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ASIRT to add Aboriginal members

Article Origin

Author

By Shari Narine Sweetgrass Contributing Editor EDMONTON

Volume

21

Issue

8

Year

2014

The next time an Aboriginal person is involved in a serious police incident, the agency that investigates such occurrences could include two Aboriginal team members.

A series of officer-involved shootings in August 2013 of Indigenous men – two of which were fatal – and successive meetings between Alberta Serious Incident Response Team Executive Director Clifton Purvis and Alberta Aboriginal Commission on Human Rights and Justice Chair Muriel Stanley Venne have brought about the change. Venne, along with the Alberta Organization of Treaty Chiefs, suggested that ASIRT include Aboriginal representation.

“That was a really good observation, not one that we had really addressed before,” said Purvis, who noted that “the Aboriginal community … is not over-represented in our files.”

Since that meeting, Purvis created two investigator positions, seeking people with connections to the Aboriginal community. Offers have gone out to two Indigenous people – a Métis from Calgary and a non-Treaty Indian from Edmonton – and there is the possibility of a third Aboriginal person also joining. The new staff members will be involved in a wide variety of investigations as well as any incidences that involve Aboriginal people.

“The ability (is) for them to mentor other investigators that are non-Aboriginal … the advantage for me is that they’re going to help us all be better,” said Purvis.

He also points out that at times, Kyle Melting Tallow, with the Blood Tribe police, has been involved in ASIRT investigations.
However, Melting Tallow was not available at the time of the August shootings.

The first of three decisions from ASIRT involving police officer shootings of Indigenous men has cleared the two Grande Cache RCMP officers who shot Curtis Hallock in the arm and leg.
Hallock’s file was forwarded to the Crown for input. After reviewing the Crown’s opinion on the contents of the file, Purvis determined no criminal charges would be brought against the officers.  According to the release issued by ASIRT, the officers approached the suspect’s vehicle on foot in the Victor Lake Métis Co-op residential area, an altercation ensued and the officers shot the suspect, who fled on foot. He was later located and arrested and transported to hospital. Hallock, who is featured in the second season of Mantracker, was charged with one count of assault with a weapon, one count of assault of a peace officer and three counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. ASIRT will not release any further information as the case is before the court.

The Hallock incident, which took place Aug. 1, was followed by two other shootings. On Aug. 3, a traffic stop by a Wetaskiwin RCMP officer working alone near Pigeon Lake resulted in the shooting death of Lance Cutarm, 30. His brother, Larron Cutarm, 41, was injured in the incident. There were three other men in the vehicle. On Aug. 15, RCMP officers shot and killed Daniel Charland, 52, the subject of an arrest warrant, after a confrontation developed at his home on Cold Lake First Nation.
The decisions on Cutarm and Charland are still pending.  The case files compiled by ASIRT have been forwarded to the Crown for review and Purvis is hopeful he can render a decision shortly.

“I did express my perception that the RCMP was using these occasions as an excuse to kill the Indian. I was very candid that that was what I made of the particular (period) that had so many RCMP actually shooting to kill the Aboriginal persons involved,” said Venne. “I was asking (Purvis) to examine and take account of the racism and prejudice that exists in this province and take note of it in the investigation.”

Purvis said motivation – including fear, carelessness, anger and racism – is always part of the investigation.

The discussion between Purvis and Venne also resulted in a presentation at Blue Quills First Nations College.

Venne says that for the past few years she has made presentations on human rights issues for Portage College.

“I said it isn’t good enough for me to go there and speak at their public legal education program and then go home and that be the end of it,” said Venne.

The result was a two-day multi-agency partnership presentation in St. Paul on justice, opened to the community, and included presentations by Venne, Purvis, victims’ services, and the RCMP. Venne was pleased with the outcome as was Purvis.

“When ASIRT becomes involved in one of our critical incidences usually something bad has happened. So every time we’re able to get out ahead of that and tell people in the community … it creates confidence if they’ve heard the story of what ASIRT does,” said Purvis.

Venne is hoping to have more conferences like this across the province. She added that the changes have been a “positive first step.”