Edmonton Police Watch

EDMONTON SUN

A judge heading a fatality inquiry into the death of an Edmonton man who was shot by police has made no recommendations.

Daniel Lippa was killed March 11, 2005, after police responded to a frantic 911 call from his estranged wife.

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EDMONTON SUN

A criminal probe into allegations Edmonton police dropped off homeless people in a north-end neighbourhood is being referred to Alberta Justice.

The 12-month investigation by the RCMP and Edmonton commercial crime section has been completed and was forwarded Thursday to Alberta Justice’s special prosecutions branch in Calgary for a review of the evidence.

There is no word if charges are being contemplated at this time.

The allegations stem from complaints going back to May 20, 2005, when officers allegedly let a group of nine people out of a police van near 127 Avenue and 80 Street after they had been picked up on Whyte Avenue for public drunkenness.

It’s alleged the nine aboriginal people were in the van – meant to hold six – for about two hours.

It is also alleged it was hot in the van and officers were mocking the prisoners. According to Environment Canada, the high temperature that day was 19.3 C.

The investigation also looked into a similar incident that occurred in October 2006.

The RCMP began their investigation in February 2007. They are now awaiting the results of the Alberta Justice review.

EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – A 55-second phone call that took place four years ago – and was mostly forgotten until this morning – was reason enough for Supt. Mark Logar to step down as judge of a police disciplinary hearing.

“For the sake of the integrity of the process, I need to step away,” Logar said at a misconduct hearing for Det. James Elkow.

“You simply cannot be a witness and preside at the same time. … The issue itself is clear. We need to be concerned about the integrity and credibility of the process.”

Elkow faces one internal charge of unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority in connection to a March 1, 2004 incident.

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EDMONTON/630 CHED

There’s been a major change in the way Edmonton police works with pawn shops.

In a ruling released this afternoon, the Information and Privacy Commissioner has ordered the City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Police Service to stop the collection of information from Pawnshops and Second Hand Stores.

City council in 2005, required pawnshops and second hand stores to upload information collected by clients to a database maintained by a private company under contract with the City of Edmonton.

That immediately stops, and Information and Privacy Commissioner Frank Work has also ordered that the data base be destroyed.

Mayor Stephen Mandel says the city will go along with the ruling …

“What ever we’ve been obligated to do we’ll do. Our administration will give us a report back on the ramifications are, but at this point in time I’ve heard there’s been a decision that came down and we’ll have to abide by those decisions.”

It’s a big hit in ward three, where Councilor Ed Gibbons can’t believe there’s something wrong with collecting info on a computer …

“So we’ll be going back to manual? That’s a pre-historic era. My that’s absolutely unreal”

The city has fifty days to consider an appeal.

City manager Al Maurer says the city will use that time to “correct the actions and we’ll do that”. (sj, ccg)

EDMONTON JOURNAL

EDMONTON – There was no “causal” connection between a 33-year-old man being Tasered on Christmas Eve two years ago and dying soon after, an inquiry judge has ruled.

On Dec. 24, 2005, Alessandro Fiacco was seen and heard thrashing and screaming in the streets of McKernan neighbourhood, complaining of bugs and snakes crawling over his skin.

One of two Edmonton police officers who arrived on the scene shot Fiacco shot three times with a Taser in 17 seconds. Nearly half an hour later, when Fiacco was in an ambulance on the way to the University of Alberta Hospital, he went into cardiac arrest and died.

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EDMONTON JOURNAL

A civil suit against a veteran police officer involved in a fiery fatal crash on Yellowhead Trail in 2001 has been settled out of court.

The horrific crash between a police car driven by Const. Ken Brander and a Ford Tempo killed Giovanni Aleman, 7, and seriously burned his younger brother, Jonathan.

The details of the settlement are confidential. But a statement of claim filed in 2001 by Edmonton lawyer Melanie Watson on behalf of Jonathan and his mother, Gloria Ramirez, was seeking $5 million on behalf of the boy, and $200,000 for Ramirez, along with what other costs the court awarded.

The Ramirez family is expected to comment Wednesday.

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