A city councillor is calling on the Calgary Police Service to make immediate changes in the wake of shocking footage of a constable slamming a woman face-first to the ground while she had her hands cuffed behind her back..Coun. Jyoti Gondek, who is wrapping up a three-year term on the Calgary Police Commission, said changes need to be made to the police act to enable the force to immediately fire officers for gross misconduct..A three-day trial for Alexander Dunn has just wrapped up. he was charged with assault causing bodily harm. A judge will release his verdict at a later date..The video of the incident, released to the media by the judge, has now been shown around the world – even being picked up by TMZ and the New York Daily News..“The recently released footage of Constable Dunn with Ms. (Dalia ) Kafi was horrifying & painful to watch. While I appreciate the CPS explanation of why Dunn was not removed from the service immediately, the public is not asking for a technical response,” Gondek said Friday in a series of tweets..“The public is not interested in hearing about the limitations CPS faces or the inability to take disciplinary action while the case is before the courts. We want to know what leadership will do to ensure it can never happen again.”.CPS has released a statement that said the trial “has raised questions about police accountability in Calgary.. Jyoti GondekJyoti Gondek .“These questions are understandable, and we agree that the system needs improvement,” said the CPS statement..It said there are two areas needing improvement including a quicker timeline in matters of police accountability and asking the province for clarity on when officers can be relieved without pay..“I implore both the CPS & Calgary Police Commission to issue a clear statement about how the service will ensure that unethical use of force will be dealt with swiftly & justly. Make a statement that shows you understand the gravity of the issue,” said Gondek..“Calgarians need to hear from CPS leadership that they understand unethical service members are not just “bad apples”. These are officers who hold power & have no desire to follow either the rules of the CPS or civil society..“It is not enough to say that cases which are now coming into the public eye happened before the current CPS executive team came into their roles. How are you making sure policies & practices have changed?. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“Push the Minister of Justice to assign “exceptional circumstances” status in situations where CPS has limited jurisdiction. Use these public revelations of misconduct to open up the Police Act.”.A CPS internal hearing will be held once the criminal matter has been dealt with..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
A city councillor is calling on the Calgary Police Service to make immediate changes in the wake of shocking footage of a constable slamming a woman face-first to the ground while she had her hands cuffed behind her back..Coun. Jyoti Gondek, who is wrapping up a three-year term on the Calgary Police Commission, said changes need to be made to the police act to enable the force to immediately fire officers for gross misconduct..A three-day trial for Alexander Dunn has just wrapped up. he was charged with assault causing bodily harm. A judge will release his verdict at a later date..The video of the incident, released to the media by the judge, has now been shown around the world – even being picked up by TMZ and the New York Daily News..“The recently released footage of Constable Dunn with Ms. (Dalia ) Kafi was horrifying & painful to watch. While I appreciate the CPS explanation of why Dunn was not removed from the service immediately, the public is not asking for a technical response,” Gondek said Friday in a series of tweets..“The public is not interested in hearing about the limitations CPS faces or the inability to take disciplinary action while the case is before the courts. We want to know what leadership will do to ensure it can never happen again.”.CPS has released a statement that said the trial “has raised questions about police accountability in Calgary.. Jyoti GondekJyoti Gondek .“These questions are understandable, and we agree that the system needs improvement,” said the CPS statement..It said there are two areas needing improvement including a quicker timeline in matters of police accountability and asking the province for clarity on when officers can be relieved without pay..“I implore both the CPS & Calgary Police Commission to issue a clear statement about how the service will ensure that unethical use of force will be dealt with swiftly & justly. Make a statement that shows you understand the gravity of the issue,” said Gondek..“Calgarians need to hear from CPS leadership that they understand unethical service members are not just “bad apples”. These are officers who hold power & have no desire to follow either the rules of the CPS or civil society..“It is not enough to say that cases which are now coming into the public eye happened before the current CPS executive team came into their roles. How are you making sure policies & practices have changed?. POLL: Many Albertans say they will ignore Christmas COVID lockdown .“Push the Minister of Justice to assign “exceptional circumstances” status in situations where CPS has limited jurisdiction. Use these public revelations of misconduct to open up the Police Act.”.A CPS internal hearing will be held once the criminal matter has been dealt with..Dave Naylor is the News Editor of the Western Standard.dnaylor@westernstandardonline.com.TWITTER: Twitter.com/nobby7694
