Public hearing to be held into case of Vancouver officer who pushed a disabled woman

The Office of the Police Complaints Commissioner, (OPCC), is calling for a public hearing into the case of Cst. Taylor Robinson.

Robinson is a Vancouver Police officer who in 2010, pushed a disabled woman to the ground in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. The whole incident was captured on video.

Sandy Davidsen, who has cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis, was walking past three officers when Robinson shoved her.

Robinson initially claimed Davidsen was grabbing at his gun.

Vancouver Police gave the officer a one-day suspension, but the Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner ruled that wasn’t enough. Then a two-day suspension was considered.

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However, the OPCC has now called for a public hearing.

Pivot Legal Society says the fact that this took three years to get to a public hearing has definitely taken its toll on Davidsen.

“The OPCC needs to be given the power to call a public hearing earlier in the discipline process, and there needs to be real consequences when a department stalls or takes far too long to act on discipline proceedings. Three years is just unacceptable,” says Douglas King, staff lawyer and head of Pivot’s policing campaign. 

“The discipline proposed by the VPD is a total insult, and the final report utterly failed to address many of the issues that arose during the course of the investigation.”

“We are hopeful that a public hearing will bring to light some of the extreme errors that occurred in this case, and prove once and for all that police should not be allowed to investigate themselves.”