Complaints against police dropped in 2017
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/11/2018 (2504 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The number of complaints citizens have made about police officers in Manitoba has dropped to the lowest amount in five years.
The latest annual report by the Law Enforcement Review Agency shows that 109 formal complaints were submitted in 2017, a drop from the 122 it received in 2016.
There were 139 complaints in 2015; 138 in 2014; and 117 in 2013.
Max Chudley, the agency’s commissioner, said there are “several possible reasons” why the number of complaints have dropped, but he doesn’t believe it is due to the existence of the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.
“LERA only investigates conduct issues,” Chudley said on Wednesday. “(The) IIU investigates complaints of criminality.”
Chudley said when people make complaints about unnecessary violence or excessive force, they can be both criminal and conduct in nature.
“If a criminal complaint is made, it takes precedence over the LERA investigation,” he said.
“Once the criminal matter has been addressed, LERA may or may not have jurisdiction to investigate and take action against the officer(s).”
And Chudley said if the matter is investigated by the IIU, and the officer is later charged criminally and then found guilty, LERA cannot investigate further.
LERA was created by the provincial government in 1985 to act as an independent, non-police agency to probe complaints about how police officers execute their duties.
The annual report shows the most common complaints to LERA in 2017 were officers using unnecessary or excessive force, and officers abusing their authority. There were 45 complaints about each. That was followed by 34 complaints of police being discourteous or uncivil.
There were no complaints about police using pepper spray or Tasers in 2017.
The report also showed that 81 complaints were received during intake or when a person first contacted the office, down from 92 in 2016.
There were 94 complaints against Winnipeg police officers, five against Brandon Police officers, and two apiece against Dakota Ojibway and Morden officers.
The agency’s mandate does not include RCMP officers.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
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Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Kevin Rollason is a general assignment reporter at the Free Press. He graduated from Western University with a Masters of Journalism in 1985 and worked at the Winnipeg Sun until 1988, when he joined the Free Press. He has served as the Free Press’s city hall and law courts reporter and has won several awards, including a National Newspaper Award. Read more about Kevin.
Every piece of reporting Kevin produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
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