POLICE SERVICES ACT HEARING SET TO BEGIN FOR THUNDER BAY OFFICERS FOR STACY DEBUNGEE’S DEATH INVESTIGATION
-
Posted by Shelby Percival
- Posted in BlogsNews
May 27, 2022
Police Services Act proceedings against Staff Sergeant Harrison and Detective Whipple, two Thunder Bay Police Service officers involved in the shoddy investigation into the death of Stacy DeBungee, is scheduled to begin on Monday, May 30th, 2022, at the Prince Arthur hotel located at 17 Cumberland Street North in Thunder Bay. The matter will be live-streamed on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ThunderBayPolice/live.
The hearing is the culmination of an investigation into complaints of misconduct made by Stacy DeBungee’s brother, Brad DeBungee, and by then Chief of Rainy River First Nations, Jim Leonard. The Office of the Independent Police Review Director concluded in 2018 that there were reasonable grounds to believe that the officers had engaged in serious misconduct: neglect of duty, and discreditable conduct – specifically, discriminatory conduct relating to the fact that Stacy DeBungee was an Indigenous man.
This hearing represents the next step in Brad DeBungee’s quest for transparency and accountability in relation to his brother’s death, and the manner in which his death was disrespected by the Thunder Bay Police Service. We are encouraging community members to attend and show their support that Indigenous lives do in fact matter and deserve to be treated with the same level of respect that other members of the Thunder Bay community would receive.
Falconers LLP has the honour of representing Stacy DeBungee’s brother, Brad DeBungee, and Rainy River First Nations.
Related Posts on Adjudicator Lee Ferrier’s Decision and Related Hearing
https://falconers.ca/public-proceeding-of-the-thunder-bay-police-services-board-will-determine-whether-officers-involved-in-the-investigation-into-the-death-of-stacy-debungee-will-face-disciplinary-proceedings/ (February 5, 2021)
https://falconers.ca/adjudicator-reserves-decision-on-whether-thunder-bay-police-officers-will-get-a-pass-and-avoid-disciplinary-proceedings/ (February 11, 2021)
https://falconers.ca/adjudicator-rules-that-thunder-bay-officers-to-face-discipline-in-debungee-hearing/ (February 17, 2021)
Related Posts on the OIPRD Complaints and Findings (Individual Conduct and Systemic)
https://falconers.ca/casestudy/stacy-debungee/ (June 20, 2016)
https://falconers.ca/oiprd-outlines-broad-terms-reference-review-thunder-bay-police-service/ (November 3, 2016)
https://falconers.ca/cbcs-national-features-oiprds-damning-report-thunder-bay-polices-investigation-death-stacy-debungee/ (March 4, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/first-nations-leaders-call-thunder-bay-police-chiefs-resignation-wake-scathing-oiprd-report/ (March 5, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/oiprd-releases-its-report-on-systemic-racism-in-the-thunder-bay-police-service/ (December 12, 2018)
Related Posts on the Fight Against a Secret Hearings
https://falconers.ca/disciplinary-hearing-stacy-debungee-death-investigation-cancelled-thunder-bay-police-board-tbpb/ (April 6, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/chief-of-rainy-river-first-nations-speaks-out-against-secret-hearing/ (October 3, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/superior-court-judge-halts-secret-hearing/ (October 4, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/december-6-2018-cbcs-judicial-review-application-on-secret-debungee-police-service-act-hearing-heard-by-the-court-in-thunder-bay/ (December 7, 2018)
https://falconers.ca/first-nations-public-complainants-appeal-the-decision-of-the-divisional-court/ (January 22, 2019)
https://falconers.ca/falconers-llp-appears-at-court-of-appeal-on-behalf-of-first-nation-public-complainants/ (October 31, 2019)
https://falconers.ca/no-more-secret-hearings-court-of-appeal-for-ontario-affirms-importance-of-openness-in-police-board-hearings/ (December 27, 2019)
