high: $700,000 versus $9.5 million from 2005 until today. To be fair, half of Minneapolis's payout is from one accidental shooting of a police officer: Duy Ngo.
The Derryl Jenkins case has put the spotlight on how some officers with the Minneapolis Police Department treat people they arrest. Jenkins's attorney released a telltale video taken from a squad car that shows five officers beating him after he was pulled over. Chief Tim Dolan has asked the FBI to look into the matter.
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 Article sourced from
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Globe and Mail - Canada
17 August 2007
This article appeared in the above title/site.
To view it in its entirity click this link.
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Vancouver Police Service
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Civilian review urged in Vanco
VANCOUVER — A Vancouver Police Department investigation of an incident, in which a man who attacked officers with a chain was shot dead on a busy city street, is going to be subject to an extra level of police scrutiny.
That scrutiny, however, is not heading off complaints from people who say that police shouldn't be investigating police without independent, civilian oversight.
In a statement yesterday, police spokesman Constable Howard Chow said the investigation into the Monday-night shooting, in which a 39-year-old man died at 15th Avenue and Granville Street, is being led by the department's major crime homicide squad.
Once the major crime team's investigation is complete, it will be reviewed by an integrated unit led by the RCMP and which involves all other municipal police forces in the Lower Mainland.
"In the interest of remaining open and transparent, we have asked the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team [IHIT] to conduct a final review of our investigation once it is completed," Constable Chow said.
He said the major crime squad is considered "second to none in the country," and the review is not meant to question the quality of the investigation, which is under way.
"We have worked with IHIT in the past and feel that taking this additional step will promote transparency and maintain public trust," he said.
Constable Chow refused to identify the man who was shot by police, saying the family has asked that the identity be withheld.
Jason Gratl, president of the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, praised the police department's newly appointed Chief, Jim Chu, for initiating the extra review, but said the process remains flawed because it still amounts to police investigating police.
"A final review of the VPD's investigation of itself is, in our view, an improvement over past practice and we commend the VPD for taking that step." Mr. Gratl said.
"However, it is our considered view that only the presence of a fully independent investigative team will satisfy the public desire and demand for an unbiased and unprejudiced investigation of potential police misconduct," Mr. Gratl said.
He said the B.C. Civil Liberties Association plans to file a formal complaint, calling on the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner to conduct its own review of the shooting.
"The BCCLA continues to take the view that every in-custody death should be investigated by an independent investigative body and that, at a minimum, the involvement of the Police Complaint Commission should be automatic to ensure that the public interest in unbiased investigations is satisfied," Mr. Gratl said.
Police Complaint Commissioner Dirk Ryneveld could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Mr. Gratl said his association is concerned about the incident "not necessarily because we have any evidence to believe that there was misconduct in this case, but rather because we believe the public is entitled to objectivity."
His association has been pressing the government for some time to improve police accountability by establishing a system to ensure there is independent civilian oversight when police investigate police.
Jeff Dolan, assistant deputy chief coroner for the province, said the coroner's service is conducting its own investigation, independent of the police. He said that investigation was launched immediately after the shooting and is routine in the case of a sudden death.
Mr. Dolan would not identify the man who was killed by police, saying the family has asked for more time to notify all relatives. But he said the name will eventually be released.
Last Monday at about 9:30 p.m., Vancouver police responded to a call of a fight in which two men were allegedly assaulting a third person.
Police Chief Chu said that after officers arrived at the scene they were attacked by one man who was swinging a chain. One officer was hit in the head, knocking him unconscious, before police opened fire.
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