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Ottawa Police break sleeping man's bones

Once again, there are more horrifying allegations of brutality lodged against members of the Ottawa Police Service.

A woman and her teenaged daughter found a man sleeping on the sidewalk early Saturday morning. She called 911, expecting the police would help the man. When they arrived, according to the woman, they shoved him around and […]

Maybe police brutality IS standard operating procedure

I’ve been thinking more about the Roxanne Carr videos. About the way she was handled by the police in the cell block. The officers seemed so calm and methodical, as if they were just following proper procedure. They didn’t seem to be angry or out of control. Add to this the fact that the Acting […]

More police brutality in Ottawa

I find this story quite disturbing. Bad enough that the police are beating up on women and drunks and people in custody, but kids too?

The 15-year-old kid, on the evening in question, was getting into a little trouble with some friends – throwing paintballs, lighting a newspaper on fire in a schoolyard. When a plainclothes […]

Police officer charged with sexual assault

Steve Desjourdy, the Ottawa police officer who cut off Stacy Bonds’ bra while other officers pinned her to the ground in the cell block, was charged yesterday with sexually assaulting her.

Even though it’s good news, I rolled my eyes when I heard it. I don’t see it as a sign of real change. I think […]

Ottawa sex workers report systemic discrimination by police

POWER (Prostitutes of Ottawa Work Education Resist) today released a fascinating report about the conditions, context and challenges faced by sex workers in Ottawa, with particular emphasis on their experiences with the Ottawa police. In light of the findings of this report, POWER has asked the Ontario Human Rights Commission to conduct a public […]

Sweeping changes needed to restore faith in Ottawa police

Looking at my recent web stats – particularly the keyword searches that bring people to this site – I see that I’m getting a big spike in traffic from people googling police brutality in Ottawa. They’re coming from all across Canada, as well as the US and other countries. And they’re coming, of course, because […]

Police brutality in Ottawa

Did you read this appalling story in today’s Citizen? It’s about a young woman named Stacy Bonds who was taken into police custody for no good reason, while walking home one night in 2008. She was essentially seized off the streets of Ottawa while doing nothing wrong. While in police custody, she was physically assaulted […]

A funeral procession for a slain police officer

I attended Constable Eric Czapnik’s funeral procession today. I didn’t know exactly what to expect, since I’d never witnessed a cop’s funeral procession before. But it was a pretty impressive sight, and a remarkable display of solidarity.

Lately I haven’t known what to think of cops anymore. I’ve met some who don’t deserve my respect, and […]

I’m starting to wonder about the Ottawa Police

GC and I dropped into my local community centre on Thursday evening for Meet the Chief night.

But there was no sign of Police Chief Vern White.

“Where’s the Chief?” I asked my city councilor, Maria McRae, who organized the event.

She explained that the Chief couldn’t make it, but he’d sent his Inspector in his […]

Crackheads, crackpots, police and politics

Ottawa’s drug problem has been getting a fresh surge of attention lately. Between the W-FIVE piece last week entitled Capital Shame, the controversy about expanding the harm reduction programs, and our Medical Officer of Health, David Salisbury, resigning, we’re in the spotlight.

I went to a public meeting at City Hall about the drug problem […]