Edmonton Police Watch

EDMONTON — A disciplinary hearing for an Edmonton police officer accused of using unnecessary force on a youth while trying to help a neighbour confronting a group of teenagers who broke into his vehicle started Wednesday.

Const. Kurt Puhlmann is accused of four counts of unlawful or unnecessary exercise of authority in connection with the Oct. 7, 2004 incident.

He is accused of pushing the 15-year-old complainant to the ground, slapping him with an open hand causing the skin to break and bleed, using excessive force on the youth’s neck and throat area while he was in the back of a police cruiser, and slamming the back door on youth’s right leg.

The hearing heard from the neighbour who said he was awakened around 11:30 p.m. on Oct. 7 to find a group of teenagers inside his parked van. Armed with a toy baseball bat, the man said he chased the teens off, but they later returned supposedly to retrieve a baseball cap one of them dropped.

Daniel St. Martin said one of the youths was kicking and banging on his front door while his frightened wife was inside calling 911.

Puhlmann, who lived a couple of doors down, showed up and identified himself as a police officer to the youths who left after a verbal exchange. While one of the youths was walking away, he turned and told him: “I’m going to come back and Molotov cocktail your house,” St. Martin said.

A friend of the teenaged complainant told the hearing they had been at a house party in the neighbourhood and were walking home when they spotted a light on in a van parked in the back alley and got in. They were chased off by the homeowner, but decided to go back to get a baseball cap one of them had dropped.

The friend said they were at the front door where his friend was kicking and banging on the door, demanding the hat back. When no one answered the door, they decided to leave and that’s when Puhlman, wearing pyjamas and a housecoat, showed up and identified himself as a police officer.

The friend said he saw Puhlmann slap the complainant who was being belligerant with him. The officer then poured out a bottle of liquor which fell out of the youth’s coat.

More words were exchanged as uniformed police officers showed up. The mouthy youth was placed in the backseat of one cruiser with another of the group.

The friend said he was in the back seat of another cruiser with another of their friends. Although he didn’t have a clear view, he said he saw Pulhmann talking to the complainant through the open door and then reach in. The complainant gave a jolt and looked like he was in pain. Then Puhlmann closed the door which bounced back open.

The youth, now 19, said the complaintant looked like he was in a lot of pain.

All four were taken to the west division and later released into their parents’ custody, the friend said.

“We didn’t know until January that (the complainant) had been charged…we were in quite a bit of trouble with our parents. Some of us were grounded and we couldn’t hang out with each other,” he said.

The hearing continues.

via Disciplinary hearing for Edmonton cop begins today.