Transit officer lied about beating, Taser use: report
Posted December 13, 2013 4:29 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – A report released by the BC Police Complaints Commissioner has concluded a transit officer lied several times involving a confrontation where a man was beaten and jolted with a Taser.
The report, by an independent adjudicator, says Const. Ken Jansen of the South Coast BC Transportation Authority made false and misleading statements after the man was subdued at a Surrey hospital in April 2010.
Jansen wasn’t on duty that night, but was waiting for RCMP Const. Mitch Spears, who had arrested a man under the Mental Health Act and was about to hand him over to hospital staff.
The report says that when the man began punching the Mountie, Jansen jumped in to help overpower the patient and that’s when a Taser was used on the man.
After an investigation by police, Jansen was accused of abuse of authority, discreditable conduct and deceit for using unnecessary force and then lying about it later to investigators.
Adjudicator Carole Lazar determined that the accusations of discreditable conduct and abuse of authority were unsubstantiated, but she ruled there was enough evidence to find the officer made false or misleading statements about the confrontation.
