The Ottawa Police Service will be reviewing its jail procedures after the release of a second video in two weeks of rough treatment of a detainee.
Chief Vern White said the review will cover public intoxication and arrest procedures, strip search procedures and operating procedures for central cellblock.
“For the past couple of weeks, we have heard from many citizens who have expressed their concerns about how Ottawa police members deal with people in our custody and, more specifically, how we have dealt with Ms. Stacy Bonds,” White said Thursday.
“We fully appreciate the fact that some people have been perturbed and angered by the video.”
Still, he said, “We can’t lose sight of the fact that Ottawa police members respond to thousands of calls everyday, and do so in a competent and highly professional manner. As the chief, I want to make it absolutely clear that I have full confidence in the men and women that serve this community.”
Everyone doing this job will feel that they are under scrutiny, said White.
“But the reality is that we’re always under close scrutiny.
“Are we discounting everything great that’s been done? Because that’s not about fairness. So we will hold people to account who need to be held to account every single day. But it’s unfair to hold those who should not be held to account for the actions of others.”
A 2009 video showing an officer kicking a man, Terry Delay, was released earlier this week following the release of a 2008 video of Stacy Bonds having her shirt and bra cut off.
The same special constable was allegedly involved in both cases.
