Stop in ‘no way’ racial profiling: constable
Second officer involved in incident with Green tells disciplinary hearing city councillor’s behaviour ‘seemed off’
A constable who saw a fellow police officer stop his cruiser to speak with Coun. Matthew Green says the elected official was aggressive and “yelling the entire time” he was being questioned.
But Const. Derrick Thomson insisted his colleague’s decision to stop to talk to Green, who is black, was in “no way” racial profiling.
Thomson was testifying Friday at Const. Andrew Pfeifer’s disciplinary hearing. Pfeifer faces a discreditable conduct charge in connection with Green’s complaint about the stop at Victoria Avenue South and Stinson Street on April 26, 2016.
Thomson said he also stopped his cruiser to check on the Ward 3 councillor’s well-being. As he drove up the street, he saw that “something seemed off ” in Green’s behaviour.
Green has testified he was “humiliated” by the encounter.
The councillor said he was waiting for the bus across the street from the stop to get out of the wind. Green says two cruisers stopped and Pfeifer began to question him.
Green said he was taken aback by the officer’s questions and aggression, which, he alleges, only changed after the officer realized he was a city councillor.
On Friday, Thomson testified it was Green who was aggressive when the two constables stopped.
Thomson said he, like his partner, wanted to check on Green, believing he might be in distress or thinking of jumping into traffic.
“I’ve never seen anyone standing there (in that spot) … It looked weird to me. I wondered if he was OK,” he testified, adding there are many mental health-related issues on Victoria Avenue.
Thomson said he heard Pfeifer ask Green how he was doing and the councillor replied, “I’m fine. The question is, are you OK?”
When Pfeifer asked what Green was doing, Thomson said, Green replied: “What, I’m not allowed to stand here? I’m waiting for the bus.”
Thomson said Green “was angry. He was escalating the situation, I thought.”
Thomson testified earlier that he has family members and friends who are black — and if he felt a co-worker was racial profiling, he would report him.
The highly tense atmosphere during this week’s hearing continued Friday — with raised voices, snide comments and numerous objections from the lawyers.
Thomson was asked to step out five times during his four-hour testimony so lawyers could argue objections.
He was the last witness in the hearing, which began Monday at the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Hamilton. It’s scheduled to resume Nov. 16 for closing arguments.
After the day’s testimony, Green called the Police Services Act hearing an “extremely adversarial process that pits residents against front-line officers.”
Green said he’s fortunate to have a lawyer because not everyone can afford one; he’d like a system that provides citizens with legal representation in such matters.
Friday’s testimony showed there are gaps in police training for dealing with Hamilton’s diverse communities, he added.
Green said he is overwhelmed by the support he has received from the community and the number of people who came to the hearing to show it.