Police chief apologizes to Windsor's Islamic community
Officers offended and embarrassed Muslim families during arrests
Windsor, Ont.'s chief of police has publicly apologized to the city's Islamic community after officers who arrested two Muslim men suspected of involvement in a radical Islamist group offended and embarrassed the men's families in the process.
"We're looking at what we can do differently, what we would do differently here, and that's going to take us a little while longer," Chief Gary Smith told a news conference on Thursday.
His comments relate to an incident on Oct. 30 during which Windsor police assisted the RCMP in arresting Yassir Ali Khan, 30, and Mohammad Al-Sahli, 33. The two were wanted by the the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation on charges of conspiracy to commit federal crimes.
During that arrest, the wife of one of the suspects was patted down by a male officer.
"One of the things we'll be looking at is: how do we bring female officers that aren't tactically trained inside a centre of a perimeter, and should we have done it this time, could we have done it better?" Smith said.
Reading from a statement, Smith said it "was never the intention for Windsor police to offend or embarrass the families or our Islamic community."
"The actions taken did cause embarrassment and did offend their religious beliefs," Smith added. "I sincerely apologize to the families and the Islamic community."
Khan and Al-Sahli were co-operative during their arrests, as were their families, Smith said.
But according to their lawyer, Patrick Ducharme, officers showed up with guns drawn in the presence of "terrified children" outside at least one of the homes where the men were arrested.
"In the course of the arrest, officers on the scene had interaction with the families of both men," Smith said. "It is this interaction that raised concerns among the family members and the Islamic community about the cultural sensitivity of Windsor police officers."
Officers had received sensitivity training in 2007 in the form of about 12 panel discussions involving representatives of different cultural backgrounds, according to spokesman Sgt. Brett Corey. But the training "was too generic and a more thorough presentation" to officers is needed, Smith said.
New training is being scheduled, Smith said, and will be given by Murad Aktas of the Windsor Islamic Association, which represents about 25,000 Muslims in Windsor and Essex County.
Aktas could not be reached for comment.
Ed Parent, president of the Windsor Police Association, objected to Smith's apology, saying that proper procedures were followed during the arrests.#
i was passing by that spot today on cherry hill; i was taking a stroll with my cat. i had a piece of raw red meat in my hand, disguised in a nice patty-type snack food, mixed with cracked wheat and spices, but it was raw meat none-the-less. i sprinkled some raw salt on it, and followed each bite with a bite of raw green onions that my mother had washed for me earlier. if you do not understand the significance of this, then your very non-understanding is significant, and desired.
ReplyDeletebe very careful shlooloo. they have bugged your cat.
ReplyDeleteOkay...so is this 'shooloo' on acid left over from Woodstock? I infer that this passage is meant to be an insult of some kind, but of what kind?
ReplyDeleteI think shlooloo is misunderstood. He is just searching for significance beyond his mommy's homemade kibbie and fresh veggies.
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