Penticton RCMP officers are under independent investigation after a woman sustained serious injuries.
The Independent Investigations Office (IIO) said officers responded to a 911 call of a woman in emotional distress on Sept. 21. The female jumped from a residential balcony while engaged with RCMP and sustained serious injuries. She is currently hospitalized in the Lower Mainland.
The incident was reported by Penticton RCMP to IIO and a team of five investigators have been deployed to the Penticton area on Sept. 26. According to the IIO, investigators will meet with the designated RCMP liaison officer and conduct a preliminary investigative activities. Additional investigators will conduct any follow up required in the Lower Mainland.
Once the investigation is complete, the IIO chief civilian director will determine if any offence may have taken place. If the director does believe an offence took place, the case will be referred to Crown counsel. If no report is made to the Crown, the findings relating to the investigation will be released to the public.
The IIO became fully operational on Sept. 10 and is the first civilian-led police oversight agency in B.C. with the jurisdiction to investigate incidents of death and serious harm involving police. While investigators for the IIO can be former members of a police force or RCMP (as long as it isn't in the past five years), the chief civilian director cannot be a person who is currently or formerly a member of a police force or the RCMP. It is required of police agencies to notify the office of incidents that occur both on-and off-duty.