Alberta's police watchdog cleared the Edmonton Police Service of any negligence after an intoxicated man died in its custody but questions have been raised about whether or not officers should have brought him to the hospital first.
Around 4 a.m., officers responded for a report of a man appearing to be under drugs and acting "agitated."
The unnamed 48-year-old man was taken to the southwest division station after officers recognized he had been involved in two other trespass calls earlier that day, ASIRT recounted in the report.
Officers assessed the man but did not notice any signs of medical distress, ASIRT said. While police considered the risk the man posed to himself, officers believed placing him in a cell "would be the safest place for him."
ASIRT later determined that the man had taken crystal meth before his interaction with police and that community peace officers performed proper health checks on him while he was in police custody.
Despite this, roughly three hours after being placed in a cell, the man died. An autopsy found he died of methamphetamine toxicity. The medical examiner said it was possible "that had he been taken to the hospital instead of the police station, his life would have been saved."
In an interview with ASIRT investigators, the medical examiner elaborated, saying that a person found in a confused or abnormal state should be taken to hospital or seen by a paramedic before being placed in a holding cell.
"His intentional drug use was the cause of his death and had no connection to his detention by police," wrote Matthew Block, ASIRT assistant executive director, in his decision. "However, liability can still result for anyone responsible for the affected person while he was detained."
An internal EPS review of the incident was also undertaken, ASIRT said. EPS policy says if there are any doubts about a detainee's medical condition, officers are to always "resolve" them "in favour of the detainee's wellbeing."
Based on the evidence made available to ASIRT, Block said there were no reasonable grounds to believe the officers involved committed an offence.
Block added that while police officers have specialized training, they are not medical professionals.
"As such, they must be alive to situations where it may be important to have a person in their custody medically assessed," Block said. "Again, the standard is reasonableness and not perfection."
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Hundreds of tenants at a midtown Toronto apartment building have been without heat for a week now, and many are worried with the arrival of bitter-cold temperatures.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
Ottawa ranks 45th out of 62 cities across Canada and the United States in a study on downtown recovery, with activity levels at 51 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
While crews have resumed operations in an attempt to open the Rideau Canal Skateway for its 53rd season, an NCC spokesperson tells CTV News Ottawa the canal will not open in time for the first weekend of Winterlude on Friday.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
A homicide investigation is underway on Quadra Island, B.C., after a 39-year old woman was found dead in what investigators believe was a targeted killing.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
File photo: EPS Southwest Division station. (CTV News Edmonton)
