POLICING REFORM IS NEEDED

The violent arrest of a 26-year-old woman in downtown Montreal last November is disturbing for a number of reasons. First, the fact that Majiza Philip was left with a badly broken arm that required surgery to repair suggests that — if the injury was indeed inflicted by police — the arresting officer’s use of force was beyond what should be considered reasonable. Even if Philip did, as police allege, become violent as she tried to deliver a jacket to her friend (who was being issued a ticket), officers are trained to subdue suspects without hurting them so severely.

Philip is black, and her accusation of racial discrimination on the part of the officers at the scene must also be taken seriously and investigated.

And then there are the alleged administrative errors. An arrest warrant was issued for Philip after she failed to appear in court on charges of obstructing justice, resisting arrest and assault, but she says she was never informed of it, nor did she receive the documents that initially outlined where and when she needed to come before a judge.

But while all of these elements are cause for concern, perhaps the most unsettling aspect of this story is the enormous disparity between Philip’s recollections of what happened that night and the version of events offered by police in their official report. According to Philip, she simply wanted to hand her friend a coat and did nothing more offensive than tapping on the window of the cruiser to inform the friend that she had the article of clothing in hand. After her arm was broken in the ensuing scuffle, she says, she

This case clearly underscores the need for better monitoring of interactions between Montreal’s police officers and citizens.

complained of the pain and alleges the officers laughed in response. Those officers, in official court documents, claim Philip was drunk, belligerent and violent with them from the start, that she refused a lawyer and that she didn’t mention any pain until they reached the station.

Regardless of which version one chooses to believe, this case clearly underscores the need for better monitoring of interactions between Montreal’s police officers and citizens.

Bystanders have captured a number of incidents involving police brutality on cellphones in recent years, and while they are often grainy and incomplete, they have frequently offered indisputable proof of misconduct. Videos can also serve to exonerate an officer, however, which is why police body cameras are such a useful tool.

A special committee is currently looking into the possibility of introducing them across Quebec (with the proper legal and ethical protocols in place), and a pilot project is already underway in Toronto. Hopefully, the era where suspects and police have only their word to attest to what really happened is coming to an end.

Beyond this, there is also a pressing need to change how allegations of misconduct are handled. Philip has filed a formal complaint with the police ethics commissioner, but it could be months before the case is even heard. Meanwhile, a civilian oversight board, which would investigate incidents where a suspect has been seriously injured or dies, is still being pieced together more than two years after it was first announced. For now, police continue to investigate police in Quebec.

Cases like Philip’s can easily erode public confidence in law enforcement. Until changes are made to improve accountability, they will remain all too common.