Murray Wood: A fair to remember
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A police watchdog agency will investigate an arrest by RCMP officers on the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation that left a 40-year-old woman with what police described as “minor injuries.”
According to police, the incident began at around 5 a.m. on Monday when officers responded to a report of a person impaired by drugs on a street on the First Nation west of Meadow Lake.
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The RCMP said the responding officers saw a man who was wanted on a warrant entering a home on the street.
“Police officers approached the residence and spoke with the house occupants at the door. Two wanted men were arrested at the door without incident,” the RCMP said in a statement.
“During the arrest, a 40-year-old woman became confrontational and punched two police officers. Police officers told her to stop moving but she left the entrance area of the residence and went down the stairs. She was arrested outside the residence.”
Police said all three were taken to a local RCMP detachment where the woman was treated for her injuries by paramedics.
Videos of the arrest show the woman’s face bloodied after she was taken to the ground by two RCMP officers. Police said she suffered “minor injuries” and the force used by officers was “reasonable.” (Teyonah Angus/Facebook)
The RCMP said the two wanted suspects were a 30-year-old man from Edmonton who was wanted on theft charges in Swift Current and a 28-year-old man from the Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation who was wanted by the RCMP for “charges including domestic assaults.”
Police said 40-year-old Rose Georgina Angus was charged with two counts of assaulting a police officer, two counts of resisting a police officer, obstructing a police officer and possession of cocaine.
While videos of the incident appear to show an officer hitting woman in the head before forcing her to the ground, leaving her face coated with blood, have generated controversy online, the Mounties defended their use of force against the woman.
“Section 25 of the Criminal Code provides police officers with the ability to use force in the lawful execution of their duties, as long as they are acting on reasonable grounds,” the RCMP said in a statement.
“Following an initial review of this incident at the Saskatchewan RCMP District level, which included the viewing of the RCMP body-worn camera footage, the force used by the police officers involved in this incident was determined to be reasonable.”
While police initially said the incident was not reported to the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team – a civilian-led organization mandated to investigate cases where a serious injury or death is caused by the actions of police – “given the non-serious nature of the injuries sustained by the woman,” the police force later reversed course.
“As part of our commitment to transparency, and considering public interest, Saskatchewan RCMP has asked the Saskatchewan Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) to perform an external independent investigation of the incident,” the RCMP said.
The watchdog agency accepted the request, the Mounties said, adding that the officers involved in the incident “will remain on duty during the investigation.”
First Nations organizations demand ‘transparent investigation’
The Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations (FSIN) said it is demanding “immediate accountability and a fully independent, transparent investigation” following the arrest.
“While FSIN recognizes that a video does not always capture the full context of an incident, the footage has raised serious concerns among First Nations leadership, community members, and the public regarding the level of force used and whether it was necessary under the circumstances,” the organization noted in a statement.
“This is a mother, a community member, and a human being,” said Makwa Sahgaiehcan First Nation Chief Melvin Mooswa, quoted in a release from the FSIN.
“What we witnessed in that video is unacceptable. Our women deserve to be always treated with dignity and respect. Two trained and fully equipped officers had a clear physical advantage, yet we see one of them struck her in the head. Our community deserves answers. We deserve accountability. Most importantly, our people deserve better.”
Tribal Chief Jeremy Norman, of the Meadow Lake Tribal Council, echoed those comments, saying that while his group has been advocating for better policing and public safety on reserves, he also expects that RCMP officers will conduct their duties in a respectful manner that serves and protects all residents.
“It is difficult to see aggressive enforcement on a woman that is much smaller than the two officers which could have been avoided,” Norman said, quoted in the FSIN’s statement.
“We are not aware of the circumstances that took place outside of the social media videos, but it is imperative for our people, especially women to feel safe and be treated with respect in all circumstances. We ask that an investigation of the circumstances surrounding this incident takes place.”
The FSIN said it wants to see an investigation examine whether the RCMP officers in the videos were following the police force’s policies, training and professional standards.
“Police officers are entrusted with extraordinary powers, including the lawful authority to use force when circumstances require it. That authority carries an equally important responsibility to exercise discipline, professionalism, restraint, and sound judgment always,” FSIN Chief Bobby Cameron said in a statement.
“What is shown in this video is deeply alarming. There appears to be a significant imbalance in this encounter. The public has every right to ask how a situation involving two trained, fully equipped officers and one woman escalated to the point where a strike to the head was used. Our people deserve answers, and they deserve to know whether the conduct seen in this video was consistent with the standards the RCMP expects of its officers.”
