OPCC rejects proposed discipline for officer who pushed disabled woman to the ground
For Immediate Release
Nov. 13, 2013
Vancouver - Pivot Legal Society is commending the Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner (OPCC) for calling a public hearing into the case of Taylor Robinson, the Vancouver Police Department officer who pushed Sandy Davidsen to the ground in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Pivot lawyer Douglas King is available for comment on the matter. Pivot represents Ms. Davidsen, and asked for a public hearing to be called last week, upon learning that the VPD was proposing a two day suspension as punishment for Cst. Robinson. Today, the OPCC announced that they are rejecting that proposed discipline by the VPD for Cst. Robinson, and calling a public hearing into the matter.
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The case, which centres on an incident that was caught on video in 2010 and posted to YouTube, has taken over three years to reach this point. While Pivot is happy that it is finally going to a public hearing, the delay has definitely taken its toll on Ms. Davidsen.
"The OPCC needs to be given the power to call a public hearing earlier in the discipline process, and there needs to be real consequences when a department stalls or takes far too long to act on discipline proceedings. Three years is just unacceptable." stated Douglas King, staff lawyer and head of Pivot's policing campaign.
Initially, the VPD had proposed a one day suspension for Cst. Robinson, which was rejected by the OPCC and sent back to the VPD. Two weeks ago, the VPD submitted another report, this time proposing two days suspension instead.
"The discipline proposed by the VPD is a total insult, and the final report utterly failed to address many of the issues that arose during the course of the investigation" stated King. "We are hopeful that a public hearing will bring to light some of the extreme errors that occurred in this case, and prove once and for all that police should not be allowed to investigate themselves."
Media Contact: Douglas King (778) 898-6349, [email protected]
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