Daughter to launch
RCMP complaint
after Thanksgiving raid

Gary McKenna, Tri-City News, Oct. 14, 2010

Coquitlam RCMP officers responded to a call Sunday about
someone being held against her will in a Port Coquitlam
home — but the claim turned out to be false.
Photo: Robert Sell

A Maple Ridge woman said she plans to file a formal complaint against the Coquitlam RCMP after police raided her mother's home during the family's Thanksgiving dinner.

Caerau McNabb told The Tri-City News police acted inappropriately when they drew their weapons and surrounded the residence after responding to a call that turned out to be a hoax.

“I'm furious,” she said. “I don't understand how their policy puts them well within their right to drag an innocent family out of their home.”

Police had initially believed a woman was being forcibly confined inside the home and that weapons were present. They surrounded the residence and ordered McNabb, her mother, her step-father and step-brother outside of the home and to lie on the wet ground.

When police searched the house, they found no evidence anyone was being held against their will and there were no weapons on the premises. As it turned out, the alleged victim was in the downstairs basement suite with two friends.

McNabb said during the incident, police screamed at the family. Her mother, who is 60 and has some mobility issues, had difficulty lying down on the ground.

“When she finally got down, she burst into tears, half in pain, half out of embarrassment,” McNabb told CTV News after the incident. “I tried to comfort my mother, at which point I was told I had a gun pointed at my head and to shut up and stop speaking.”

Communication was also an issue, McNabb said. While police were surrounding the home, an RCMP dispatcher called the family on the telephone. The person on the other end of the line was telling the family to stay inside while police surrounding the home were screaming at them to vacate the premises.

McNabb said police need to do more to ensure calls are accurate and she believes some policy changes are required.

“If I don't like my neighbours, does that mean I can go to a pay phone and tell the police that they are holding a person hostage?” she said. “The use of force went way beyond what was necessary for the desired outcome.”

Coquitlam RCMP Cpl. Bert Paquet acknowledged Tuesday that the incident was unfortunate and said the RCMP was reviewing the incident and had spoken with the McNabb family.

McNabb said one of the officers went with her house to house to explain to neighbours exactly what had happened and to clarify that the incident was the result of a hoax.

Complaints against the RCMP are first dealt with at the local level by the commanding officer of the detachment. If a resolution cannot be found a person can take their issue to the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP.

“This is not something we see very often,” said Paquet. “Complaints against our officers are the exception as opposed to the rule but there is definitely a process in place if anyone has concerns about the conduct with the RCMP officers.”

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