Police shouldn’t be investigating police
By Letter to the Editor on July 21, 2021.
Editor:
With regard to the article in the Herald dated July 15 clearing police of any misconduct dealing with the storm trooper incident:
I view this incident a little different than our police chief and the Medicine Hat police. We still have police investigating police.
The brothers in blue are going to protect each other regardless of location.
When the Lethbridge police got the 911 call about a person with a firearm they didn’t know what they were going to encounter.
The police drew their weapons not pointing them at the storm trooper and ordered the storm trooper to drop the weapon and get down on the ground.
The article states that the storm trooper dropped the weapon and got down on her knees.
With the storm trooper on her knees and no longer in possession of a weapon, the threat of harm to the police or the public was removed. It was obvious that the person in the storm trooper costume had very little chance of escape.
With the weapon not in possession of the storm trooper and having her on her knees and the police behind her taking off her helmet, the police had complete control of the situation.
Why was it necessary to push her face to the ground giving her a bloody nose? This is what is called excessive force.
We have a new police chief but it appears nothing has really changed. The new chief has nice words but actions don’t seem to go with the words.
Police are still investigating police. Misconduct taking as much as four years to be dealt with is unacceptable.
The majority of police do a great job and I’m thankful they are there when needed. The incidents I write about are what is portrayed in the media.
I was not on the scene to witness any incident so could be out of line and am willing to be corrected.
Doug Neal
Lethbridge
-1
I also have some issues with the way this occurred. How can a police force suggest it can calm a situation with negotiators and “risk assessment scenario’s” when it was needed in this case. At what point did the sirens blazing, and the screeching of tires and guns raised over the rear of the car seem somewhat of a stretch for someone wearing a storm troopers suit?
At what point should someone have said hmmm the person in that suit cannot hear us that well, so lets bring out the LOUD HAILER and ask the person to remove their head gear. Then once the head gear was removed. Then the person could be talked too. Laying down the plastic gun could have been one of the early commands after two way communications is established and then having the person step back 6-8 steps away from the gun so an officer could then take a look at the weapon.
So if the Medicine Hat Police and the LAPS department see nothing wrong with the way they conducted themselves then perhaps one should be very very concerned about their Mentally handicapped, or Autistic or Deaf Child running into the exact same situation with possibly far worse results.
I was not there either, but I have spent my fair share of time as Shore Patrol for the Navy, and Drunk people do not comprehend well and many a time the person was wielding what could be seen as a weapon. 2×4, stick, pipe, etc.
In the many years I was in the Navy, no one was shot and very few ended up with even the injuries this young girl ended up with because through negotiations and communications the person dropped the pipe 2×4 etc.
So the Medicine Hat Police and LAPS seem to be on the same page in this matter, I tend to think they are both on the wrong page. This incident will be shown in the future that someone should have been taken to task for this. A more severe misunderstanding in the future , which will happen, with likely result in greater injuries that could have been avoided. This was a “Learning experience” and things should have been learned, I don’t think that occurred here which is to bad, “for us”!
excellent letter, and great follow up by db.
the process is set up to be whitewashes made to look legitimate. anyone have any idea what the is the percent of cops charged in canada that end up in real convictions?