Doctor alleges police brutality
A doctor in TMR claims that after a brief exchange with a police public security officer over a ticket, police officers came to his home, threw him to the floor and cuffed him, and shoved his wife, all in view of his two young daughters. The couple now face charges connected with resisting police.
I don’t love the police, but I can’t help wondering what’s been omitted from this story.
walkerp 07:20 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
I didn’t wonder before checking the link and now seeing that he has a middle eastern name, I don’t wonder at all. I’m sure one of the cops felt “dissed” and brought his little gang to teach the immigrant a lesson in respect. They are a gang with the authority of the state behind them. Just disgusting and actually quite frightening.
GC 08:19 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Three cars for a parking violation does sound like a gang. Also, Kate, was the initial exchange with a police officer? The radio this morning said “security” and the linked article says “TMR public security officer”. I actually don’t know what the latter is, but I’m guessing it’s different from a police officer. I’d be interested in hearing from that officer and if he was even truly threatened.
dhomas 08:33 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
TMR Public Security are NOT police officers. They are basically a neighbourhood watch on steroids that is sanctioned by the city and has a direct line to the police. In my experience, they are
wannabe cops on a power trip.
https://www.ville.mont-royal.qc.ca/en/services-residents/safety-and-security/public-security-services
walkerp 08:35 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Yep and sounds like he has some actual buddies on the force. TMR administration needs to go after this guy. Can’t do anything about the real police of course, but at least this guy can get a wrist slap, maybe lose his job.
Tim S. 08:35 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
We only have one side of the story, and it’s from a guy who admits to illegally parking outside a school and refusing to move when ordered to. Having seen some of the crazy stuff that goes on near my kids’ schools, I take this seriously.
I don’t know about TMR, but in Westmount the PSOs – who deal with parking and so on – are very big on de-escalation, being unarmed and all. If you get into an argument with them, it’s because you’re being a jerk. Maybe TMR is different, as per dhomas.
So yeah, we know all about the SPVM, but I need more before throwing stones.
Also, what’s up with people believing that you can park wherever you want if you have your flashers on?
walkerp 09:06 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Even if he was totally in the wrong and belligerent about not moving his car, there is zero justification for entering his home and physically and psychologically assaulting his family members.
Meezly 09:08 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
The issue isn’t about whether the doctor was in the wrong or not (he was), but the excessive use of force by police by barging into his home and physically assaulting him and his wife in front of their children… for an infraction.
I think if you refuse to move a car after being ticketed, you can be fined further, or get demerits, but not having 3 police cars show up, throw you down on the floor and cuff you.
steph 09:17 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Towing was not an option?
Meezly 09:20 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
He was picking up his kid from school. Would’ve been gone by the time the tow truck came.
qatzelok 10:33 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
People who drive right up to schools and park wherever they want… really don’t show any concern for anyone else. This kind of daily car shuffle puts children’s lives at risk.
Uatu 10:35 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
If anything the public security officers behavior opens up TMR security to get sued into the stone age
dhomas 11:46 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Granted, my experience with TMR Public Security was from the 90’s when I had some friends from high school who lived there. Things may have changed since then.
I have more recent experience with Westmount public security (late 2000’s early 2010’s). I was visiting my cousin who lives there and driving a 90’s model Toyota Tercel. Public security stopped me to ask what business I had in the area. I’m quite certain they stopped me because I was driving a “poor person’s car”, which did not fit in with all the Jaguars, Porsches, and whatnot more common to the area.
Blork 12:13 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
OTOH, I lived briefly in Westmount (1999-2000), and at the time I had a Jetta that was so beat up it likely devalued the surrounding property values just by being seen parked in the street. One night I accidentally parked in a no-parking zone (it was temporarily no parking because of some planned sidewalk repairs, but the sign was badly indicated). So around 9:00PM I get a phone call from Westmount Public Security telling me that I was parked in a spot marked for road work and would I please come move it so they wouldn’t have to give me a ticket. #thegoodolddays
Tee Owe 13:22 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
I had a similar experience to Blork, in 1996, got a parking ticket outside my newly-rented apartment, complained, was invited to discuss, got a patient explanation of parking rules in Westmount and then the ticket was torn up. Welcome to Westmount!
BTW I totally agree with Meezly, no matter how rude or offensive somebody was about a parking infraction, a home invasion and arrest in front of family is totally inappropriate.
John B 14:33 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
Well, the article says he’s charged with threatening a public safety officer which probably means there was an arrest warrant, which would be why the officers entered the home.
They probably could have arrested him more gently, but, to give them the benefit of the doubt, who knows what they had been told about his earlier behaviour or the nature of the “threats.”
If the doctor is telling the truth, then either the public safety officer lied to the police, (which is a crime), or someone in the police force decided to way overstep their bounds.
On the other hand if the doctor said something like “go ahead, call a tow truck & I’ll have your job” or “& you’ll pay” that’s a threat, and if all the police had to go on was “a man residing at X address threatened a public safety officer” I can see how they would go in with force, even if a more modern, compassionate, method might be to try a softer approach.
Tim S. 14:57 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
I’m really struggling to understand what the PSO, an unarmed public security officer, is supposed to have done wrong. He asked an illegally parked vehicle to move, the driver, by his own account, refused, and so the PSO filed a report which was escalated to the actual SPVM.
If we want less violent policing, it means having more people like the PSOs, but they also need to be protected and supported, hence the police intervention.
GC 15:25 on 2021-10-22 Permalink
If he said “I’ll have your job”, is that really a threat? It makes the doctor an asshole, for sure, but it seems like a pretty empty threat if one at all. A threat of violence would be a very different thing.
And _was_ there an actual arrest warrant? The doctor says he asked and the cops did not produce any warrant. Could the doctor be lying? Sure. Is it possible they had one but wouldn’t show him because he was being abusive or something? Sure. If Razaghi is telling the truth, though, a bunch of cops did show up like a gang just because they didn’t like what someone said to one of their buddies. Would be interesting to hear the police side of this story, but I guess we won’t get that until the trial.