Police services act hearing

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A rare police services act hearing continued at Hamilton police headquarters today. Sgt. Helena Pereira faces 6 charges in relation to two incidents in 2013 including the use of unnecessary force and insubordination.

At least one retired staff sergeant who worked with Pereira feels these charges are ridiculous; that the incidents in question were pretty normal situations for a police sergeant in charge of the prisoner intake, or jail area within the police station. He feels the charges are payback because Pereira has filed human rights complaints against the police service.

Prosecutor Gary Melanson spent today going through those incidents minute by minute, questioning Pereira about her thoughts and actions at every frame. In one incident, Pereira has come in for her shift but has not yet changed into her uniform. She sees other officers having trouble with a drunk woman, and she decides to take over. She pushes the woman into the cell, and then follows her there. The woman fought back and Pereira was hit and kicked, but eventually, with help, regained control, the other officers complained about Pereira’s behaviour.

The other incident involved Pereira’s cousin. She wasn’t sure he was the one arrested on drug charges until she saw him in what’s called the sally port area of the prisoner intake. It sounds like Pereira gave her cousin a quick slap on the cheek, although it’s hard to tell for sure, she thought she had hit him on the shoulder. After they exchange a few words, he starts to sob loudly, and Pereira has his handcuffs removed. She testified this is normal because of what she called the “snot factor.” Police aren’t going to wipe a crying prisoner’s face. Pereira then sat down and spoke to her cousin in portuguese for a few minutes before leading him into the cell area. Again, other officers were the source of the complaint, not any of the accused.

Pereira is still working, she hasn’t been suspended, but it’s worth noting that she was not given a lawyer to defend herself, she has union representatives with her facing the lawyer on the other side of the table. 3 days were set aside to finish this hearing this week but it is progressing slowly and it looks like they’ll have to book more time for the hearing after their allotted time is up on Thursday.