Latest news with #policeoversight
CTV News
08-07-2025
- CTV News
Police watchdog investigating man's death after arrest in Burnaby, B.C.
The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. responds to a scene in an undated file photo. British Columbia's police oversight agency is investigating after a man who was being taken into police custody in Burnaby went into medical distress and later died. The Independent Investigations Office of B.C. is now seeking witnesses to the July 4 arrest. The police watchdog says it was notified of the death later that day. Information provided by the Burnaby RCMP indicates officers received a 911 call about a man creating a disturbance and possibly suffering a mental health crisis shortly after 4:30 p.m. Mounties responded to the 7000 block of Hillview Street in a residential neighbourhood next to Burnaby Lake Regional Park, where they located the man outside a home. 'During the interaction, the man went into medical distress and officers provided aid,' the IIO said in a news release Tuesday. 'He was then taken to the hospital but later died.' The police oversight agency says it is investigating whether there is a connection between the man's death and the action or inaction of the officers. 'At the conclusion of the investigation, the chief civilian director will also consider whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that an offence may have occurred,' the news release said. Anyone with information or video related to the incident is urged to call the IIO witness line at 1-855-446-8477 or contact the agency via the website. The oversight agency investigates all police-related incidents that result in serious harm or death in B.C., whether or not there is any allegation of wrongdoing by police.
CBC
02-07-2025
- CBC
N.S. Mountie facing another sexual assault charge
Nova Scotia's police oversight agency says an RCMP officer facing a series of sexual assault charges has again been charged with the same offence. The Serious Incident Response Team says it learned in March of an allegation against 40-year-old RCMP Const. William McNutt. The independent body says the allegation involves an incident in January 2023 described by a woman known to the officer. McNutt was charged with sexual assault on Monday and is expected to appear in provincial court in Shubenacadie, N.S., on Thursday. On June 23, the watchdog said McNutt was charged with sexual assault involving a woman who alleged she had been sexually assaulted by a Nova Scotia Mountie in May 2024. The RCMP said it suspended McNutt without pay in January 2024 over separate allegations that resulted in three other charges of sexual assault and other related charges that were laid in July 2024.
CTV News
20-06-2025
- CTV News
Victoria police misconduct case prompts calls to change oversight system
The conclusion of a years-long misconduct case against a Victoria police officer is resulting in appeals to reform B.C.'s police oversight system. The conclusion of a years-long misconduct case against a Victoria police officer is resulting in appeals to reform B.C.'s police oversight system. Last week, Victoria Police Department Sgt. Ron Kirkwood was handed a seven-day, unpaid suspension after a retired judge found he abused his authority during a call in 2019. Kirkwood fired an anti-riot weapon into a smoke-filled room, accidentally hitting 43-year-old Lisa Rauch in the head and killing her. 'It's been such a dragged-out process that it's excruciating,' Lisa's mother, Audrey Rauch, told CTV News. Audrey and her husband, Ron Rauch, met with B.C.'s Police Complaint Commissioner on Wednesday to share their concerns about the oversight process. They said it was riddled with delays and disinformation about what happened to their daughter. 'It's a joke,' Audrey said. While the Rauch family and police may feel differently about the outcome of the case, they're aligned in their calls for oversight reform. Victoria City Police Union president Sgt. Angela Van Eerd said it can take months for members to learn whether a complaint against them will be investigated or dismissed. 'I would characterize the current oversight process as a long, drawn-out process that needs to be changed and needs to have tighter timelines for the mental health of our officers,' Van Eerd said. 'This has just been torment for the family of Sgt. Kirkwood and Lisa Rauch's family.' The misconduct finding against Kirkwood followed a public hearing, where a retired judge reviewed evidence and heard from 20 witnesses. The Rauch family requested the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) order the hearing because they doubted the integrity of three other oversight investigations that found no wrongdoing. 'I believe fully in accountability for police,' Van Eerd said. 'But do I believe in accountability after three adjudications have been unsubstantiated and then we're going to call a fourth because we don't get the answer that we want? I don't believe in that.' 'Problems often lurk in the gaps' In B.C., there are several police watchdogs at play. For the RCMP, misconduct allegations are handled by the Civilian Review and Complaints Commission, an independent agency in Ottawa. The OPCC deals with misconduct cases against municipal officers. It does not conduct investigations, but oversees the probes it assigns to police departments. 'A lot of provinces are moving towards a model in which the actual oversight office body does at least some of the investigation, if not all of the investigation,' said Police Complaint Commissioner Prabhu Rajan. The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) of B.C. has its own investigators, who are dedicated to cases involving serious injury or death where an officer could be criminally charged. 'An efficiency may well be… that we have a central, single point of intake,' said IIO Chief Civilian Director Jessica Berglund. In 2022, a legislative committee made a similar recommendation, calling for a single, civilian-led oversight agency. WATCH: The heads of the IIO and the OPCC share their thoughts on upgrading the police oversight system. Adam Olsen, the former B.C. Green Party MLA for Saanich North and the Islands, was one of 10 people appointed to the Committee on Reforming the Police Act. 'We have a lot of oversight bodies (and) not a lot of coherence between them,' Olsen said. 'When you see fragmented systems, the problems often lurk in the gaps between those systems.' The committee formed amid calls for systemic change, following the death of George Floyd, who was murdered by a Minnesota police officer in 2020. Recommendations include expediting minor misconduct complaints and establishing services to help victims and their loved ones navigate the system. The committee also called for additional resolution measures, such as mediation or direct conversations between complainants and officers. 'I lament the fact that we don't see the ministry doing this work in public,' Olsen said. 'Are they doing work? I can imagine that they are. Do we know what it is? No.' Surrey-Guildford MLA and former Mountie Garry Begg was also part of the committee. He has since become B.C.'s Public Safety Minister. CTV News requested an interview with Begg, but received a statement instead. 'Ministry staff are continuing to work with partners to address the recommendations from the Special Committee on Reforming the Police Act, so we can make sure that police can serve British Columbians in the best way possible,' Begg said. Signs of improvement Last year, the province made changes to the Police Act, granting the OPCC the ability to conduct investigations into systemic issues that prompt multiple complaints of a similar nature. The amendments also allow the OPCC to call public hearings earlier, which could have sped up the Kirkwood case. 'It would have shaved a year and a half to two years off the actual overall process,' Rajan said. 'We would all like things to happen much more quickly, but sometimes in complicated cases, you need some time to properly gather the information and analyze the information.' While Rajan sees opportunities for improvement, he believes in the system. 'I don't want anybody left with the sense that it's not a good process. In fact, it is quite good,' he said. At the IIO, year-over-year data show the average number of days to conclude a case has fallen from 103 to 52. 'A couple of years ago, my predecessor was successful in obtaining additional investigative resources for the IIO. So currently, I think timeliness is less of an issue than it was,' Berglund said. Still, Berglund said she appreciates the toll multiple prolonged investigations can take on people. 'The key in so much of this is good communication and being sensitive and empathetic to the needs of all the parties who are involved,' she said. The Rauch family said at the time of Lisa's death, they weren't even aware B.C.'s oversight bodies existed. 'How can we, as agencies, do better to support those families, to explain the processes, (and) explain that this may take several years to reach final resolution?' Berglund said. She expects the system will continue to evolve due to the collective desire to upgrade it. 'We are all working towards improved civilian oversight and keeping our focus on the bigger picture of why we have civilian oversight, which is to improve the accountability of the police and really improve the trust that the public has in the police forces in British Columbia,' she said.
ABC News
19-06-2025
- ABC News
Crash involving SA Police sergeant prompts calls for more oversight
A driver involved in a crash with a SA Police sergeant — resulting in the officer being charged with leaving the scene — has called for greater oversight in cases where police are under investigation. Allan Kelson has also criticised a police determination that he was at fault when his car collided with a ute driven by Brevet Sergeant Daryl Wayne Mundy on February 7. Mr Kelson was driving with his wife, Heather, when they were involved in the crash near Whitmore Square in the CBD. At the time, Sergeant Mundy had been serving as deputy president of the Police Association of SA and was campaigning for re-election. Mr Kelson has supported calls this week from independent MLC Frank Pangallo for an independent review into the matter. SA Police said its internal investigation section reviews the cases of officers charged with criminal offences — and investigations by the section are overseen by the Office of Public Integrity. Dashcam video of the incident, supplied to the ABC, appears to show Mr Kelson coming to a stop in a lane blocked off by traffic cones. The vision captures an exchange about who had been required to give way before Sergeant Mundy appears to drive away. Mr Kelson alleges he briefly followed Sergeant Mundy, who later reported the incident at the Netley police station. Mr Kelson said he checked back in with police three weeks later for an update, but was told no action had yet been taken. In early March, he was asked to give a statement and hand over his dashcam footage to police. He said he was told by an officer that, based on the footage, a determination had been made that he had failed to give way and would be issued an infringement. "I'm prepared to go to court (to contest the infringement), and I'm 99 per cent confident that I'll win the case," he said. Sergeant Mundy was charged with one count of failing to stop and give particulars to persons at a crash scene and one count of failing to give particulars about a crash to a police officer. Sergeant Mundy, who was unsuccessful in his bid for re-election as union deputy president, did not enter a plea at an initial hearing on May 20. The case is due to return to court next month. Mr Kelson said he learned from media reports that Sergeant Mundy had been charged. He said the months-long investigation process had been "disappointing" — and more oversight was needed where police officers are involved. "I really think it needs to be more open and all people involved should be updated, otherwise it's always a guessing game." The case was raised in parliament this week by Mr Pangallo, who said he had been contacted by a "very distressed" Mr Kelson. Mr Pangallo said he agreed the infringement should not have been issued. "After viewing the footage several times, reading this section of the road rules and showing it to an experienced road traffic lawyer, not only does Mr Kelson have a rock-solid defence but (SA Police) appears to have made an error of judgement," he said. Mr Pangallo asked Police Minister Stephen Mullighan to request a full independent review of the matter. He said the review should be used to rule out any suggestion of police bias or connection to the police union election. SA Police said it has systems in place to ensure matters involving officers were appropriately investigated. "When a police officer is charged with a criminal offence, including a road safety offence, their conduct during the incident is reviewed by the Internal Investigation Section (IIS)," a statement said. "If the officer is suspected of not behaving in a manner expected by the SAPOL's Code of Conduct, an investigation is conducted by the IIS, which is independently overseen by the Office of Public Integrity." The statement said police could not respond to questions about the case involving Sergeant Mundy because it was still before the court. SA Police confirmed that Sergeant Mundy had not been stood down, and said a review process would take place at the end of the court process. Mr Mullighan was contacted for comment.
CTV News
17-06-2025
- CTV News
Small gathering lays ashes of wrongfully convicted man to rest, as family seeks probe
Glen Assoun is embraced by his daughter Amanda Huckle at Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Friday, March 1, 2019. Assoun, who died in June 2023 at age 67, was acquitted in March 2019 of the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Anne Way, after spending almost 17 years in prison. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX — In a quiet grove at the edge of a Halifax cemetery, the family of a wrongfully convicted man laid his remains to rest, and said his fight for justice lives on. Glen Assoun died June 14, 2023, but the family postponed interring his ashes until a gathering Monday, presided over by Rev. David Watt, a Baptist minister who stood by his friend over the years. 'We laid him here to rest .... But I feel like the real rest will happen when we have a resolution and some people are held accountable,' said his daughter Amanda Huckle, following the small gathering. In March 2019, a Nova Scotia court acquitted Assoun in the 1995 killing of his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Lee Way. During 17 years in prison and five years under strict bail conditions, Assoun developed heart illnesses and suffered from mental illnesses. He only received a compensation settlement from the federal and provincial governments about two years before he died at the age of 67. Almost five years ago, the province requested the police oversight body begin a formal probe into whether officers broke the law when they destroyed evidence relevant to Assoun's case. In March 2021, the Nova Scotia police watchdog announced that to ensure transparency, its counterpart in British Columbia had agreed to be on the investigation. But on Nov. 30, 2023, Nova Scotia's agency announced the B.C. watchdog had dropped the case due to a heavy workload. Since then, the agency has reached out to multiple police oversight bodies and has struggled to find one that will take the case. Erin Nauss, the director of the Serious Incident Response Team, said in an email Monday that she had 'hoped to have an update,' but isn't yet in a position to share information about the next steps. 'I want to assure you that my focus and our work on moving this investigation forward has not wavered. I will provide an update when there is more to say,' she wrote. Huckle said the family's expectations aren't wavering, as this is an important part of how they can move forward. 'This (interment) is closure for us in some aspects but there's still that lingering door that is still open,' she said. During the ceremony, Assoun's ashes were placed in a marble bench inscribed with the Gibson guitars he loved to play. Family members each touched the sides of the enclosure. Tanya Assoun, his eldest daughter, read an April 19, 2009, letter he'd written to her from prison, telling her he missed her and advising, 'Be strong and think positive ... set your bar high. Through the grace of God justice will prevail.' 'He always wanted the best for me,' she said after the service. 'Even though he was in prison, he would always say those things to me.' During the gathering, Watt read Bible verses and recalled 'the blessing of memories,' including sitting and eating meals with Assoun, who was his roommate for two years after his release. As the group walked away from the secluded spot, Watt said his friend would have liked the nature path and the tranquil spot where his bench is set. The only sound through the day was of a slight June breeze. Amanda Huckle agreed. 'My Dad deserved peace. He deserves this peace,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2025. By Michael Tutton
