Police Chief Troy Cooper reported to the Saskatoon Board of Police Commissioners Thursday,during a special meeting spurred on by the recent video of the arrest of Evan Penner. In the video an officer punched and pepper sprayed Penner while trying to bring him into custody.
Cooper says the incident is being investigated by the Saskatchewan Public Complaint’s Commission in an independent review. Cooper added he made the call to apply the policy around critical incidents, which means the officer was placed on a term of leave. He explains that process is currently underway, but is not punitive, not connected to the investigation and is not part of any discipline. The Police Chief asked for patience while the Public Complaints Commission investigation continues.
Cooper was asked about wellness checks and situations that deal more with mental health and addictions and how they are handled, Cooper says currently the demand is far exceeding the supply when it comes to the Police and Crisis Team. The team that pairs a police officer with a mental health professional. Cooper states in the case of Evan Penner, the incident was responded to as a suspicious person call and not a wellness check.
Mayor Charlie Clark says one of the concerns he currently has in the aftermath of the video, is division within the city. Clark says people start to feel they need to take a position with the police or against them. He suggests what is really important now, is having the difficult conversations about the parts of the system that are not working. To make sure we have the right oversight, accountability, and mechanisms in place, while still understanding, and hearing the realities of our police officers.
