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Police chiefs want more power to suspend bad-apple officers

Shocking strip search sparks plea from Ottawa’s top cop

Ottawa’s police chief wants more power to suspend officers without pay in the wake of revelations that three male officers on his force strip searched a 27-year-old woman, kneed her violently in the back, and left her topless in a cell for three hours. And they did this despite the fact that, according to a judge who watched video of the incident, the woman displayed “no hint of violence or aggression.” Ontario Court Justice Richard Lajoie condemned the “unlawful” treatment of Stacy Bonds, a 27-year-old theatrical make-up artist with no criminal record. Now, the incident is under review by Ontario’s Special Investigations Unit, a civilian agency that typically investigates cases of serious injury or death involving police. But Ottawa Police Chief Vern White now says the province’s Police Services Act should be changed so he and other chiefs have more power to impose discipline. “Every police chief I know,” White said, “has asked for a review of the act to allow us more latitude.”

Ottawa Citizen

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