ANGRY FEMALE BICYCLIST BEATS UP ON THE WINNIPEG POLICE SERVICE AND TAKES ON LERA IN HIT AND RUN CASE.
http://Mediafilter.org/guest/Pages/April.11.2000.01.14.16
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http://Mediafilter.org/guest/Pages/April.11.2000.01.14.16
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An angry female bicycle rider has come a step closer to her goal against the Winnipeg
Police Service and officer after a Manitoba Provincial Court Judge ordered a new
review by the Law Enforcement Review Agency, Manitoba Justice, Province of
Manitoba, Canada of her complaint against the Winnipeg Police Service.
Bonnie Caldwell will meet next week with civil servants from LERA to again
discuss her 4 year old complaint, which was dismissed (typically) by the toothless
police watchdog group?
The 49 year old lady said publicly that she was representative of the "average
fed up citizen", of Winnipeg and Manitoba when she acted as her own lawyer to
plead for a new review before a provincial court judge last fall.
Now she hopes LERA will take a better look at her complaint which stems
from a 1995 hit and run accident while riding her bicycle carefully down the street.
Following the incident in which she was not injured, but could have been seriously,
she gave police the license plate number of the auto that hit her along with an
excellent description of a young driver in it.
She indicated that police issued a traffic violation ticket to the owner of the car
that turned out to be the culprits father, a local prominent lawyer, who proceeded to
pass the ticket along to his son, the driver. Unknowingly (no one told Caldwell) the
case against the lawyer's son was subsequently "thrown out" because the Winnipeg
Police Service officer claimed Caldwell only gave a vague description of the driver
and wouldn't be able to properly identify the driver in court (here we go again
Winnipeg Police Service). Caldwell called that a lie and filed a complaint with LERA
claiming the police officer knowingly altered her statement to police so the case would
fall apart!
To top that off the Crown (Manitoba Justice) never told her if or when she
was supposed to appear in court and she found that the ticket was torn up two
months after the fact and no one told her anything about it or its disposition! After
months of waiting Caldwell was informed by the former LERA commissioner Norm
Ralph her complaint would not be pursued by LERA because the Winnipeg Police
Service officer was interviewed and insisted nothing wrong was done in any case.
Caldwell was never notified in writing of the LERA decision (decision done in
camera it seems to protect the accused) until the new incoming commissioner George
Wright came across her case. Caldwell's anger intensified and she argued her case
with Wright, who also summarily dismissed her case. In anger she took her case to
court last fall as a citizen has the right to go before a judge, who heard argument and
agreed LERA should re-investigate her complaint!
Caldwell claims now and believes the Manitoba Justice System "has it out"
for her because she often phoned police prior to the accident to complain about
Winnipeg's generally reckless drivers infringing on her rights as a bicycle rider where
in law she has the same rights and responsibilities as a auto or truck driver, and
where were the police in dealing with this?
What this story again demonstrates the hick town attitude of this city, the
media, government and the police in dealing with or reporting valid complaints of the
ordinary citizen. Was this situation seems to be of one of where it is not of what you
know but who you know and the cop and system was dealing with the son of a lawyer
from Winnipeg's once vaunted legal community therefore that is the way the police
bent the case. Currying favor is nothing new between these camps.
It took 4 years of no information, in the media, miss-information and lack of
information to get to a new review stage with LERA. Should Caldwell trust the
system again or LERA again under these circumstances? Watchers say generally no.
LERA will do a better job of listening and white washing and Caldwell's memory will
grow dim with age as the lawyers son, the driver that hit her get older and mature
with changes in features that will make identification even harder for her. Should she
pursue the case, the answer is an overwhelming yes. Far too much wrong has been
happening in this city and citizens need to take stands in corruption to get a change
they pay tax dollars for. That is the name of the game in this hick town, lie, stonewall
and delay and hopefully they will go away! That has been largely successful but
clearly people are getting fed up! Fed up with Manitoba Government Agencies that
have legislation supposedly to give citizens justice but loaded in fact to defeat the
effort showing that they are little more than high paid window dressing surrounded
by worthless legislation that serves to protect others from citizens and not serve them!
As far as the Winnipeg Police Service, what the article has to say is par for the course
of a police culture that carries on like a wild west show, that tries to excel at covering
up and media charades when mired in a cesspool they had a great hand in making!
As for Winnipeg's media, where were you for the past number of years or is it a matter of fact most news agencies got rid of their reporting staff to fatten their bottom line relying on the wire service for news from Siberia to satisfy the local need to know?
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Hello, Oh yes do I know this story, I have had a similar incident, and the officer that treated me in a rude and unprofessional manner, and his partner,denied any wrongdoing out and out lied about a statement he said to me, and said it didn't happen. I emailed the mayor, the chief, and my community councellor. So far the chief's assistant emailed me back, to pass the buck back to Lera. There needs to be more and more attention put on the fact that we the public are not being served, from the law enforcement officer's who say they serve us. We the public need to be assured that when we have a complaint, against an officer that it will be handled with a full throttle investigation, not just passing the buck. If you want to hear my story email me and I will be glad to share it with you.
your an idiot
i have to say that i take my hat off to this lady to take a stand aginst the wpg police severs or should i say the bigest gang and crimals in canada the winnipeg police thay lie thay cheat thay beat up poeple and thay lie in court and the poeple how are getting hert are the taxs payers it time the the manatoba poeple thing about the feuter and that is not the police thank you for having this page it about time that winnipeg poeple find out the the police are crooked