PCC investigating Saskatoon man's complaint that police dropped him off outside city
Ken Thomas alleges he had to walk home from Highway 11
Saskatchewan's Public Complaints Commission (PCC) says it is working to set up a meeting with Ken Thomas, a Saskatoon resident who said two police officers picked him up and dropped him off outside of the city, on Highway 11.
Thomas said he was having a cigarette Saturday night outside of Stan's Place, a Saskatoon bar, when he was confronted by police.
He said two uniformed officers put him in the back of an unmarked, black Ford SUV and drove him to the outskirts of town where he was forced to get out.
The term "starlight tours" refers to alleged cases of the Saskatoon police taking aboriginal men and women to the edge of the city in the winter and abandoning them there.
Two officers were fired in 2004 after an inquiry into Neil Stonechild's death ruled the officers had the 17-year-old in their patrol car the last night he was seen alive.
No one was ever charged in connection with Stonechild's death. The police service later apologized to Stonechild's family for the way the investigation was conducted.
'I feel very betrayed by the system'
"I'm a tax-paying, law abiding citizen and I'm just thinking, why is this happening to me?" Thomas said.
He said he is working to get a lawyer.
"This has been going on for years and I'm not afraid of the police. I'm going to meet them in court, or something," he said. "That's not OK for them to do that to people. It's just an abuse of power."
Thomas has a job as a steelworker but said in his spare time he is a volunteer, coach and public speaker. He is also a competitive runner. Thomas has participated in the Saskatoon Police half-marathon for various charities.
"I feel very betrayed by the system and the police. I'm starting to see why people resent them," he said. "I believe we can heal the community through athletic programs and mentorship and things will get better. But I just don't feel like that right now."
A spokesperson for the Saskatoon Police Service said the PCC has received a formal complaint from Thomas about the matter and will handle any investigation into what happened.
"All of our vehicles have GPS and in-car cameras that are activated any time the rear doors are opened so once a clearer date, time and location is established, we will be checking these as part of the investigation," said the spokesperson in a statement to CBC.
PCC director John Clarke said Thomas will be interviewed in order for the organization to establish the facts and determine if an investigation needs to be done. He said an investigation is likely.