Police Investigate Police
Jan, 30 2007 - 5:40 PM
EDMONTON/630CHED - Edmonton Police, accused of ignoring allegations some officers held nine homeless people against their will in a sweltering van, say they haven't sat on the case.
Inspector Brad Doucette who oversees the Internal Affairs unit says they are investigating the 2005 case now because they've received new evidence.
There was an investigation after an original complaint, but that centred around a person upset people were being dumped near their home. Doucette says there was no wrong-doing found after that first complaint.
The complaint indicated the nine were drunk in public, but some of them say that's not true. Doucette says if they were intoxicated, police have the right to pick them up and drop them off somewhere else.
He admits, none of the nine were ever charged in relation to this case.
The Criminal Trial Lawyers Association says the delay in investigating means Edmonton Police can't do a fair internal review, and this has to go to an outside body.