Police "Have a Bad Day"

I know the police have a job that can be miserable. I know they have to deal with rough customers who are pretty creepy and slimy. But it doesn't justify pouncing on somebody and beating the crap out of them. Here is a bit from an Edmonton Journal article along with the video so you can see for yourself:

An RCMP officer who beat a man in custody at the Lac La Biche RCMP detachment last year has pleaded guilty to assault in provincial court where a video of the incident was shown.

The video shows Const. Desmond Sandboe lunging across a hallway toward Andrew Clyburn after the man appears to say something to the officer. Clyburn is smashed against a wall, taken to the ground and punched repeatedly in an assault that lasts approximately 40 seconds and leaves the floor smeared with fluid.

...

Clyburn was taken to the local RCMP detachment around 3:15 a.m. and put into a cell. Around 7:15 a.m. Clyburn was taken out of his cell and escorted into a hallway area. Sandboe had just started his shift.

The video shows Clyburn, who is not wearing shoes, getting ready to put on a sweatshirt when the assault occurs. Clyburn appears to say something to the officer, although there is no audio in the recording. That’s when the officer lunges at Clyburn from across the hallway, smashing him twice against the wall and punching him repeatedly as he takes Clyburn to the ground.

The officer continues to punch Clyburn, while the man raises his hands to protect his face. He punches Clyburn at least 10 times, while the pair struggle and move along the ground of the hallway.

The assault lasts approximately 40 seconds and two other officers can be seen watching the incident. The video then shows Clyburn being hauled to his feet and taken back down the hallway. The video shows the previously clean floor smeared with fluid.

Here's the police video (ignore the 15 second commercial that preceeds the video):



Police don't have a "free pass" to brutalize people. This police officer needs to be arrested and jailed. He is a criminal. He is no better than the people he is supposed to be policing!

The needs to be an independent organization with the mandate to "police the police". There are far too many stories in Canada of the police getting away with this kind of violence because the police get to investigate themselves... and surprise! the police look at this video and say "no crime here, the guy deserved what he got". Nonsense! The guy was drunk, he's a jerk, he is violent, but it doesn't mean the police get a free pass to beat the shit out of him for their own pleasure.