“F---ing dyke.” “Douchebag.”
“We were assuming you are a lady because of your credentials, but how do we know you are a woman? You look like a guy. I will start calling you Mr.”
These are the words Lisa Walter alleges Sgt. Douglas Rose said to her while she was being arrested near Bloor and St. Thomas Sts. on June 27, 2010.
The 48-page report, from the Office of the Independent Police Review Director, found reasonable grounds to believe Rose committed “discreditable conduct” for “profane, abusive or insulting language.”
It also found Rose and another officer, Sgt. Michael Ferry, unlawfully arrested Walter and her colleague, Ryan Mitchell, on the afternoon of the final day of the G20 summit. And that both officers used “unnecessary force” when arresting Mitchell, who said he was tackled to the ground and put into a headlock, his right arm twisted behind his back.
The OIPRD is recommending charges be laid under the Police Services Act, and the matter will almost certainly go to a police hearing, where the officers will have the opportunity to defend themselves.
Misconduct charges are not criminal. If the charges against the two officers are upheld, potential penalties range from docked pay to losing their jobs.
Neither officer could be reached for comment Friday.
Walter and Mitchell said they came to the intersection at around 1 p.m. to film the arrests of colleagues from the alternative media. The night before, the deputy police chief reportedly gave orders to “take back the streets” from black-clad vandals who’d spent much of the previous day smashing windows and lighting police cars on fire.
Further allegations made by Walter that officers used unnecessary force when arresting her were unsubstantiated because no officer could be identified, said the report.
On Friday, Walter said she was disappointed to hear no officer could be identified because she can personally name two officers in a video of her arrest posted online, but was never given the opportunity to do so during her OIPRD interview.
Walter, 44, said she was pushed violently to the ground and kneed in the back and pelvis during her arrest.
The report did not substantiate Mitchell’s allegations that during his arrest officers yelled “You c---sucker!” and “faggot” and that one officer said, “I’m going to shove this baton up your ass!”
“It’s frustrating but it’s not surprising,” said Mitchell, 38, of the report’s conclusions Friday. “It’s my word against his.”
In their interviews with the OIPRD, both Ferry and Rose denied making any derogatory remarks. Rose specifically said he didn’t recall making comments to Mitchell about shoving a baton up his bum.
Rose, a 22-veteran of the force, said he overheard Mitchell saying, “If we take Yorkville, would it be very expensive?” And Ferry described Walter as trying to rile up individuals already arrested, and appearing “anti-police.”
Thirty-one officers are facing misconduct charges stemming from OIPRD investigations, police confirmed earlier this week.
Original Article
Source: the star
Author: Jayme Poisson
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