Police watchdog clear Port Alberni RCMP in jail cell death of First Nations woman

Laurie HamelinAPTN NewsBritish Columbia’s police watchdog has cleared the Port Alberni RCMP of wrongdoing in the death of an 18-year-old First Nations woman.Jocelyn George died in 2016 after a night in police custody. George was taken into custody for being intoxicated in a public space. She was released later that day on June 23 only to be taken back later that evening after a relative, concerned for her wellbeing, called police.”She had been in cells overnight at the RCMP station in Port Alberni and they didn’t notice that her health had been deteriorating. When they checked on her in the morning, obviously something was wrong, and by the time they got her to the hospital, they flew her to Victoria, it was just too late,” said Judith Sayers, president of the Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council”Everybody was horrified, like how did this happen? Why did it happen? Why wasn’t it caught sooner?”It was later determined that George died from impacts of methamphetamine and cocaine on her heart.George was monitored through a video monitor through the night in question.”As long as she was moving her legs or something they thought she was OK. But obviously she wasn’t,” said Sayers.The RCMP were cleared in the death but the family is disappointed.”A security guard should always check on people, especially when they are incarcerated for intoxication of alcohol or drugs,” said Richard Lucas, George’s great uncle.Sayers said there needs to be a review.”We have had other Nuu-chah-nulth die in custody before. We don’t want to see it ever happen again and if we can take measures, if we can learn from this experience so that others don’t die in custody we’ll feel so much better that we have done everything that we can to help the memory of Jocelyn,” she said.lhamelin.ca

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2 thoughts on “Police watchdog clear Port Alberni RCMP in jail cell death of First Nations woman

  1. A Lieseke says:

    I hate drugs and alcohol

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