A cop caught on surveillance video beating a man in an apartment building stairwell was suspended Wednesday by Windsor police.
Const. Kent Rice, a 12-year veteran of the force, was charged with assault and suspended with pay Wednesday afternoon, acting police chief Al Frederick told a hastily called news conference late in the day.
In the morning, a director of the Windsor Residence, a non-profit housing corporation run by a volunteer board with city funding, delivered a copy of the video to the police department's professional standards branch. The branch investigates alleged police misconduct.
Frederick said investigators identified Rice as the police officer in the video.
The video, running 3½ minutes, was recorded on Feb. 22 beginning at 2: 18 a.m. at the Windsor Residence building on McDougall Avenue.
Frederick told The Star that investigators got a copy of the officer's report of the incident filed at the time. Frederick would not divulge what the report said.
"I can tell you unequivocally this it's very disappointing," Frederick said of the incident. The incident came one month after Frederick unveiled a 27-point plan to restore the public's faith in the police service after media reports of instances of police brutality and coverup.
The city's last police chief resigned in the midst of calls by the mayor for changes to the "culture" at the Windsor Police Service.
The Star received a copy of the video late Tuesday. The housing board member who supplied the video told The Star he made it clear to investigators he'd gone to the newspaper first.
He wanted "public oversight" of the police investigation to make sure the incident would not be "swept under the rug," he said.
"They are not wasting any time," said the man, who feared retribution and did not want his name published.
Soon after the man met with professional standards, two detectives from the major crimes unit and a computer specialist were at the McDougall Avenue building, meeting with the building manager. The officers left with a DVD and what appeared to be a portable hard drive.
Mayor Eddie Francis, head of the police services board, said he saw the video for the first time Wednesday when it was posted on The Star's website.
"Words cannot begin to describe what I'm thinking- Regettably, because of the charges against this officer, I can't say what I want to say," he said.
"This is criminal conduct. We don't tolerate this."
The video shows an officer dressed in uniform walking through a metal door near a stairwell and approaching a young man lying on the floor. The officer bends over apparently speaking to the man, then punches him in the head. The man writhes on the ground. Seventeen seconds later, the officer kicks the man in the stomach. The man writhes on the ground again. When he sits up against the wall, the officer kicks him again, in the hip.
The officer looks up and appears to notice the surveillance camera. The officer walks in the camera's direction looking down, adjusting his tuque and obscuring his face. For most of the rest of the video, he keeps his back to the camera. The officer never kicks or punches the young man again. The video ends with the officer placing the man in handcuffs.
The video sporadically skips forward for a few seconds at a time, but at no time during the video does the young man act aggressively toward the officer.
Frederick confirmed Wednesday that the man, a 22-year-old Windsor resident, was released by the officer and was never charged with any crime.
Frederick said police were called to the apartment building to break up a fight. Rice was one of four officers who responded but was alone during the altercation.
The board member said he believes the beating victim was a guest of a resident in an apartment used as an emergency shelter unit.
The man is black and the officer is white, but Frederick declined to describe the incident as a hate crime. The Windsor and District Black Coalition is watching the investigation closely.
Frederick alerted the coalition to the incident Wednesday afternoon and met with members before his news conference. Four members sat in as Frederick answered questions from reporters.
Renee Taylor, speaking on behalf of the coalition, called the young black man a victim and urged him "to come forward."
She said she isn't sure why he did not file a complaint. "He probably felt that there wasn't someone or somewhere to go to."
Frederick described Rice as a "patrol" officer. He is with the force's marine unit and was featured in a Star story and video about the unit last month.
Frederick said he is unaware of any past complaints against the officer.
Frederick said the department Wednesday notified provincial watchdog agencies about the incident. The Office of the Independent Police Review Director has declined to investigate, Frederick said. The Special Investigations Unit, which probes cases where police kill or seriously injure someone or are alleged to have committed a sexual assault, cannot investigate without knowing what injuries the young black man suffered in the incident.
The mayor said the city owes a debt of gratitude to the man who made the video public. The man said the incident was brought to the housing board's attention a month ago, but some directors were afraid to bring it to police for fear of police reprisal.
The Windsor Residence houses homeless people, people with mental and physical disabilities and people with drug addictions. "We call on the police. We need a good relationship with them," the man explained.
But Frederick downplayed the board's concerns. "Until we get a complaint, we can't act." He said there is "no evidence" that police officers retaliate or provide poor service to people who complain about them.
Rice's suspension comes as Det. David Van Buskirk, convicted of brutally beating a doctor outside the Jackson Park Health Centre in 2010, then falsifying reports about the incident, is to be sentenced today on a charge of public mischief. Van Buskirk is appealing a five-month jail sentence on a charge of assault causing bodily harm to Dr. Tyceer Abouhassan. He remains free on bail.
Van Buskirk reportedly mistook the doctor for a man who had harassed his 12-year-old daughter. He falsely claimed Abouhassan had attacked him and Van Buskirk had the doctor charged criminally.
The incident, also captured on surveillance video, was investigated by a provincial watchdog agency that subsequently charged Van Buskirk instead.
Original Article
Source: windsor star
Author: Sarah Sacheli
Const. Kent Rice, a 12-year veteran of the force, was charged with assault and suspended with pay Wednesday afternoon, acting police chief Al Frederick told a hastily called news conference late in the day.
In the morning, a director of the Windsor Residence, a non-profit housing corporation run by a volunteer board with city funding, delivered a copy of the video to the police department's professional standards branch. The branch investigates alleged police misconduct.
Frederick said investigators identified Rice as the police officer in the video.
The video, running 3½ minutes, was recorded on Feb. 22 beginning at 2: 18 a.m. at the Windsor Residence building on McDougall Avenue.
Frederick told The Star that investigators got a copy of the officer's report of the incident filed at the time. Frederick would not divulge what the report said.
"I can tell you unequivocally this it's very disappointing," Frederick said of the incident. The incident came one month after Frederick unveiled a 27-point plan to restore the public's faith in the police service after media reports of instances of police brutality and coverup.
The city's last police chief resigned in the midst of calls by the mayor for changes to the "culture" at the Windsor Police Service.
The Star received a copy of the video late Tuesday. The housing board member who supplied the video told The Star he made it clear to investigators he'd gone to the newspaper first.
He wanted "public oversight" of the police investigation to make sure the incident would not be "swept under the rug," he said.
"They are not wasting any time," said the man, who feared retribution and did not want his name published.
Soon after the man met with professional standards, two detectives from the major crimes unit and a computer specialist were at the McDougall Avenue building, meeting with the building manager. The officers left with a DVD and what appeared to be a portable hard drive.
Mayor Eddie Francis, head of the police services board, said he saw the video for the first time Wednesday when it was posted on The Star's website.
"Words cannot begin to describe what I'm thinking- Regettably, because of the charges against this officer, I can't say what I want to say," he said.
"This is criminal conduct. We don't tolerate this."
The video shows an officer dressed in uniform walking through a metal door near a stairwell and approaching a young man lying on the floor. The officer bends over apparently speaking to the man, then punches him in the head. The man writhes on the ground. Seventeen seconds later, the officer kicks the man in the stomach. The man writhes on the ground again. When he sits up against the wall, the officer kicks him again, in the hip.
The officer looks up and appears to notice the surveillance camera. The officer walks in the camera's direction looking down, adjusting his tuque and obscuring his face. For most of the rest of the video, he keeps his back to the camera. The officer never kicks or punches the young man again. The video ends with the officer placing the man in handcuffs.
The video sporadically skips forward for a few seconds at a time, but at no time during the video does the young man act aggressively toward the officer.
Frederick confirmed Wednesday that the man, a 22-year-old Windsor resident, was released by the officer and was never charged with any crime.
Frederick said police were called to the apartment building to break up a fight. Rice was one of four officers who responded but was alone during the altercation.
The board member said he believes the beating victim was a guest of a resident in an apartment used as an emergency shelter unit.
The man is black and the officer is white, but Frederick declined to describe the incident as a hate crime. The Windsor and District Black Coalition is watching the investigation closely.
Frederick alerted the coalition to the incident Wednesday afternoon and met with members before his news conference. Four members sat in as Frederick answered questions from reporters.
Renee Taylor, speaking on behalf of the coalition, called the young black man a victim and urged him "to come forward."
She said she isn't sure why he did not file a complaint. "He probably felt that there wasn't someone or somewhere to go to."
Frederick described Rice as a "patrol" officer. He is with the force's marine unit and was featured in a Star story and video about the unit last month.
Frederick said he is unaware of any past complaints against the officer.
Frederick said the department Wednesday notified provincial watchdog agencies about the incident. The Office of the Independent Police Review Director has declined to investigate, Frederick said. The Special Investigations Unit, which probes cases where police kill or seriously injure someone or are alleged to have committed a sexual assault, cannot investigate without knowing what injuries the young black man suffered in the incident.
The mayor said the city owes a debt of gratitude to the man who made the video public. The man said the incident was brought to the housing board's attention a month ago, but some directors were afraid to bring it to police for fear of police reprisal.
The Windsor Residence houses homeless people, people with mental and physical disabilities and people with drug addictions. "We call on the police. We need a good relationship with them," the man explained.
But Frederick downplayed the board's concerns. "Until we get a complaint, we can't act." He said there is "no evidence" that police officers retaliate or provide poor service to people who complain about them.
Rice's suspension comes as Det. David Van Buskirk, convicted of brutally beating a doctor outside the Jackson Park Health Centre in 2010, then falsifying reports about the incident, is to be sentenced today on a charge of public mischief. Van Buskirk is appealing a five-month jail sentence on a charge of assault causing bodily harm to Dr. Tyceer Abouhassan. He remains free on bail.
Van Buskirk reportedly mistook the doctor for a man who had harassed his 12-year-old daughter. He falsely claimed Abouhassan had attacked him and Van Buskirk had the doctor charged criminally.
The incident, also captured on surveillance video, was investigated by a provincial watchdog agency that subsequently charged Van Buskirk instead.
Original Article
Source: windsor star
Author: Sarah Sacheli
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