Dear Halifax Police Force, I was just witness to the most disgusting abuse of power by police officers I have ever seen in my life. Before I go on I must say that I am not one to challenge authority and always feel like police strive to protect citizens and their enshrined rights… until now.
Two police officers approached a young man who was waiting on Pizza Corner for his friend and instantly began accosting him for “being drunk in public”, I must reiterate that this man was standing with two of his friends minding his business not bothering anyone. These two officers then put him in handcuffs, forced him to the ground and refused to give up their names, badge numbers, sergeant names, etc. Two police cars arrived on the scene and promptly took away this man for “being drunk in public” aka standing on the street. Obviously upset, I called the HRM Police non-emergency hotline to voice my complaints and was told that a sergeant would return my call and would deal with it himself.
The sergeant did call me back, which I was very appreciative of and asked me to tell him what had happened. When I had finished I was told that the HRM Police force reserve the right to apprehend anyone that they feel is causing a “public nuisance” when I further explained that this poor guy was merely waiting for his friend to get a poutine I was told (very sternly, and aggressively) that the police officers acted correctly, and that my phone call was wasted.
I have lost all faith in the Halifax Regional Police after dealing with them this evening. Not only did these two police officers blatantly abuse their power by forcing this individual to the ground and into handcuffs on a whim, and then brought him into custody, but then, when I exercised my right to lodge a formal complaint against such abuses of power I was chastised for it.
It is a sad, sad day when a citizen looses faith in the police force and an even sadder day when the police don’t care about it. —Shocked and Appalled
This article appears in Sep 29 – Oct 5, 2011.
Good ‘Ol drunk in public charge.
It should not be illegal to walk home intoxicated from a bar. It’s ridiculous. They need to be focused on people leaving the bar and hopping behind the wheel. Public intoxication should not be a crime, it’s 2011. Causing a disturbance is a crime, as it should be. Drunk or sober, if someone is causing mischief or disturbing the peace, they should be charged. I don’t think just standing around after a night of drinking should be illegal, because then you might as well outlaw bars and clubs. Are people expected to teleport from the bar to their bed? It’s a stupid law, in my opinion just another way to justify police cowboy-ism.
You never know OP, maybe the guy, or someone who matched his description, did something earlier and they were looking for him. I personally doubt it, and I think the Sergeant would have said something if this were the case.
Welcome to reality OP.
Ouch……after the fire flame a few years ago I’ll gladly watch this one derail from the sidelines. TYVM.
Once the omnibus bill is passed, the police state is complete. Sieg Heil!
Should have videotaped it OP. Then again they might have smashed your phone or recording device. They have before.
Maybe he was suspected of something worse and the cops used public intoxication as a reason to bring him in for questioning…
… I have to stop watching The Wire.
I’m not even gonna comment on this one because I’d get my ass in a world of trouble, and the last thing I need is litigation a la fire fighter-the coast fiasco.
You guys are no fun..
and where were they when there was public urination and defecation?
how do you know he wasn’t making serious shit two blocks earlier?
Sounds like the officers were on their first tour if duty since their graduation from the academy, maybe a little over zealous with the first arrest. Eating a slice of pizza while drunk is pretty dangerous, what if he choked on it? I for one am glad that halifaxs’ finest are on the lookout for such reckless behavior, job well done, another menace off the streets!!! They probably blew through all the red lights to get him to jail faster too, after all there were probably more public menaces out there to get off the street post haste.
“It should not be illegal to walk home intoxicated from a bar. It’s ridiculous. “
“then you might as well outlaw bars and clubs. Are people expected to teleport from the bar to their bed? It’s a stupid law, in my opinion”
bars are supposed to stop serving you before you get drunk….
of course in real life, that’s rarely the case (since they’re out to make money)
but that’s where it came from.
There could have been a case of profiling here as well… as I’ve been hammered before, passing cops, etc…
I call BS, Police officers are just like anyone else, they are inherently lazy. Why would they go through the trouble?
I think there is much more to this story than OP offers us.
Bro Tim’s silence is deafening.
Ocean lady said it best.
But I agree you should have used your phone to record the police keeping the rest of us safe.
THe police State is almost completely in control & we will soon be in the same boat that the Eygptians & Libyans were with their ‘governments & their Police States. I am expecting that after the Conservatives pass their “Tough On Crime Bill” & they make it a greater crime to grow pot than to molest young children. We will see the recruitment posters for ratting on your neighbor, your family member, your co-worker. Just like the police states like Syria do now .
Come on in, Rat someone out & we’ll give you a cash reward !
OP you have been awakened to the evil that is Hali Regional Pigs. Mostly jocks from high school that realized the only way to continue picking on and abusing people was to become a city cop. Most of these poor excuses for police wouldn’t be welcome in the RCMP, not that the RCMP is exactly perfect.
quick, someone do the math. what are the odds that someone that is minding their own business gets roughed up by the halipolice?
OB, have you personally seen the arrested person’s criminal record? Maybe they were on HRM PDs hot list of wanted criminals. Maybe he assaulted someone earlier. Maybe he is trafficing drugs. There are plenty of reasons why that person could have been arrested. The police are under no obligation to give you their reason. You’re not the accused’s lawyer so butt the fuck out.
While I agree this sounds like an abuse of power, it is hard to tell what may have occured before this incident, for instance, was this man in particular at a club or pub in which a disturbance was caused? Was there are report of this man being disorderly in another area before the time when he was apprehended? Being that the police approached him directly I would assume there was something that drew their attention to him, as most police would not go out of their way to pick up a random person for no reason. I am not supporting the police or the man in this case, I am simply saying that it is hard to judge at face value an event like this.
If ever there was an area that screams out for CCTV cameras this is one, the whole area seems to be a cesspool of puking, pissing, trouble-causing shitbags – and now the police are “allegedly” roughing some innocent mutt up?
cctv sounds like a waste of time, just like the NFL instant replay reviews on every play
From the post, it states that the guy was standing there with two of his friends, waiting for another friend. Police approach him and arrest him for being drunk in public. They refused to give their names, badge numbers, sergeant’s name, and whatever information requested from them to identify themselves. It does not state whether or not the guy had committed a crime prior to being at Pizza Corner, nor does it have any other information other than what happened at that particular time.
So, with that, people, let’s stop speculating on whether or not he was a wanted man or if he had committed a crime beforehand. The police placed him under arrest for being drunk in public. They did not arrest him on any other charges.
It is particularly appalling that the police refuse to identify themselves or provide any other information. They are public servants and in Toronto are required to wear name tags and have their badge numbers visible. Why are these HPD officers refusing to provide that information? What are they hiding? Are they trying to copy what the police did in Toronto during the G20 mass arrests and abuse of power? Are they trying to police the same way? You know, the one in which peoples’ charter rights were violated!
Was the guy being arrested putting up a fight and resistance? If no, then why would two officers be required to force him to the ground?
Sounds an awful lot like an abuse of power. With all the nonsense going on with HPD officers and leadership, it seems like some change needs to take place. From officers being arrested for stealing, breach of trust, to even the deputy chief being suspended, it’s no wonder the public opinion of HPD is so low.
Don’t even get started on CCTV either. All they do is cost the tax payer more $$$ than they’re worth. Not only that, but it gives police even more excuse on cutting back. What they need is more beat officers, walking the streets and making their presence felt. Not officers sitting in patrol cars, in empty parking lots, waiting for something to happen. Why aren’t there more officers walking the streets in downtown Halifax or the areas of town in which so many people are getting jumped/mugged, like the Commons????
Policing should be about being proactive against crime. Not be reactive and not abusing their powers. Citizens should be proud and happy about their police, not fearful and distrustful of them.
If what the OB says is what happened, then he or she should be contacting the Nova Scotia Police Complaints Commission at 424-3246. The OB may not have the full information as to what caused this. It may or not be legit. If true then those officers need their asses kicked.
Tommy, been working all day.
“The police are under no obligation to give you their reason.”
Uh, yes they are, faggot. It’s called habeus corpus.
BIG I believe it was towards the bystander. The person being arrested must be told the reason for the arrest. If a bystander comes by and asks the reason, the police are under no obligation to tell them.
As to the Complaints Commssion, I gave bad info, my bad. The OB as a third party cannot lodge a complaint:
Complaint made by third party
28 (1) A complaint made by a person who is not personally affected by the occurrence that gave rise to the complaint must not be proceeded with unless the person who is personally affected by the occurrence consents to the processing of the complaint by endorsing the complaint in writing at the time it is made.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply if the person who is personally affected by the occurrence that gave rise to the complaint is not competent to give consent.
I find it hard to believe police randomly arrest people because they’re just standing there. I would imagine this gentleman is known to the police.
Why would they arrest this gent, throw him down and handcuff him risking repremands, lawsuits etc. if they didn’t know him? It doesn’t make sense.
I know that much, BT, but it wouldn’t be surprised if cock-sebber thinks that people being arrested don’t have to be told why they’re being arrested.
I’ve only met one cop that I ever liked – and that’s because we were good buddies in high school.
The police here seem generally horrid to deal with, it’s ridiculous they’re here to make us feel “safe”. I called them 3 days ago when I wanted to report that somebody stole my cat and tried to sell him on kijiji and they hung up on me.
onlythetruth – perhaps you should toss your hat into the ring and take a run at replacing Kelly?
I’m so desperate for anyone to replace the deadbeat I’d even vote for Sebastian.
this story — one of the many reasons why “police discretion” is actually a very troubling concept. Just wait until that omnibus crime bill passes and police “discretionary powers” increase, as does many minimum penalities for arrests based on, to use the OP’s words, what a police officer “feels” is appropriate
troodon4,
Really, you find it hard to believe the police would do such a thing? Then how do you explain these:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/stor…
http://www.thestar.com/news/crime/article/…
http://news.nationalpost.com/2010/08/23/g2…
http://www.thestar.com/news/torontog20summ…
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20110…
Look at the reaction on the female officer’s face. Even she is surprised at how bs that is coming out of Officer Bubble’s mouth:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGMTm3QRwEc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP_LB_ZhcTA…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PAWDTdA0NE…
Here it all is:
http://www.torontog20exposed.ca/
The largest and worst violation of charter rights in Canadian history. They even arrested a TTC employee (in full uniform & work id) on his way to work, even though he was just walking to work!!
If that doesn’t open your eyes to the abuses that police take, then I don’t know what will. The so called war on terrorism, and all that additional security crap they are always bringing up is nothing but a farce. Tell me the last time any terrorists were caught at an airport, or on an airplane? How many terrorists have been caught at the border? Exactly 0.
Like I said before, the government needs to spend less on border & airport security, seeking that elusive boogey man terrorist and more on putting cops to walk the streets. Police chiefs need to be re-examined as well and a thorough evaluation needs to be done on how bad the public perception and the image of the police force is.
I still do not understand why there has been no public inquiry and why the Toronto Police Chief has not been fired. Why has the Federal Government done anything? Oh, that’s right, the war on terrorism and security.
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/natio…
Do NOT EVER allow this kind of crap to take place ever again. Stand up for your rights and those of others. Once they’re done coming for the others, they’ll be coming for you!
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world…
I hear a lot of police bashing, i’m going to keep this short and simple. The very few times that I have had to deal with the HRP, they were fantastic. I work in a career that unfortunately we are forced to call them on occasion, and i have to say, they treated myself, as well as the offending parties involved with respect. Although such circumstances were not around pizza corner, and i was sober, maybe my experiences are slightly biased. Maybe there is a little more to what was going on than OP is privy to…. after all, it is not Op’s right to know what those people are being charged with, or what their criminal activity is, it is only the accused right
so o.p., what the fuck do you expect us to do about it? if you couldn’t get anywhere, how the hell can we? now don’t jump all over my ass here, i’m just stating a fact.we at the itch board, do not have any control over any police, too bad there.
if you complaint was dismissed so easily, then i think petey kelly should get a whiff, or even dexter. after all, they are the ones that have the power to do shit. sorry this happened to your bud, but shit can and will happen.if you gave your name, a real one, watch your fucking back. i had all kinds of crap years back, from some of these yahoos. just don’t do ANYTHING remotely wrong from now on.
Reading Life suck’s post has helped me look at this bitch in a different way…..
OP, you weren’t the one arrested. your rights weren’t allegedly violated. So what do you expect the police to do when you call in a complain? Do you expect a process that forces a full investigation when you aren’t a victim?
Good god man! give your head a shake. you witnessed a questionable arrest, you called the police, the police returned your call, they told you there was nothing to worry about………now what? supreme court of canada?
I will let you in on something that isnt supposed to be a secret…..the supreme court of canada reviews cases of citizens that had their rights violated……your pissy experience on the phone doesn’t count.
Yeah OP, call the mayor’s office. At the very least I do believe that cops are obligated to give their ID # when asked. For those that are saying it’s hard to believe they would fuck with people for no reason, it happens a lot more than you would think, they’re bored and know they can get away with it. The “Drunk in Public” gives them carte-blanche. It happened to me.
There’s a video on Youtube of a cop body slamming a kid on to concrete at that intersection on Duke and Brunswick. Check it out for yourself.
My issue is the message that it sends to potential recruits.
I don’t think police officers are obliged to provide id numbers to a bystander that is poking his nose into someone else’s business.
Now, if the person being arrested wants the badge numbers, they will be on the arrest report. I imagine that police officers don’t always bother to explain that to a drunk until they sober up.
I thought pizza corner was already under surveillance with CCTV…am I wrong? Didn’t the city install a couple dozen cameras in trouble spots a few years ago?
The entire CITY is under surveillance with CCTV, Be interesting.
I’ve seen the feeds with my own eyes and have been tempted to moon the cam facing the lawtons on SGR.
You can give Suckster the Director’s Cut for a Christmas present.>; )
no ivanski,comrade i vanting real think .
Well in that case GV I think they should be. Business card or something, at least give their name and rank. They do sometimes kill the people they bring in after all.
Pretty sure if they ask me for my ID I gotta give it to them.
Officially, the don’t have the right to randomly ask you for id. This is Canada, and the CCHRF is supposed to protect us from a Gestapo style police force.
Technically, all they need is reasonable suspicion or justifiable grounds then it is ok for them to ask you for id. If you are standing on a sidewalk and you wobble a little while mouthing off to them, that is enough reason to suspect that you have been drinking, especially if its pizza corner.
Imo, when a police officers asks for your id, you should immediately as ‘on what ground, sir?’. If he gives you a lame reason, he will have to stick with that story. If it goes to court, they are not quick to fabricate new lies because their career is more important than whether or not you have to pay a fine.
…but tying up the courts time with frivolous fuckery costs everyone
it is not frivolous fuckery to defend yourself and win. Do you agree?
depends on the charge, and how much you’re willing to pay a lawyer
“Fuck you HRM Police; when the war starts, I will be looking for you specifically.”
You may have agility and the ability to cast spells Larry, but I’m pretty sure they have the edge in hit points and charisma.
When they ask just give your name and tell them you are a law student or if you look older tell them you are a lawyer watching the world go by.
Always be polite and look for the name tag on the chest, a black plastic tag with white lettering.
I’d have to say, I went through something similar back in 2006.
I was with a bunch of friends out for drinks. None of us were actually drunk.
We decided to take a stroll to pizza corner.
As we’re waiting to get pizza, me and a couple of people waited outside, 8 in total, a mix of mature none drunk men and women, mid 20’s to mid 30’s, and for some reaosn a police officer decided to just come up to us, while we’re actually waiting outside to get pizza because the store was full, of all people, and asked what we were doing there and to move it along!!!
I was like are you serious? He said don’t talk back!! Move it. Of course I felt that he had absolutely no right, so I told him I wasn’t moving, it’s a public sidewalk, but he’s more that welcome to leave if he didn’t like our company. Of course that’s when the shit hit the fan and taser came out. None of us got tasered but I didn’t back down. I couldn’t help but feel that his actions were due to the fact that I’m middle eastern and other 2 guys I was with were Indian and Black. The ordeal took about 40 mins to be resolved. At the end they knew they were going to have a large law suite on their hands if they acted any further. We ended up getting our pizzas and taking off. Seriously though, fuck off.
So OP, I can see why they person was arrested for no reason!
There was another incedent. More recent one. A check point in tantallon. Going home after having turkey dinner with my gf’s family. She was with me in the car. 3 police officers checking cars. 2 were on my lane and 1 was on the opposite lane. Now when you see 2 officers there, both waiving traffic, one is talking to the car in front of me, and naturally the one standing right next to my car was waiving so I proceed to him. He starts yelling “STOP.. What are you doing? You planning on running into the car in front of you, so I looked at him and said, well you don’t have to yell, sorry I thought you were waiving me to check my car since the guy in front is checking the car in front. His response was pull over to the side. I do. Asks for my lisence, I refused and asked why do you want to see my lisence? Explained to him that he’s there to check the vehicle inspection and if there’s a problem then it propts for other checks. There was no problem but because you deicded to create one, you don’t get your way. I explained that I’ll be more than happy to show him my lisence given that he refrains from touching it, handling it or taking it out of the vehicle.. I took it out then he reached for it, then I pulled it back and told him that he’s not allowed and doesn’t have my permision to enter my vehicle. I knew my rights and he knew his rights. I wasn’t rude about it and I had a witness in the car. At the end the sad question he had was” Is this your signature” That’s when I put it away, said have a good night and took off. Believe me, they’re powerless if you haven’t done anything.