HTTP/1.0 200 OK Content-Type: text/html Senior Officer Charged In Arrest, Strip Search 
Pubdate: Wed, 12 Sep 2007
Source: Edmonton Journal (CN AB)
Copyright: 2007 The Edmonton Journal
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/edmonton/edmontonjournal/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/134
Author: Charles Rusnell
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada)

SENIOR OFFICER CHARGED IN ARREST, STRIP SEARCH

EDMONTON - A city police officer has been charged with unlawful 
exercise of authority for arresting and strip searching the son of 
lawyer Tom Engel after evidence of the alleged crime -- a marijuana 
cigarette -- was thrown away.

Chief Mike Boyd ordered the charge against Sgt. Bill Allen following 
an internal investigation into a complaint brought by Matt Engel. The 
chief found there was insufficient evidence to charge three other 
officers involved in the incident.

In a lawsuit filed in February, Matt Engel, 22, admitted he was 
smoking a marijuana cigarette in an alley behind the Strathcona Hotel 
on Feb. 25, 2005, when he was approached by three police officers. 
Engel said that when an officer asked for the cigarette, he gave it 
to him and the officer subsequently threw it onto the ground. After 
discarding the marijuana, one of the officers asked Engel to submit 
to a search. He initially refused but then relented and emptied his 
pockets, including his identification.

Matt Engel claimed in his lawsuit that as soon as the officers 
realized they were dealing with the son of Tom Engel, a well-known 
critic of the city police force, his head was slammed against the 
wall and he was roughly handcuffed and taken to a police station. 
Engel said his request for a lawyer was denied, he was not read his 
rights and he was stripped down to his underwear. The strip search 
ended when another police officer intervened. His clothes were 
returned to him and he was released without charge.

In their statement of defence, the officers said Engel threw the 
marijuana cigarette down and ground it into the mud with his foot. He 
then refused to be searched and after being given the option of being 
searched on the spot or at the station, he opted to be taken to the 
station. He was handcuffed roughly because he briefly resisted 
arrest, the officers said.

At the police station, Engel was given the opportunity to disrobe so 
his clothes could be searched and when no drugs were found, he was 
released. The police also said he refused their offer to call a 
lawyer and they deny any animosity toward Matt Engel because of his 
relationship to Tom Engel.

No hearing has been scheduled for Allen.
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