Sainte-Foy, April 22, 1997

M. Serge Joseph Adrien Bourassa-Lacombe

103, rue Crescent, app105

LENNOXVILLE (Quebec) J1M 2G3

 

 

REF/N. :

97-0264

 

Dear Sir,

 

The present one follows upon our letter of April 16, 1997.

We acknowledge receipt of your writing of April 5, 1997 reporting the control of the agents Hervé Fortier, number 4563, and Jacques Quinn, number 4516, members of the Sûreté du Quebec.

After having examined the pled facts, we are of the opinion that the behaviour of an necessary investigation is not had regard to the circumstances and, in accordance to the powers which confers to us the article 65 of the Law on the police organization, we refuse to hold it for the following reasons:

in his writing that we received on April 11, 1997, Mr Serge Joseph Adrien Bourassa-Lacombe tells this part of the day of March 21, 1997, where he went to the national Assembly to attend a parliamentary debate.

With its departure, he was challenged by the agent Herve Fortier which invited him to its office and where he introduced his fellow-member Jacques Quin to him. The plaintiff says that he accepted the invitation of the Fortier agent and that he lent itself readily to the maintenance which followed, during which he was informed that he was not in a state of arrest.

On his side, the plaintiff had the occasion to explain inter alia the raison of being of the foundation which bears its name: «... to stop physical and/or mental torture in the medical field in addition to convincing the good police to stop the bad one, good education to stop the bad one and good medicine to stop the bad one...»

The complaint of Mr Bourassa-Lacombe is with the effect that one of the two police officers would have telephoned his father, little after this day of March 21, 1997, to require of him «if he had known me mental sick for two years» the plaintiff pleads that they misused him, he asks «public excuses» as well as a «flat-rate amount» being versed to the foundation which bears its name, «in order to bring closer the good police towards the good citizen...»

on the question of the payment of a flat-rate amount to Serge Bourassa-Lacombe's Fondation, it is part of the complaint for which the Commissioner does not have any jurisdiction. A complaint by way of compensation comes under the civil field;

for the remainder, we want in no manner of offending Mr Bourassa-Lacombe or of causing some injury to him that it is, but surely that he will know that its character does not pass unperceived, as well by its appearance as by its remarks, which is not badly in oneself.

In addition, for the police officers who are responsible for the security of the national Assembly, Mr Bourassa-Lacombe is a person which can represent a certain interest, at least to require a minimum of checks. If it is exact that they communicated with the family of the plaintiff, this step was fully justified, with the reason for the public interest.

We understand that the plaintiff could be upset by this phone call made to his father, but it seems to us in the circumstances that the police officers showed understanding in their behaviour.

You have the right to make revise this decision by the Committee of police deontology. If you want to exert this right, you will have to deposit, in the 15 days of the notification of this decision, a written declaration containing an explanation called upon with the support of your request for revision to the following address:

Le Greffe

Comité de déontologie policière

Édifice SSQ - Tour Saint-Laurent

2525, boul. Laurier, bureau A-200, 2e étage

Sainte-Foy (Quebec) G1V 4Z6

Fax: 418-528-0987

This 15 days deadline is required, i.e. the Committee must have received your request at the latest the 15th day following the reception by you of the decision of the Commissioner.

 

Sincerely yours

 

 

The assistant commissioner,