CALGARY – The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT) is investigating two officer-involved shootings in Calgary. The first ended in the death of a 27-year-old man who was reportedly wielding a needle on Monday; the second involved a man who police say was armed with a metal pipe on Saturday.
ASIRT is made up of civilian investigators and others from various Alberta police agencies, but some are questioning the team’s objectivity.
It’s a question Jason Harron, who was blinded by a police-fired bullet nearly two years ago, asks himself frequently.
“Cops investigating cops,” said Harron. “How is that fair?… I don’t have faith in the police system at all. To serve and protect who? Themselves?”
Harron, now 39, was behind the wheel of an SUV parked outside a bank when he was approached by police on May 14, 2013. He attempted to flee, struck the police car and drove up on the sidewalk, hitting two senior citizens. He ran over one of them twice and in an effort to stop him, an officer fired a gun that hit Harron in the face.
“What’s the worst thing that could happen to anybody really? Lose your eyesight,” said Harron.
ASIRT found the officer’s actions justified.
In the last two years, ASIRT cleared officers of wrongdoing in 19 out of 21 investigations. Among the cases where officers actions were justified included shootings and use of force during arrests. The two cases in which officers faced charges were motor vehicle collisions.
ASIRT has always publicly maintained they independently, effectively and objectively conduct investigations.
“What does the public think if they know they are all police officers who are involved in investigations of other police officers?” asks Tom Engel, of the Criminal Trial Lawyers Association. “The public has the right to ask: ‘Well, why isn’t there a civilian overseeing this?”
A Global News request for an interview to discuss the process and methods used by ASIRT to critically investigate these incidents was not granted Tuesday.
With files from Erika Tucker
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