A rebuke from Thunder Bay Police Association to the Nishnawbe Aski Nation, in NAN’s reaction to a video showing a local police officer allegedly slapping a 17-year old girl.
In a news release, the Association says it’s deeply offended by comments from NAN Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler, who stated “We are outraged by the actions of the officer in the video. We don’t know all the details, but there is no justification for such violence of a defenseless youth.”
The Association adds it’s also outraged by the incident, but is confident the officer in question will be vindicated.
The Association accuses Chief Fiddler of trying to drive a wedge between the community and the police, and rushes to judge and accuse the police of wrong-doing, when in his own words he stated “We don’t know all the details that led to this incident”.
Thunder Bay Police Association adds it stands by the officer in question, who is currently off work and seeking pre-cautionary medical assistance.
The statement adds it stands by its members in uniform, who daily struggle with high call volumes, violent crime, lack of funding, low morale and low will power.
Furthermore, it states the incident in this video is not isolated. Police officers constantly deal with individuals showing increased violence, aggressive attitudes and lack of respect towards all police and first responders.