CALGARY — The Calgary Police Service has apologized following an inquiry’s conclusion that the force did not properly investigate the actions of two constables who arrested a man during a traffic stop.
Alberta’s Law Enforcement Review Board says the police review into concerns about Les Kaminski and Brant Derrick was informal, not organized and poorly documented.
The two were charged in 2008 after video surfaced showing Jason Arkinstall being hit and thrown into the back of a police van.
Arkinstall allegedly threatened to kill one of the officers, but he was acquitted after a trial judge found that evidence and testimony from Kaminski and Derrick was not credible or reliable.
Derrick was eventually acquitted of assault and charges against Kaminski of perjury and assault with a weapon were dropped.
Kaminski is now president of the 2,200-member Calgary Police Association.
The Law Enforcement Review Board’s report released Monday said there was no evidence the Calgary Police Service deliberately tried to “avoid, impede, frustrate or interfere with the disciplinary process.”
But it did say the service “did not diligently investigate the court’s serious concerns, which were clearly stated.”
It said the police review “was not organized, with no one clearly in charge, and it was poorly documented.”
The Calgary Police Service said in a statement that the shortcomings were not intentional, but “we clearly fell short of the public’s expectations … with how we investigated and addressed our members’ conduct in this case.
“This was a failure of the service as a whole, and for that, we are sorry.”
The review board made a number of recommendations and the police service said it is working to improve its policies and procedures.
